WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7827, 22 December 1886, Page 3

WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

[FROM our own correspondent.] Hamilton, Tuesday. The monthly meeting of the Hamilton Domain Board was held last night. In the absence of the Mayor, Mr. Knox was moved to the chair. Present : Messrs Jones, Barton, Von Stnrmer, Tippin, Dey, Edgoumbe, Bell. A letter was read from Mr. J. B. Whyte, asking, as he had purchased part of Mr. Jolly's property, Hamilton Wast, that the domain fence be carried on to Mr. Jolly's gate, near the park, bo as to enable traffio roads to be opened through to Franklin. As regards the road required to be made, all that was wanted was to plough the roads and sow them with grass. Referred to Hamilton West Improvement Committee, with power to aot. A letter from Mr. Northcroft re the disputed fence boundary was ordered to be referred to the Borough Council, as the land concerned did not belong to the Domain Board, but was a borough endowment. An application to repair the entrance to the boatahed at the Lake was referred to the Improvement Committee with power to aot. Leave was granted to Mr. T. G. Sandes to use 90 posts, for the purpose of the Sports Committee on Sydney Square. The Hamilton East Improvement Committee was authorised to erect a fence to allow cattle to go down to the river at Graham's landing. The fees In the grass commonage paddocks, late Bradley's, in Hamilton West, were reduced from 2s 6d aweek to Is 6d for horses, and Is per week for cows. The ranger was empowered to receive horned cattle into the Galloway street reserve at the ordinary commonage fees. Tenders were ordered to be called at once for painting all the gates of the Domain and commonages. The accounts, as certified to by the Finance Committee, were passed. The season has been an extraordinary one in many respects. The nights are still cold, almost as much so as in winter, and yesterday morning the district was visited with a sharp frost that did considerable damage amongst the gardens. Messrs. Mason, Uzzell, Steadman, and others suffered rather

severely—pumpkin and melon, vines, potatoes, French beans, and other garden crops being cut off: An adjourned meeting of•' the Borough Council was held last night—Mr. Knox in the chairfor the object of reviewing the further report of the Public Baths Committee. The report was read, and stated that the services of Mr. T. G. Sandes bad been engaged by the committee to prepare plans, specifications, and estimates, in accordance with the draft plans of baths recommended in the previous report of the committee; also stating that the committee had carefully examined these plans, &c., in detail, and recommended their adoption by the Council. The Council adopted the report, and on the motion of Mr. Von Ssurmer, Mr. Sandes was instructed to call for tenders for the construction of a bath at the foot of Hillsborough Terrace,and a second bath at Graham's, landing, on the east side, tenders to be in by noon of Thursday, the 6th proximo, the committee to open and accept tenders. The tender of Mr. R. Waite for carting for the year was accepted, and also that of George Mayes for lighting the street lamps. Cambridge, Tuesday. A hope had bean expressed by up country residents that the Railway Department would have afforded facilities to people here and at Te Awamutu, and at intermediate stations on both lines, to have run down to Hamilton during + he Carnival days, and at* tended the evening entertainment there, and returned home late thb same night. Scores, too, who will not go at ail now, would have visited Hamilton by the day trains if they could have remained there, till, say, half-past! ten p.m., and returned by rail the same night. This could easily have been managed, as pointed out by the Carnival Committee, by allowing the late Auckland trains, immediately after arrival here and at Te Awamutu in the evening, to return to Hamilton, leaving Hamilton again at half-past ten p.m., so as to take up their ordinary running northwards the next morning. The Department have replied that they will grant the request conditionally on the committee guaranteeing 80 passengers by the early train. This, it is understood, being an exceedingly one-sided arrangement, of " heads I win, tails you lose,.' the committee have declined to entertain. Extra wages to the men employed, and the cost of fuel in running, was all the risk the department ran, in not only con* tributing largely to the convenience of the public, but in standing in for an opportunity of making the railway pay well for one week at least, It is somewhat hard that when the people of a large district are bent on making such an affair as this carnival a success, the only want of co-operation shown should come from an institution supposed to be worked for and in the public interests. It is scarcely to be wondered at if people, despairing of obtaining the railway reform I sought for by Mr. Vaile and others, advocate the plan of selling the railways to a syndicate, well knowing that if that was done they would be managed on business principles. The Cambridge brewery, recently taken over from Mr. Hally by Mr. E. Cussen, has been placed by the new proprietor in thorongh working order, and many improvements in the plant have been made, and it will be opened for business to-morrow. Mr. Cussen, who served his time to Mr. Whitson, of Auckland, some fifteen years or more ago, had the reputation, both at Coromandel ana at Opotiki, where he has since been brewing, of being an experienced and skilful brewer. Alexandra, Tuesday. Your Wellington correspondent was quite correct (although his statement has been locally contradicted) that Tawhiao, with a number of followers, had started for Par!haka. Tawhiao has started. He and hia followers are now at Kawhia, indeed, having little or no food, they do not care to remain at home, and intend eating their way from settlement to settlement, till they work down to Parihaka, and on to Wellington, it is expected by about the time that Parliament is in session. Strenuous efforts are being made by the Government to get their candidate for the western M aor i constituency— gatirakawa —returned. In the district where it is expected he will receive most support, polling places have been appointed in great numbers,often places where no more than half a dozen Maoris are living. He will receive also a large measure of support from the action being taken by flenare Kaihu, who,feeling himself slighted by the King, who favours the candidature of Te Wheoro, throwing the weight of his influence in favour of a third candidate who runs on the same line as Te Wheoro, with the view of spliting the votes of the latter, and thus allowing the Ngatirakawa man to slip in.