THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1885.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7304, 16 April 1885, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1885.

Th:e turning'of- the * first's sod of the North Island Trunk Railway, which ceremony took place yesterday, was in every respect an important event in the history of the colony. ;; It seems hardly credible that daring these last fifteen years, while a system of railway com-:' munication was being established in other ■ parts of J the' colony, ■ the whole, interior of the North Island should have been excluded from any participation in this means of transit and of settlement, inconsequence of the - disaffected condition ot, certain ;; native tribes, who yet were legally subjects of the Queen. - Yet such is the fact.'} The figment of a . native kingship, based upon an alienation of race, sufficed for a quarter of -a century to prevent-, the influence of civilisation from penetrating that extensive country, to the detriment of the natives and the retarding of the material progress .. of the colony. This state of -things has now, however, come • happily, to an. end. The isolation to which the King natives, as they were called, had voluntarily condemned themselves and what the Government of the : colony wisely ; resolved to leave undisturbed, brought at length its -own cure. Some - changes come the sooner for hot being forced, and these natives got weaned from their foible of - a separate v existence much more quickly, from being allowed time to realise the disadvantages at entailed on them, than would have been the case had special efforts which would only have tended to arouse their distrust been, made to induce them to become identified with the general community. Of their own accord they ceased to believe in the potentiality of their kingship, resolved to occupy the same relation to the Queen as all her other subjects in the colony, and consented that their lands, like those of other people, should be opened up and rendered available for occupation by means of roads and railways. '.They thus entered upon a new . existence of which yesterday's interesting and memorable ceremony may .be regarded as the formal inauguration. .

There is one circumstance connected With this ceremony which served to bring into greater prominence the great : and beneficial change which has come over the minds of the natives in question. And . that is, that the undertaking -which is ' the symbol of civilisation and peace was commenced near. a spot where; the two races had formerly contended „ for mastery in fierce battle, and that the leader of the Maori warriors who then fought so well, though unsuccessfully, took,part along with the Premier of the colony in its initiation. That joint performance was a significant proclamation of the fact that, henceforth, the " two races occupying these lands would abstain from deadly forms of civil contention, and reserve their united arms for the sole purpose of defending their country from every external foe. Another circumstance not less significant is. that, according to a statement made by ; the Premier, the section of the railway

'which wis yesterday commenced is to be formed by native labour alone. The triumphs of the spade and mattock are ".to'*"supplant - the, weapons which those tribes ;. formerly delighted in; and, ' front this time forth, those who found „ their, chief pleasure in war, >to enter the list, as competitors with, tEuropean contractors and artisans .in works of skill and industry. We join With the "Premier in the hope expressed by him that the Maori rivals may succeed in executing their : portion of the railway after a style which will bear favcurablecomparison with the performances of those who have had prolonged experience iin such occupations. This honour, if merited, will not, we feel sure, be grudged them by any Eurobeans engaged in the work. Nothing ' but good- feeling will be in the minds oIE both races, by the cherishing a heiilthy ambition to carry off fhe palm for excellence) of workman- ' ship, bestowed on an undertaking which is to be an enduring monument of the fact .that the old days of alienation and darkness and strife have given place to those of . unity and light and friendship..

