COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9126, 7 August 1888, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[TROM OUR OWN COBKEB?ONDKNTB.3 Hamilton, Monday. A meeting of the Hamilton Highway Board was held on Saturday, when a rate for the current year of a halfpenny in the £1 was struck. It was also resolved to hold ft retrenchment meeting on the lines adopted by the late meeting at Otara. The legality of the poll taken at last Monday's local option poll for the Hamilton Licensing District will be disputed, there having been no second room provided for viie voters when marking their ballot papers, a condition which is specially provided for in the Act. Unless another poll is taken the Licensing Committee will be justified in granting a licence in the district, if applied for. The Waikato Hospital, which had only two patients in it on Monday last, has now its full complement of nine. Ohaupo, Monday. The continued success of the cattle sales at Hamilton, where there is not only a full muster of stock and a large attendance, but where the stock, with very few exceptions, is sold, has caused farmers generally to regret that the same system of sale is not adopted elsewhere. At that place there is one sale a month only, and all auctioneers sell on the same day, the auctioneers walking along the pens together and each one selling as he passes the pens in which his own clients' cattle are yarded. This system ensures a good sale, a large muster of stock, and a good attendance, and is better for buyer and seller alike. It is a generally admitted fact that there are far too many sales in Waikato —that the farmers' time is unnecessarily , wasted in running about to so many, and that it would be greatly to the common advantage if instead of six or eight, or more, small sales during the month, the business could not be limited to one large sale fortnightly. VVhatawhata, Monday. The appointment of an expert in butter and cheese making by the Government, to visit the dairy factories and instruct managers in their art is a step in the right direction, but it does not go far enough. Farmers will not submit to be brought, nor is it desirable that they should be brought to the one dead level of" milk suppliers to the factories. There are, too, large numbers of farms so situated that they cannot possibly or profitably supply milk to a factory, and a very large proportion of the butter made for home use or export will continue to be produced on such farms, nay, even here, in Waikato, owing to the guaranteed milk supply being under 600 gallons, the Freezing Company will not run the butter factory next season at Patera ngi. That a large quantity of butter made in private dairies is very inferior is too well known, but that it need not be so is evidenced by the fact that there are exceptional cases where the butter made in private dairies is quite equal to that of the factories. Your correspondent has just had handed to him two samples of fresh butter, one the well-known anchor brand of the Pukerimu Factory, the other from the private dairy of Mr. E. C. Shepherd, of this district, made on the ordinary shallow setting system. Between the two, in uniform appearance throughout, firmness, and flavour there is not a pin to choose, showing that by bestowing care and attention upon feeding their cows, and cleanliness in the manufacture of the milk from first to last, ordinary farmers who are out of reach of a factory can turn out, at any rate in the cooler months, an article as good as that produced in the factories. It is the wantof knowledge (or carelessness) of the dairymen themselves that causes so much inferior butter to be put upon the market, resulting as it does in private and national loss. It is for the benefit of such persons it is felt that the services of the Government expert should be utilised. It would be well if the plan followed in Denmark were adopted here, that of the expert going from farm to farm giving information where it is most needed, and not as hitherto visiting the factories and large establishments only, where the latest modes and appliances are already in use. It is the sick that are in need of the physician. This would help to remove the stigma which now, in other countries, attaches to New Zealand butter, and would materially assist in making this country, what it must some day be (and why not in our day famous for the quality and quantity of its dairy products. Te Awamutu, Monday. Our local football team had a pleasant trip to Hamilton on Saturday, to try conclusions with the kickists of that ilk. Their ground is a capital one, the best in the Waikato, and we had a cordial reception. The first match plaved between the two clubs has, however, ended in a victory for Hamilton, who all through had the best of the game, keeping the ball well into the Te Awamutu ground, and winning by four points to nil, a try having been made by Quick in the first spell, and in the second spell a try being got by Hammond, which he converted into a wellkicked goal. One of the Te Awamutu men, W. Cowley, got an ugly fall, which for a time led to the fear that his chest bone had been severely injured, but in the evening he was well enough to return with his team by train to Te Awamutu. Otoeohan'ga, Monday. On the Land Court assembling on Tuesday all the leading chiefs of Maniapoto asked for an adjournment of the Court for that day, as a mark of respect to the memory of the dead chieftain Te Heuheu, and the request was so unanimous that it was reluctantly granted by the presiding judge. The natives at once assembled and spent the rest of the day in lamentations in the usual Maori style for the departed, and in singing songs and making speeches eulogistic of the late chief and his ancestors. Te Heuheu died at Wahi, only a stone's throw from where his father and companions were overwhelmed, and under a continuation of the same cliff that had proved so fatal to his people. The Maniapoto here proposed at first to pay the usual visit of condolence at once, but eventually decided to wait for summer weather.

