WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7268, 5 March 1885, Page 6

WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

[from oub qws corbsspokdkht.] Hamilton, Wednesday, MaK? of the shareholders will learn for the first time that an adjourned meeting of the North New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association will be held on Friday next, at Hamilton, at two p.m., and that immediately afterwards an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders will be held. By some mistake the circulars convening these meetings/and the business for the transaction of which they are called, have not been served personally upon shareholders in all cases. Both meetings are important ones—the first being for the purpose of receiving the directors' report and balance-sheet to the 30th of November, 1884, to appoint directors and auditors, and to fix the amount of remuneration of the latter. At the extraordinary general meeting the business is even still more important. Eight vacant seats on the directory have to be filled up. A resolution will be brought forward to sanction the increase of the association's capital by the directors, and several other important matters. It is also announced that the association have made arrangements with the United Insurance Company to act aa their agents, and are prepared to undertake fire neks of all sorts at lowest rates. "We regret," tays the circular, " that as your insurance* fall due you will let them lapse, and make fresh proposals through us. If every shareholder will do this the profits will pay 4 per cent, on oqr paid-up capital." Mauy shareholders are of opinion that this waa scarcely the kind of business for whioh the association was started. ■

A final meeting of the committee of the Waikato Horticultural Society was held yesterday in the Chamber of Commerce, Waikato Times BaildiDg*, Hamilton, to make arrangements for the forthcoming horticultural show to be held in the Public Hall, Hamilton, on the 17th inet. The prize list was made out, consisting of money prizes to the extent of about £15 iu each of the three different classes or exhibitors—allcomers, amateurs, and cottagers—the list of exhibits being the same in each class. The Secretary was instructed to write to Mr. D. Hay and Mr. James Mason, of Auckland, asking them to act as judges of fruit, pot plants, cut flowers, and vegetables, and to Messrs. Barugh, Main, and Soppett to act as judges of grain and farm produce. Two special prizes of 10s each were announced as given by Mr. Palmer, of Auckland, the one for twelve beet dahlias and the other for the six best dishes of potatoes. It had been originally intended not to include poultry ia the show, on account of the difficulty of procuring judges, but many poultry fanciers having requested that exhibits of this class should be exhibited, it was yesterday determined to receive exhibits of poultry, though no prizes would be awarded, the committee undertaking to receive the birds at the railway station, and attend to them while in Hamilton, returning them to the railway station at;ain, the birds to be exhibited in the pens in which they are sent. Mr. C. Day, of Whatawhata, has consented to act as judge in that class. The Secretary stated that the members of the Hamilton String Band had volunteered to play at the hall during part of the day and in the evening.

There was a crowded attendance at the St Peter's harvest festival service, held last night. Prayers were intoned by the Rev. Mr. Swann, the Rev. H. Davies reading the lessons. Mr. Swann also preached an excellent sermon suitable to the occasion. The church was tastefully decorated with grain, fruit, and evergreens. Special thanks are due to Mr. Sharp, of Cambridge, for his lare,} contribution of fruit and flowers for this purpose. The collection was in aid of the church building fund.

Cambridge, Wednesday. At the monthly meeting of the Tamahere Farmers' Club the only subject of interest discussed was the selling of cattle by live weight, and it wae resolved to bring further pressure to bear upon the Auckland cattle auctioneers in this matter, by urging all those who originally signed the memorials asking for the change of system to come forward, and show by renewed action that the statement made'by one of the auctioneers that it was only an inconsiderable number of the farmers who desired the change was misleading. A subject likely to come forward for discussion shortly will be tbe labour question, when Our local members, as representing the agricultural interests, will be urged to do their duty to their codstituents and the country in this matter, undeterred by the. fear of any unpopularity which may attach to them from those whose interest it is, or appears to them to be, to keep up the present excessive and crushing price of unskilled labour. Some little surprise is expressed that the resolution of the Domain Board should have prohibited bathing in the lake in the newly laid out ornamental grounds between the hours of nine a.m. and four p.m. It is jast in the evening that visitors to the grounds are most numerous, and surely from daylight to nine a.m. is sufficient for bathing purposes. A match between the two peds, David Craigh, o {Cambridge, and George Cutler, of Auckland, was arranged yesterday to come off on the Cambridge cricket ground on the 21st April. The money, £10 a side, was staked with Mr. A Bach.