"There is a Startling difference between th#. diplomatic attitudes assumed at present by the - English and. Russian Governments respectively, which, in so far as the interests of England are concerned* !i£; far from being assuring. While the former. is waiting for an i official 'emanation of - the conduct of General- / Komaroff in attacking the Afghan fbroes, the latter is profuse in offering fdr his action shuffling excuses, which' really amount, to an approval of "it.: - The . messages sent by. the Russian authorities are so framed as to ; seeming expressions of regret ' at the untoward event, and of continued peaceful, intentions, but they contain not.one 'Word indicative of repudiation -pi- their)- General's) proceedings, while the semi-official , organ of the. Court, Writing f under Imperial) inspiration, declines .to" Allow that the action of the Russian - • commander - was . ...prompted by ; aggressive motives. .- And yet these messages, though discounted, if belied, after the fashion just quoted, are solemnly recited in the House of . Commons by. Mr. Gladstone, who; with an apparent credulousness which ) baffles comprehension, announces them jus.', pacific assurances. Thd one Go vernment seems to employ words v only v with a view . to mislead, whereas ; the " other , appears ready to accept them all as gospel. .. r '-v . ' Nor- does the contrast in their attitudes' end here.' For, while the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs dexterously itodeavours to exonerate the conduct of General Komaroff, and by the utter absence of any word of disapprobation, tacitly endorses the accuracy of his account of it," Mr. Gladstone employs language which, in effect, gives V the impression that he does not regard the explanation of the Russian attack on the; Afghans, furnished by Sir Peter Lumsden, as quite reliable. Speaking ; in the House of Commons, on the l'3th instant, he stated that, as there was a' ; :conaiierable discrepancy between the - British account of 'the causes of the > engagement and: that, forwarded' by General Komaroff, the Government had telegraphed to" Sir Peter Lumsden to ascertain the actual facts); of the - case. . It is . difficult t to understand ' the state \ of mind "that could move the Prime Minister of England to speak ! in) such a way . as is calculated .to discredit I=her j own representative in the eyes of the world, and especially of England's probable , foe. .; there- is,, however,, no getting rid of the fact that a statement like the above ■conveys the 1 idea that, in the estimation of. the /British Government, Sir Peter , Lumsden may) have failed to convey a full and fsiithful ; narrative of the circumstances in question. And ; what . renders that' statement the more extraordinary is the fact that the account of Sir Peter Lumsden was based, on the report' of the f English officers attached to the frontier Commission, ; whb were eye-witnesses of the whole proceedings, who had remonstrated with General : Komaroff about his continued advance /as a viola, of the agreement between the two Governments, and who, from being simple spectators - of the hostilities, <; were v in a , position to give an accurate and impartial testimony respecting the events which f led to them. Yet the report made by these intelligent and honourable officials to their : chief is treated by Mr. Gladstone's! Government as a report requiring "to be remitted to its framers for. amendment. - And this too while; the English ' Press has unanimously declared thai; General Komaroff, in his accounts of his action, had contradicted himself, and while the original 'explanation of it given v by M. de : Giers—that it was' taken in ignorance of the ! understanding arrived at by the two Governments—-was known to all the world to be -at variance with the actual facts. ' The only way of accounting' for this unprecedented procedure on the part of the English Government that seems possible is to conclude that Mr. Gladstone has not yet overcome his hereditary disposition to : believe. anything - which * Russian " statesmen); may. find it .convenient to say,-and to accept with - hesitancy, the statement of any Englishman, which tends to call in question their reliability. But, however, it may ~ be explained, there can be no doubt that the effect of it will be to place Sir. Peter Lumsden as well as the British Government in a false position and to encourage the Russian authorities in ■' the defiant and aggressive course they have been and are pursuing. ",/ , "

