The Waikato Argus. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of over 8510 Weekly. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1912

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 4937, 26 February 1912, Page 2

The Waikato Argus. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of over 8510 Weekly. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1912

The people of New Zealand can but regret that the no-confidence debate should have extended beyond speeches by the leaders of parties. The proa and cons of the political situation had been thoroughly threshed out in the platform, speeches delivered previous to the election, and, with one or two exceptions, members went to Wellington definitely pledged to vote foi one party or the other, and all the debating power of the House is not in the least likely to influence votes. It is true that Mr Payne gives as a reason for breaking his pleidges to his constituents that the debate had enlightened him on some matters which be had not previously understood. This, of course, is contrary to fact,’ or we must believe that he had not taken the trouble to attempt to grasp the political situation. That gentle-, man's vacillation was the cause of an acrimonious dispute on Friday night, the immediate cause being the statement that he had been offered a bribe to depait from 'h> 3 election pledges and follow Sir Joseph into the division lobby. That a bribe of some kind was offered was admitted by Mr Payne in the presence of Mr Massey and Mr Dickson. We arc not told that Mr Payne resented the insult as any honourable man would have done, Mr Massey read the following letter, which bears no signatures, and the names are left blank : “Fenruary 12th. You may remember introducing you to young son of one of the young Catholic party, who do nut follow Ward. He worked hard and loyally for us in Parnell, Ponsonby and specially in New Lynn. He now assures me that Payne has been squared (£1000) to support Ward in a confidence motion. So sure is he of the correctness of the information that his dad has offered level money up to £IOO. on Payne voting against you, and does not waste money on bets without some reason.’ The publication of this letter has, by motion of the Premier, been declared a breach of privilege, and a committee has been set up to enquire and report within three days. Mr Massey, in the course of the debate, said that he was very very sorry that he had ever become acquainted with Mr John Payne. The electors of Grey Lynn arc no doubt in the same position. He has expressed his intention to “rat.”

No traco has so far been discovered of the child kidnapped from Eden Terrace on Thuisday.

An inquest was held at Taihape, on Thursday, by Mr J. P. Aldidge (coroner), concerning the death of Margaret Jane West, aged two years, who was found'drowned in a well at Hihitahi on the previous day. According to the evidence of John West (a millhand) and his wife, the child was only missed for about ten minutes, when found in 18 inches of water; Every effort was made to restore animation, but without success, and Dr. Feltham who was summoned, could only pronounce life to be extinct. The coroner returned a verdict of “accidentally drowned.”

At the adjourned meeting of creditors held at Taihape in the bankruptcy estate of Hamilton and Co., cordial manufacureta, John Hamilton (who was absent at the first meeting), gave evidence, in the course of which he said he had been made a bankrupt at Gore, and had never applied for a discharge. A good deal of dissatisfaction was expressed at the manner in which the Taihape business had been conducted, and the meeting finally decided that Hamilton should bo l publicly examined.

Both of the Hamilton public schools have reached overflowing point. Since the vacation a number of the Hamilton East scholars have had to be accommodated at St. Andrew’s Hall, while this morning one or two classes from the West have adjourned for instruction to the Methodist schoolroom. This state of affairs cannot conduce to either the efficiency or discipline of the schools, and it is to bo hoped that the additions and alterations now in progress and in contemplation to the main buildings will be of such a nature as to provide for the requirements of the district for some time to come.

In the teachers’ examination the following Hamilton candidates have passed:—For Class C: Lucy Barton, Norman Crabbe. Forest Kibblewhite, Nora Lawry, Herbert Lawton, Catherine Peart, Vera Sylvester. Passed for Class D: Mary Barton, Lilian Bel), Jane Christie, Eileen Cussen, Isabella Mandeno, Ellen Murphy. Partial Pass, Class C: Nellie Burbusb, William Kay. Isabella Mandeno. Partial Pass, Class U:Margaret Burbush, Clarence Murphy. Passed in four subjects, Class C: Maclolm McKinnon; three subjects, Mary Barton.