[bt telegraph—own cobbksponskkts.J Hamilton, Wednesday evening. Hakanui would seem to have developed the state of affairs rendering Mangere notorious -at the Police Court. To-day cross actions were tried for assaults between occupiers of two adjoining farms at Hakanni. James and David fiastie, brothers, both unmarried, occupy one, and Moaei MoNicol, also a bachelor, lives on the other. James Haatie charged MoNicol with assault on the 19th and 20th of February. Mr. Hay for Mr. Hastie; Mr. H. Miell for Mr. MeNicol. Hastie on the morning went to defendant's house, who was then chopping wood with an axe, aad asked him why he set fire to the boundary fence. MoNiccol gave him no answer, but dropping the axe, struck him on the chest, and then ou the arm, ordering him off. Plaintiff went away without attempting to return the blows. On the night of February 20th defendant again fired the fence in three different places. Plaintiff then got a bucket and fried to put tue fire out, and to get more easily at the water went on defendant's side of the hedge, when MoNicol rushed at him, struck him, and wrenched the bucket out of his hands. Informant then went quietly away. There were no witnesses. McNiool, in dt fence, denied striking, but said he simply pushed with his open hands. He had his frontage line measured and believed the side boundary fence to be within his land. He denied setting the hedge on fire. Hβ saw a man on his land near the fence, and wanting to see who he was, he caught him by each shoulder from behind, and putting his foot round his leg, the man fell. He then saw it was Hastie. When he got up, Hastie raised the bucket and he gave him another push, and he fell Again. In cross-examination he denied that he had often threatened the Haaties, saying he would burn them ont. McNicol admitted to the Court that he thought he did not set the hedge on fire. He burned off the bush lying within a yard of the furze hedge. In the second case McNicol charged James Hastie with striking him on the head with a stick on the evening of 21st February, and David Hastie with aiding and abetting. The case for the prosecution was that James Hastie came when he was digging potatoes, with a stick in his hand. McNicol faced him with a spade, and Hastie retreated to the fence, some twenty chains distant, followed by complainant At the fence David Hastie appeared with a stick, and the two rushed at him, James striking him on the head, which bled freely. For the defence James Hastie gave evidence that riding home on the evening of the 4th, he saw McNicol deliberately set fire to the fence. He' hastened on, and getting over the fence, begged MoNicol to got a basket, and aeaiat in putting the fire out, as the way the wind was blowing the ha} stack was in dangerous proximity. Hβ had no stick in his hand. MoNicol was digging potatoes with a spade. The only answer he gave was to throw a spade full of earth in his face, and rush at him with the spade upraised. , Witness then stooped, picked up a stick, and while doing so received a out across the left wrist with the corner of the spade. He then with the stick parried a blow made at Mβ arm, which would have cut it in two at the elbow if he had not turned the spade and received the flat instead of the edge. His arm was shown in Court much bruised. He then struck McNicol on the head with the stick to prevent further mischief, as he considered his life in danger. David Hastie corroborated the evidence of his brother as to McNicol striking the first blow with the spade. Oα the first charge, of

usmult on tbe 19th, McNicol Wi fined 10s, and <so«t8 £2 13e; for the aasault oa the 206b, 20e, and costs £1 18s. The charge against the Haetiea was dismissed. Alexandra, Wednesday evening. Messrs. J. D. Hill, Aubin, Sage, Miles, and Smith were elected a licensing committee for the town of Alexandra. Hamilton, Wednesday evening. The announcement in to-day's Herald that Sergeant McGovern had been promoted to tbe rank of Sergeant-Major, for services rendered in the capture of Winiata, has given very lively satisfaction, as apart from this special service altogether Sergeant MeGovern has well earned the step, and is eminently qualified to fulfil the duties with credit to himself and with benefit to the service.