■ The Hod. the' Minuter of FublJo WcrV. has arranged with Mr."'; W. J. Suiter, Chair, man ;of •' the 7 Newmarket ' Road Board, te receive a "deputation. from that body to-d«» (Thursday) at? four o'clock at the SaprcsM Court building*, in referenoe to the dingerqui railway croesings in Newmarket and York Street!, , where the accident to Jod» Fenton and others occurred. The deiratatioa will also bring under the Minister* notice the .want of a constabulary station, it pena» nent post office, ' post ' office - savings bank ,• telegraph „■ station, ■ and .telephone? .bureau, Mr. Suiter is likewise anxious to; get the trust of the reserve altered so as to permit the Board or Borough -to let it for a market reserve ■ or lease it for building purposes to secure a revenue, which would assist mated* ally, in paying the interest on' the .borrowed money that is necessary to raise for water and drainage, so urgently required in the district. The: reserve is- small, and would suit for a market admirably. The crowded state, not to say dangerous, of Durham-street on sale days is sufficient proof that a removal of the yards must ere long take place, sad we know of no place more central or better suited than the one indicated. The want of it as a reserve would not be felt, as the Domain on .the N.W. and Mount Eden on ■ the south side, all being in close proximity, give ample > facilities to the inhabitants to breathe fresh air and take their comtifo. tional walks. ' :■. ~ A good many citizens went over yeatep. day to see the stirring work on the North Head, and there was something really to look at when 200 men were on two drag ropes pulling ,an enormous gun to the top of the hill. When a . number of the men at work were shifting from one place to another, ait old army officer, addressing one stout fallow, said, "You've been in •• the army, • haven't you ?" " Yes," was the reply, the man in. stantly coming to attention. " What is your name " Stuart." "What regiment were you in?" " The 420 d Highlanders." And he looked as if he were proud of the Black Watch, as well he might be ! % The mail steamer City of Sydney left Sag Francisco for Auckland on the 12th tartant, one day behind time table date. > j , The .final : performance of Miss Genavieri Ward's Company was given on April 6 In Dnhedin, when we house was filled in every part, " Forget-me-not being the piece pro. duced. : During one of the intervals, in response Vtov. an emphatic call from the audience, Miss Ward came before the curtain and delivered a short farewell address. Her Six weeks' visit to New Zealand had proved a very pleasant one in many respects—artistically, financially, socially, and', to coin a word, touriatically. She had - met with a Very flattering-reception- indeed.- She had only been able to see some of the natural wonders of New Zealand— the Hot Springs— she 'hoped on some future occasion to pay another visit to New Zealand if not as an artist, as a tourist She hoped then to see more of the South Island, m the pioturesque surroundings of Dunedin had created a desire to see more of this beautiful ' part of the world. The direct steam service had now converted ; what was once a weary journey into a holiday trip, and she entertained' a .hope that her.- report of pleasant a experiences would induce many dramatic artists of note to pay New Zealand a visit. ' _ •- '• The " monthly meeting of the Aucklatu University College Council was to have been held yesterday, bat it lapsed for want of a quorum. This is the first occasion upon which a , meeting has fallen through. The Council consists of eleven members, and five constitute;, a , quorum, and yesterday only three were) present. . A special meeting to transact the business has been - called for .Wednesday next, the 22nd instant. . At * the; Police :Court yesterday morning the charge of breaking and entering the Auckland - Tobacco Company's premise* against William August Scholtz Mailer was "called on,"; and remanded to April 22, on the application of the police, as the whole of the property stolen had not been recovered. A request for bail was refused, as it was opposed by Sergeant Gamble, who considered it would defeat the ends of justice if it wu complied with. £ John Wilson, against whom there was' a long list of previous convictions for larceny and vagrancy,- was sentenced to • six months' hard labour for stealing an ue and saw from the Salvation, Army.Home. * Mr. Bagiey has hitherto been in the habit of receiving his island fruit by. <(ailiiig vessels, whioh were frequently delayed, and the fruit was injured by being detained on board in a loose condition. *' He has now made arrangements for this receipt of all his. fruit by the steamer Janet -Nicoll, .which is .subsidised to trade : between 'Auckland and the 1 principal islands of ; the : South Seas.'