COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8987, 27 February 1888, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.]

Hamilton, Saturday. Little else was talked of yesterday but the new proposal of introducing prohibition against the liquor trade in Hamilton at the April elections, and so forcing the licensing committee to do their duty. An instance was cited yesterday of the necessity for such interference. A working man, it was said, at 8 a.m. on his way to work recently entered a house, called for and drank a glass of spirits, and going out was met by a friend who persuaded him to go back and have another glass. He recollects nothing after the second glass, except that, towards evening, he found himself 17s in debt for drinks, and with a day's work lost. A case like this, if correctly represented and proved to the Licensing Committee, should be sufficient to cancel a license, and so punish the guilty publicans, without introducing a general prohibitory law, which affects well-kept houses equally with badly-kept ones. However, Hamilton seems bent on prohibition; and, as the women and young people of both sexes over eighteen years of age have votes as well as the men, there is every reason to believe the movement will be carried despite the fact that the borough will lose £160 income in license fees. Mr. Northcroft, R.M., leaves here in a week for the Thames, where he goes to replace Mr. Stratford, the latter gentleman going to Oamaru, whose Resident Magistrate, Mr. H. W. Robinson, has been appointed to Wellington. Waikato will be served by Captain Jackson, R.M., who will thus combine the Upper and Lower Waikato in his district. Hcntly. Saturday. Petty larcenies and robberies are again becoming prevalent in this township, which far more from the character of its population needs the protection of a police officer than does Ngaruawahia. The orchard of a poor woman, who recently lost her husband, and who was looking for a few pounds from the sale of her fruit, was literally stripped a few nights ago, and the out premises of Mr. Morrin were broken into and a quantity of honey was stolen therefrom. This sort of thing is too common here.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] Taupiri, Saturday.. The return cricket match between the Hamilton and Taupiri clubs was played here to-day, resulting in a win for the visitors. The day was fine, and there was a large attendance of the public during the afternoon Messrs. Jenkins and Radford acted as umpires. The scores were as follow :— Hamilton, first innings, 34; second, 102: total, 136. Taupiri, 39 and 41 : total, 80. Hamilton thus won the match by 56 runs.