On Saturday the annual Sunday School picnic in connection with St. Paul’s Methodist Church, at Cambridge, was held in the Leamington Domain, and the weather proved charming. The attendance was only fair, Saturday being a busy day with many, which prevented their attending. There was an ample supply of crcaturo comforts, to which full justice was done, and everything passed off as merrily as the most fastidous could have wished for. Games of all kinds were indulged in, and every child present received a prize of some sort. Great interest was taken in the races that were provided for both males and females, the following being a list of the winners: —Lady teachers’ race, Miss Nixon 1, Miss Ona Roberta 2; senior girl’s race, Nathalie Guim I, Emily Reynolds 2; junior girl’s race, Laura Reynolds 1, Winnie I.ovatt 2; primer girl’s race, Gladys Reynolds 1, Ona Roberts 2, Eileen Ganc 3; infant girl’s race, Ruby Nicholas 1, Arny Uvcroft 2 ; three-legged race for senior girls, Nathalie Gane and Emily Reynolds 3, Laura Reynolds ,*and Winnie Lovatt 2; three-legged race for junior girls, Gladys Reynolds and Ona Roberts 1, Eileen Gane and Edna Shepherd 2; married men’s race, Mr Frank Bycroft 1, Mr Chaa, Roberts 2; young men’s race Leslie Vickers 1, Kenneth Reid 2; senior boys’ race, Alan McNeish 1; Reggie Huddeleston 2; infant boys' race, Keith Ronyolds 1, Victor Melville 2. Tire scholars arrived on the ground shortly after 1U a.m., Mr Buttle kindly having kindly assisted to convey them, and they returned shortly after G p. m., having spent a moat enjoyable time.

SELECTING A PATENT AGENT. It is very important that specifications and drawings’ should be prepared by competent persons, as the validity of a patent often depends upon them. No patent agent is competent unless he is a practical mechanical draftsman, has scientific education, and is skilled in patent law. Messrs Baldwin and RAYWARD, 30, His Majesty's Arcade, Auckland, have these qualifications, and arc thoroughly tin;tworthy. Medical authorities agree that, although there are many contributing causes, excess Uric Acid in the blood is the real cause of Rheumatism, Gout, Sciatica, I mubagoand kindred diseases. Rhcumo s the one remedy (hat will renu ,ve lids excess uric acid, and quickly give relief. Sold by all chemists and stores 2/6 and 4 '6. Save men! Save women 1 You can, and to an appreciable extent if you buy now at Geo. Court’s Shelf Emptying sale. The best reslorative is Brandy, and the best Brandy is MARTELL’S.

In 1886, at Smithfield Show, three I marvellous Lincoln ewes were shown by Mr John Pears. They weighed 10701b the three. A Lincoln had previously weighed 3661b, but the record for the pen of three was unparalleled. Sheep are being sold at an alarming xato in Licking County, Ohio, U.S.A. One man who could net sell his sheep says that he killed them and fed the carcases to the chickens. It will be no joke when the sheep are all gone. In 1908 a farmer sold his wool at lOd per lb. The same farmer went to a city to buy a suit of clothes for his son; the price was £5. At that rate it tick 1251b of wool to buy a lightweight suit of clothes. The report of the Canadian Dairy Commissioner for 1910-11, just received calls attention to great progress in the cow-testirg movement,now carried out on an organised system in Canada under the Ministry of Agriculture. At first it was difficult to induce dairy farmers to adopt the testing system; but now they are applying in increasing numbers for information and the blank forms for keeping records. Some remarkable results have been obtained from testing cows and getting rid of poorer yielders, increases in average yield in four years ranging up to 50 per cent, being recorded. “You lost your little nephew last year from appendicitis”, an English doctor,writes. “It was so sad, and we were all so sorry for you and his parents. But do you know where the germs came from that gave him the attack? Why, from his mouth: he had seven septic teeth and you took no notice because you said they were his first teeth which can be filthy as possible and it does not matter; be had swollen tonsils, and always breathed through his mouth because‘of his adenoids, and the large tonsils and adenoids were in an unhealthy state. All day and every day, all night and every night, the little man was swallowing the discharge from teeth, tonsils, adenoids.” The total import of colonial wool into the United Kingdom during the past year baa been 1,750,943 bales, as against 1,721,330 in the previous year, the direct shipments from the colonies to the Continent and U.S.A. having been 1,123,500 bales in 1911, as against 1,066,500 in 1910. Of the year’s import, 842,000 bales were landed in transit to various .manufacturing centres as against 937,000 in 1910. All told, in London 967,398 bales have passed the hammer during the year in six series of sales, and about 363,000 bales were taken hence for France, Germany, Belgium, U.S.A., Austria, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Russia, etc., in competition with the home trade, who have thus taken considerably more than half the quantity sold.