•*. He anticipates .being aide to ■, sell, much cheaper than hitherto, as the loss will > be "reduced to a minimum, and the packing will enable him to ship South to his euents there without seoond . handling or repacking. - The.extent to which the fruit trade with . the Island* has grown within the last few years makes it one of very, considerable importance and we are glad to; see that Mr. Bayley has, at such an early stage, availed himself of the servfoee of the direct steamer. It will have one great ad* vantage, which is that this arrangement will always ensure a regular supply of fruits in season. - - The following paragraph is taken from the Wellington Post {—"Nearly half the .Maoris who reach man's estate and lead a civilized life eventually suocumb. to oon> sumption,, and it 'would be,:interesting to learn what is really the cause 'of so many deaths from the same disease. In the Thames district upwards .of a dozen native youths who attended one >of the -r publio schools several years - ago have fallen victims to consumption, and in several other districts in the North Island the ' mortality amongst the young ' aboriginals ' who : have ' adopted European , manners . and . customs has been equally alarming. . A few weeks ago a young native named Taramena Hea, a nephew of an influential chief in the Hauraki district, was , brought down to : Wellington. by the Native Minister, and provided with a situation by the Native Department. - After filling the position for about a fortnight, ,it was discovered that he had been : attacked with consumption, and.no time was lost in sending Mm back to his people. Experience has : proved that natives attacked with the disease never recover, and there is little r hope that Taramene will live much longer. -.. The young man is an intelligent fellow, and is educated in) a very superior manner, having attended St. Stephen's School in Auckland,. and the Native College ih'Hawke's Bay for several years. He was) the bolder of. the late Sir Donald McLean's scholarship for three years. He excelled in field sports, as many of his countrymen' do. :: Many of, our! readers who have never seen the young -man; will regret, we feel sure, to hear of his unfortunate condition." . ?-))).' ;;\ "■ . "Query" asks— a return; tioket by rail for Cambridge is 9s for one day, but 18s for . three days' trip ? Surely if the trains run regularly, and the holder goes up by one I and returns by another.. days hence, it makes no difference to the cost of carrying him. \ Why then should be pay double, ana where is the advantage of taking : a return ticket? ) ' . ball Club was heldin the club-room, United Service Hotel, last night. There was a fur attendance present, and Mr. T. Macky occuchair. The Secretary, Mr. W. Skeen, read the annual report of the committee, which showed that the club again took premier position among the local senior clubs, winning nine matches, losing two, and drawing one,' out of a total of twelve played. The Treasurer's report was also satisfactory. New members were elected as follows :— Keefe, Besaht, Daniel, T. Whiteside, Kin& A. Bruce, E. Priestley, T. Higgins, B. Lloya. <> The office-bearers elected for the year were : ■—President, "Mr. J. C. Mackay ; . Vice-Presi-dents, Messrs. J. M. Brighanr and J. A Pond; captain, , Mr. J. Arneil ; Secretary, Mr. W. Skeen; ) committee, ' Messrs. AH. Cotter, B. Skeen, and J.' Young; delegates to the association, Messrs. A. H, Cotter and, J. Arneil. \ f' • / The Grafton Football Club will play a practice 1 match on Saturday, on tue Metropolitan ground, between'the following sides : —Beggs (captain), ) Madigan, • Brown (2), Stewart, Shiels, Spencer, Watson, Withers, Ohlson, Otway, Beilley (2), Connelly. Tanira, Craig, Price, Hazeldene, Baker. Ryan (cap-tain),-Hesketh, Cooper,. Leckie, jMonntfort, White, Whiteside,' Charter; Frater, Joewson, Mackie, ' Bruce, Edmonds, Smith, 'Donald, Schofield, Speight, Frieberg, Gardner, and J. Shiels. rv-•) il''' ** ' - Nothing further has transpired as to.tbi origin of the fire which led to the destruction of the fine stables and dairy on the property of ' Mr.- John •Buonanaoi"Avondal% on _ Monday. afternoon. V They were insured in the Standard for £150.. . - o ) ) ". : There were four prisoners. la the lock-uf last evening (or drunkenness,

A miraculous : escape from instant death occurred. yesterday atteirnoon to Mr. Chas.* Waters, ; son of , Mr. .Waters, the well-known Queen-street .confectioner. He was driving a spring cart down Hobwm-street yesterday Afternoon, when the horse stumbled, and he fell over the front of the vehicle, one of the wheels passing over his neck, _ which .was partly protected by the roll'of his coat neck. The shock stupefied him for 'a moment or tiro, and the spectators concluded he bad received fatal injuries. ; To their astonishment ,he ' presently arose . and chased, the horse and cart. Further than getting a graze on the chin, and another on the temple, he does not seem much the worse for bis adventure, . and did not even call in medical advice. His a collar and shirt neck were soiled, and . bore the marks of the wheel, but otherwise so -great barm was done. The vehicle being a light one,; was probably the cause of hia hairbreadth escape from a terrible death.' \ . " Fun on the. Bristol" was repeated at the Theatre Royal last night.'' The new songs were