MANGAWAI. On' Friday, the 20th July, the Church of England Temperance Society here held their monthly meeting. There was a good attendance—the Rev. Tobin in the chair. The proceedings commenced with prayer then a song from Hoyle, entitled " Hold the Fort," sung by all present; the accompaniment by Miss bturcn. The following young ladies enlivened the meeting with singing and music, etc.Misses Boldero, L. Hood, Ryan, Stewart, L. Boldero, Sturch, E. Bond, Larkins, F. Ryan, B. Hood, A. Biggs, and E. James, and Master B. Moonev. All passed off exceedingly well. At the last meeting only the president, vice-president, and secretary were appointed. No one was elected commi'fegeSSFlSi ll !: 6 ' which leves the old nary cases of the kin 3) r to be no rules or regulations as far as the members know, this is merely a speculation. The appointment of a few juniors amongst the seniors on the committee would be more graceful, and conduce to the harmony of the proceedings at present and in the future. The ew warm days have been taken advantage of by settlers in planting early potatoes, etc. As regards fruit, loquats are checked by the late frost a bit, but to what extent can hardly be seen till the blossoms fall. Lemons are larger on the old trees than have been the case for some years, and promise fairly well. Early onions are looking well, notably the tree onions. The Red Tripoli seedlings are very strong and healthy, but the Yellow Danvers (an American variety) are weak, and have the appearance of a non-hardy kind. Possibly the seed might be too old. Grass, almost the sole product of our farms, is greener than has been the case for many winters. There will be a fair amount of bacon cured this season. The hogs are in good condition. Oats will be a greater breadth than any other grain. Few indulge in wheat, and still fewer in maize. Beans are seen in gardens only—the Windsor grown for the table. Stoats and weasels are still being advertised for in English papers. By-and-bye poultrymen and settlers here will have many a cause to regret tha importation. The agents of the great timber syndicate are very active in searching out and purchasing all kauri timber that they can get hold of. Should the.bulk of the timber fall into their hands, fencing will be a very costly item, as the company will have the control of the market, and can then charge what they like. A little caution now may save many a pound in the future. Land agents would do well if they employed parties in these districts to sell or offer properties here before knocking them down lor an old song in Aucklaud. Many have regretted this when too late.[Own Correspondent.]

WAIPU. A movement has been set on foot for the purpose of organising a volunteer cavalry corps, and a paper has been in circulation for signature by tnose desirous of joining, but the project does not seem to have met with much favour. Mr. D.'M. McLeod, coach proprietor, is now running one of his coaches from Maungaturoto through here to Marsden Point every Thursday. The fare is moderate, so that persons living in the neighbourhood of Maungaturoto wul be able to secure a trip to Auckland via Waipu quicker and cheaper than by any other route at their command. An excellent entertainment was given at the Central School on the evening of the 24th. The proceeds are to be devoted to the purpose of erecting on the school grounds the form of swing popularly known as the "Giant's Stride." The major portion of the programme was performed by the pupils

under the direction of Mr. J. Brook and \r Hawkin. A novel feature in the program 3 •was the May-pole dance, which the child. 06 performed with great precision. u ' all |? n other parts alloted to them, the childr acquitted themselves in a highly credit a manner. Mr. H. X. Simson, with his n* , liberality, kindly gave the use of his n, for the occasion. The Rev. J. M. Fraser gave the rid members of our community a very welc n ~ r treat last Sunday, by delivering a disco in in the Gaelic tongue. A very consider.. 11° period of time has now elapsed since tH privilege was last accorded them, and th appreciation of this kind favour from >t' r rev. gentleman was shown in the nuraerr attendance on this occasion.—{Own Con' Ua pondent.] Ifcs

OKAIHAU. The monthly meeting of the Mutual Improve ment Association was held in the hall Saturday evening, July 21, the president Mr. James Nicholson) in the chair, B*rV commencing the usual business the chainn * read a letter from Mr. Hobbs, M, H. R., ing the following enclosure " Public Work* Department, Wellington, N.Z., July 7 ]^ 3 Re application for grant Waimat'e, '<k Road : Sir, —With reference to the aprili!"" 4 tion of the settlers of Okaihau and W; Unv ' for a grant of 15000 for construetin.' a / ( j between Waimate and Opua, which you left with me a day or two ago, I have now t i * honour to state that, after having gi Vfcu t ',, matter full consideration, the Governing • regrets that it is unable to see its w,v,- •" make provision for the construction of t'rj'a road as requested. — I have, Are,, K.mvvMitchelson, Minister for Public \\Vl-.' R. Hobbs, M.H.R., Wellingtcn." I su;,r, this will end our sweet dream of direct com" munication with the coastal steamers this vear at least. Th secretary of the .Mutual Improvement Association then read the cur ' rent number of the Echo. The first artier, was a very able one on "Vaccination," fVT writer was well up in his subject, ami b lucidly gave its history, and clearly r.rov.-J the immense boon it was to humanity in *r> pressing that loathsome disease, sinallriox" Some humorous extracts followed, and then some local jottings. A good article on " Hooklore" and some very bad poetry came next.one piece being particularly rough on bachelors. Some arithmetical problems closed the pdi.t-r I do not think it was up to the average ex, l\. lence of that journal. A meeting of the committee of the A cultural and Horticultural Society was" held on Monday evening, the 23rd .July, to cot,, sider a letter received from the Commi--. sioner of Crown Lands in reference to a showground. The committee some two years u-, applied for two acres of a reset 0: a!x acres set apart as a cemetery reserve, It was afterwards found out that after takin/ out the only two acres that could be used : >'r a show ground, the balance would be us*W for any other purpose, the ground being very broken ; so it was decided to apply to the Board for the whole of the reserve, as it was long ago declared to be unfit for a cemetery, The Commissioner of Crown Lands wrote in reply, that if the county authorities oertilied that the reserve was not required for a burying ground, he would lay the application before the Board. The secretary transmitted the letter to the County Council but they declined to express an opinion on the matter, as the large majority of the councillors knew nothing about it. It decided at the meeting to canvass the hole district with two sets of papers, one certifying the reserve to be unlit and not needed as a cemetery, and the other objecting to its diverted from its original purpose. This would give the opinion of the people interested in the subject. It transpired at the meeting that the Glee Club applied to the Board for one acre since the agricultural committee have been in negotiation f..r it. Some members of the committee expressed themselves very strongly on the subject, considering that the Glee Club had no business to come in in an underhand way between the Agricultural Society and the Board.—[Own Correspondent.]