The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1872.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 1, 2 May 1872, Page 2

The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1872.

It is usual hi the first number of a newi jut per to put forlh the political crcecl of th ■promoters as that which it is intended tli journal shall uphold. "YVe shall deviate fror this beaten track for the simple reason tha it is not onr intention to give unqnalifiei support to any political coterie, being o opinion that it is the duty of the people, an< consequently that of the Press, to suppoi I hose who hold the reins only so long as thei administer the affairs of the colony in i manner that will tend to promote its wellbeing. ft will, of course, be our special dutj if> jealously watch over the interests of the Waikato settlers, and (o point out the public works or legislation required either to develop the resources of the district, oi io remove any obstructions on the road to prosperity along which it is travelling with such rapid strides. Wo shall reserve a column for the promulgation of public opinion on all questions of .importance. tSpace in this column will never bi: refused to any writer who expresses his opinions in courteous language. The facility a uewspnper affords for the interchange of ideas is its most useful, and should be its principal feature, fly the concentration of 1 bought upon any subject, and the consequent unanimity of action and opinion, all great i social and political reforms have been brought j about. To this tact is owing the great power

tlio Tress exorcises throughout the world. A well-conducted journal cannot fail to confer great benefit upon the people of tho district in which it circulates. It, exposes all social and political abuses; by the former it improves the tone of society, and by the latter acts as a wholesome check on those who undertake the government of the country. j It would be useless for us, in our opening ! article, (o attempt even to glance, with any sa( i\slael ion to ourselves or our readers, at the I momentous questions of Education, Public j

Works, Immigration, and Finance ; to earsonly touch upon each of these subjects requires more than the prescribed limits of one leading arfciclc. It will be oar duty, howcr, to give these questions our earuest attention before the next meeting of Parliament, m order that our Kopreseutative in the Assembly may, in consequence of the discussion which will necessarily arise, be enabled to understand the opinions of his constituent-?, ; which opinions, by accepting a sent, he has impliedly undertaken to uphold to the best of his ability. j e are confident, from the support which l.as been accorded us, that the Waikato are alive to the importance of possess- ' iug a newspaper to represeut their interests; ■ it may not however, be out of place to explain what is necessary for them to do in order to ensure its success : —lstlv. Every person in business should advertise in its columns, and every settler become a subscriber ; 2ndly. i\ll subscriptions and advertising accounts should be paid promptly ; 3idly. Those who have i

it in their power to impart news, should either call upon or write to the editor. The simple statement of facts is all that is required; these can always be put in form for publica- ; turn by one of the staff. We regret that any disappointment should have been felt in con- ; sequence of the action taken bjms in selecting Ngaruawahia as the most desirable I locality for the establishment of our office. | "We can only plead in extenuation the facility and speed with which we can obtain our news, and the fact that Alexandra and the surrounding country will obtain our paper much sooner than could possibly have been the case under any other arrangement. Although we have chosen Ngaruawahia as our vantage ground, we trust shortly to evince our cosmopolitan spirit by the impartiality of our conduct, and thus prove that we are the representative journal of the Waikato district. We shall not be slow to take advantage of the telegraph wire, and thereby anticipate any important intelligence which may be sent i into our district by any other medium. We will conclude with the remark that no ; expense will be spared to make the Waikato ! Times a credit to the large and flourishing | district from which it derives its name. *' j

(. It is intended to form a Chess Club at Ngarua j wahia. We are glad to learn i.iat this is the case chess being one of the most intellectual games ye invented. Nothing is left to chance, for the max with the "longest head" is invariably the winner ' We should like to see similar Clubs formed at tht ■ i other settlements, as the rivalry between the j residents in the different portions of the district I would be an incentive to practice.. We hope the | day is not far distant when the Waikato district I will have Its chess tournament. We have to record our thanks to those who came forward so willingly to assist in removing the heavy portion of our press from the wharf to the office. Tt will be seen by advertisement in another column that Mr. T. H. Mabin solicits the votes of the ratepayers at the net election of members of the Town Board of ISTgaruawahia. A ball will be given n.t Hamilton by Lieut.-Col, Lyon, and the officers of the Armed Constabulary, | on the 24th May, in celebration of the Queen's | Birthday. We arc informed that Mr. Firth has this year laid down 2ol.) acres of wheat at his run at Matamata. j Most of it has already appeared above ground, and ! some is six or eight inches high, and looking re- j n lark ably, healthy. A much heavier yield is j

expected than if the wheat were sown later in the season. Francis Ncgliss was brought yesterday morning before Capt. Eayner, J.P., charged with drunkenncss. This being his first offence, he was discharged with a caution.

The annual ball in connection with the Loyal Duke of Cambridge Lodge of Oddfellows, was held in the school-room on Tuesday evening, the 30th ult. T i nfortunately, the early part of the evening was very wet, consequently the attendance was not nearly so numerous as it would otherwise have been. The school-room was very tastefully decorated with ferns and evergreens. Dancing commenced at 8 o clock ; the music (which • was vei'y 'good) being supplied by several gentleman amateurs, j After going through a varied programme the party j broke up at an early hour, all appealing to have j enjoyed themselves thoroughly, j ' . I

> Tiih Wool Trade.—The "Pastoral Times" continues at intervals to state the amount of money received as commission by the London wool-broking firms. In its issue of the 7th Oct. last, our contemporary gave the-gross sums received by three brokers—the highest on the list—viz., Messrs. Jacomb, Southev, and Hughes, whose commissions in the four years were stated to have amounted to 021,14(3/. "We now," adds the Pastoral Times, "give the gross sums received by two of the brokers "next on the list to those already given. The next earnings must be something princely, and we can Avell understand how they dare venture to ride the high horse over the wool-growers.' A table is given of "Colonial wools catalogued at the London wool sales during :i period of four years, taking an average from I Mi! to IS/0, and sold by the undermentioned rrokers—amongst the longest in the trade—showng tlie amount realised per annum by each jroker of selling brokerage and buying brokerage." from this table it is shown that Messrs. Simes 1 ■eceived 51.,'507/.. and Edenborough 01.471 /. in four •ears—or, the first received upwards of 20,000/. per innum, and the last upwards of 16,000/. per ' amum. It is possible that each of these brokers ■arned the large sums named. We do not say ; hat they di 1 not, but they may have had to pay , good deal out-of these sums for clerks and other uen, but a glance at the matter will forthwith : how how necessary it is that each, broker should \ lect for himself that he will be either a seUin<~ r or a uyin.fr broker, and not be both." °