loudly applauded. ;' . . At the ' conclusion of the ceremony of turning the first nod of the Main Trunk Railway yesterday, the Premier left for Kihikihi; thence be proceeds to' | Oxford and' Ohinemutu. Should nothing urgent require his presence in Wellington, he will go on to Taupo, and down' the Wanganni River, andioverland to Wellington. .. A nautical enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the loss of the barqUe Matthieu was held yesterday, and resulted in no blame being attached to the master or officers of the vessel. ' The Harbourmaster at the Kaipara (Captain Christy Smith) made some replies' to the Bench of interest to the shipping'community, whioh will bo found in another column. It will be seen from an advertisement in another column that Woody ear's Electric Circus is announced to appear in Auckland shortly. - - The adjourned annual meeting of the Auckland ; Tramway > and Suburban Land Company was held yesterday.' The report and balance-sheet were adopted, and the Chairman, Mr. J. M. Clark, gave a luoid explanation of the position of the company. The retiring directors and auditors were reelected. A detailed report of the meeting will found in another portion of this issue. To-day Mr. R. Arthur, auctioneer, will sell at his auction mart at noon, the estate called " Hoseberry, formerly known a* Jackson's pr.'party, situate at Birkenhead, within a few minutes' walk of the Blrkeahead Wharf and the ■ jar Works. The i property has been subdivided Into villa, homestead, and orchard sites of one to seven acres each, and as it Is situated in a rising suburb, and commands a munificent view of the city, suburbs, and harbour,' will bo doubt meet with a ready sale. • • At twelve o'clock this day Mr. D. F. Evans will sell by public auction, at his Land Mart, Queen-street, the following choice and valuable properties At Shelly beach Ko»3. a very handsome and commodious eight-roomed villa residence, replete with every oonvsnleaee, and finished off in first-class style. Bos passes the door, and : only, twenty minutes' walk from Queen-street- At the same time a charming marine villa residence situs'.:# it Melrose, North Shore; sllotmant GO x ISO ; seven roems. and possessing all conveniences theroto. This is a really Ant-class property, grand views of harbour; also, Hamilton-road, Poasonbr, fronting the Waitemata Harbour, grand building lots, 'flews unsurpassed, aad the only available lots now offering in this vicinity. At the same time, choice building lots in Emmetatreat, and that valuable and most desirable freehold property situate in St. Vary's Uoad. Ponsonby, having a frontage to ' St. Mary's JBoad• 54. feet, to Carolinestreet 142 feet, to Dedwood Turraoe 113 feet together with dwelling-home and all buildings erected thereon; also, comer of Vermont-street and Ollphant-street, fine corner lot, with house six roems. . At the some tine % odious villa residence of six rooms, gas, water, commanding most exteadve views, near Three lamps; and at Alten-road, only five minutes walk from Queen-street, a very large house of ten rooms, gas and water, balcony and verandah, every comfort, •plendid view of harbour, and itereral other properties. Now, anyone wishing to boy,: the above are really first-class properties, with great prospective value, and the choicest offering in the market. To-morrow, at their land J sale - rooms, ShorOand-street, Messrs, Valid and Douglas will hold a very important sale of freeliold properties. It la not every day, nor indeed is St likely that there will ever again be sixty-three and' a half square miles' of country offered in one block, and that, too, at the low upset price of &s per acre, thus living investors a chance of securing for about £10,000' a property that in. the : natural aider of things mnstviry shortly rise in value to four ok five, times that amount. It must also be .borne la mind that at the present time this valuable ' block of land is bringing in art income equal to 10 per cent. on the upset value of the property. The Waikato properties situate in the midst of the coal mines- , of that district are also well worth the attention ef • speculators. • After the sale at the Fibre ..Company's properties the balance of the well-known Taupild block, comprising twenty-six farms of ' various sixas, will be offered. The kauri bush sections are especially Valuable. .... Wewould call attention to the aale English furniture to' take place to-day at the mart of E. Tonka and Co., Queen-street. The shipment has fat- been -landed from the Northumberland, and is altogether of a very superior description. The furniture- comprises walnut drawing-room suites in silk reps ; dining-room suites in solid oak and mahogany, "covered . With best morocco, mahogany extension tables, mahogany toilets, blade and gold overmantels, . music-stools, - card tables, ebc-, and the whole'ls well worthy of Inspection. - . . ;•/