A communication from the delegate from Hungary to the Inter' national Institute of Agriculture, referring to the importation last September of a large number of breeding auimals from England by the Hungarian Farmers’ Co-opera-tive Society, assisted by the Minister of Agriculture, gives credit to the Shorthorns for their great milk ing capacity. It ia also declared that their great feature is immunity from tuberculosis. No fewer than 422 cows, 15 bulls, and 122 calves, it is added, were imported by the society at the time named. In addition to efforts to improve dairy cows by importations for crossing purposes, a remarkably successful results of weeding scanty milkers out of a herd in a course of years is noticed. Sixteen years ago the plan was begun at the great dairy farm of the Agricultural School at Magyarova. During that peiiod the average milk yield per cow among fifty cows has been increased by over 200 gallons, and the'inoney return'from the milk of the iherd by £412 per annum. 'Mr J. B. Suttor, Commercial Agent in the East for New South Wales has reported the gist of some remarks made to him in the course of a discussion with Baron Makino, Minister for Agiiculture and Commerce in Japan, regarding the wool trade of that country. Baron Makino intimated that experiments in woolgrowing in Japan had proved unsuccessful, and that Australia must be looked to for future requirements. During the last five years the question has received much attention, sheep being imported from England and elsewhere in order to meet demands locally and intioduce a farming system similar to that of the Old Country. Mr Suttor considers that the great stumbling block has been the absence of natural grasses in Japan. Evidently the project ia now to be abandoned, a step which will bo to the advantage of New South Wales’ trade. Baron Makino, who is a gentleman of great standing and influence in Japan, expressed to Mr Suttor a desire to see a great and friendly commerce and relationship built up between Japan and Australia, and intimated that he would give all the assistance he could to further this.

According to Mr John Fisher, B.Sc., who writes in the “Year Book” of the Lancashire Agricultural Students’ Association, the farmer in the Midlands of Natal who rears stock has many things to contend with. His sheep are liable to suffer from heartwater, blue-tongue, sheepnostril fly, scab, etc. His cattle, too, have several disease's to resist, but the two most important at the present time are Texas cattle fever or red water and east coast fever. The latter disease has just run through the colony, and decimated the cattle. Rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, and pleuropneumonia have also swept through the colony in former years. Red water and east coast fever are tick borne, and cattle are dipped every week. Whore this has been com sistentiy carried out, east coast fever, if it appears, makes no headway, whilst on native lands, where no dipping or spraying is practised, there are no cattle left at the present time. Horses also suffer from several diseases, gall sickness being the most common.' Though the casual organism of the latter has not yet been discovered, experiments have proved that it is carried by some flying insects. As a preventative, horses have to be kept on the high land, away from the low-lying wet volts, or else stabled at night during tho season that horse sickness is prevalent, the stable windows and doors being covered with mosquito-proof netting.

Wo had always understood (says The North British Argiculturist) that the production of butter in Ireland was going up by leaps and bounds since the establishment of creameries in that country. But, according to a reply given by Mr T. W. Russell to a question in the House of Commons, the opposite is the case. At any rate the exports are going down, and that is substantially the same thing. Mr Rusell in the question referred to said the export of butter from Ireland in 1900 was 4,383,4371b, and in 1910 it had fallen to 3,584,8101b. While the export was diminishing continuously at that rather alarming rate, the tendency of the import trade was upwards, and the increase was 127,G7Ol bin five years. Mr J. Redmond asked whether the hou. gentleman could give any reason for the diminution in exports. Mr Russell said he thought there were very plain reasons. In the first place there was no system of winter dairying in Ireland, lire trade being practically shut down to four months in tho year; and, in tho second place, there was the still rnoro fatal reason that a large quantity of the creamery butter in the English market was not creamery butter at all. Unfortunately the creamery system had departed from the original conception of the founders, and now they had imported butter into the creameries which was blended and sent over to the English markets, but the English markets would not have it. He hoped, with tho permission of tho Prime Minister, | to ho able to introduce a Bill next , session which had received the support of the butter industry.