TELEGRAPHIC

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 52, 29 August 1872, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC

[from new zkaland press association.] Wellington, Monday. The ship * Electra, , from London, is signalled. She brings 150 passengers. Kcefton, Monday.

The largest meeting , ever hold here has taken place. A resolution was passed amidst prolonged cheers, denying that Mr Curtis possessed the confidence of the miners, also condemning- the action of the Provincial Government oC Nelson in paying canvassers to stifle public opinion- A resolution was also passed with only two dissentients, tendering a voto of thanks to- the General Government for their promised bill for the separation of the West Coast goldfields from Nelson. Napier, Monday. The ' Rangatira" has left for Wellington. Arihi is a claimant in. the celebrated llcrctaunga case with Mr Black and the Hon. 11.. R. Russell. The' ; Times" complains of Grcvillo sending-one-sided tolegrams, and of tho omission , by that agency of the Hon. Mr Gisborne's speech altogether:. Christchurch, Monday. Seven men have been prospecting for gold in theMaekenzie country, and have made £tf each, They are going back to make further researches. Dunedin, Monday. Pango Pango, in the Navigator group, is. creating attention as a field for settlement. A party, taking a pinnace, will leave for there by the uext San Francisco mail steamer. Sailed: 'Harriet Armitage,' for Sydney,. via Auckland. Lyttleton, Monday. Mr Anthony Trollopo and his wife aro passengers by the ' Alhambra, , which takesthe outward mails. The following telegrams appear in the- ' Star':—Captain Turner, resident engineer,, has just returned from Patetere on a mission, conderning the road from Tauranga to Cambridge. Reports very friendly reception by King natives.—The ' Star of tho South ' has; pub back through heavy weather. She has broken her screw. + PARLIAMENTARY NEWS. {From the Daily Southern Cross.) Wellington, Tuesday.. The House will not sit on Thursday evening, as the Governor intends to give a Queen'sbirthday ball. It is doubtful therefore whether the debate on Stafford's want-of-coulideiice motion will be over this week, * HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tuesday. Mr. Macandrew, Superintendent of Otago,. resumed the debate on Mr. Stafford's want-of-confidence resolutions. He agreed, more or less, with tho first resolution, that the administration' of public works and immigration, had not been altogether satisfactory, but he was perfectly convinced that it would have been equally unsatisfactory if it had been in. the hands of the Hon. Mr Stafford, or-Mr-Reader Wood. Much of the failure was duo to the action of the Legislature J itself? and much to a- want of experience in matters of the kind. Any Government would have made I he same errors but if the colony had had to pay for those errors, it would have to pay,twice over if a new and inexperienced Ministry assumed office. The Legislature had made a great blunder originally in undertaking the practical administration of' the policy. Tho Provincial Legislature could have directed the administration more efficiently; but the blunder had been made by the House, and they should not endeavour to shift the responsibility on to Ministers or make " scapegoats" of them. He believed that the public works would have been quite as well performed by local contractors as by B'rogden and Sons, and in future he-had no doubt that, as promised, the public tender, system would be adopted. If Mr Stafford now obtained office he would be bound to fulfil the engagements entered into with Mr Brogden. MrPi/eid's statements with reference to the discrepancies between the engineer's estimatesand the contract prices had , certainly staggered him, but the Hon Mr Reeves's manlyexplanation had shown that the discrepancy wa3 not so great as supposed. If a little extra price had beeu given to Brogden and. Sons- he believed it would be abundantly recoupled to the country by collateral advantages resulting from the connection of that firm with the colony. He- believed it would j result in the introenction of millions of British • capital to develope the mineral' resources of' the colony. He referred to the Hon M-γ Vo- ■ gel's mission to Australia and the San Francisco mail contract, saying thai; it was not Mr Vogel's fault that the- Victorian- Parliament had refused to ratify that contract.. He agreed with the third resolution, but had no. confidence in the sincerity of those by whomt i it had been, proposed. It did not go farenough. He would throw the whole respork sibility of the control and administration;

ot public works and immigration upon the P/ovincial Councils. The only way now to remedy tho blunder m;u]c in not doing this in the outset was to avail themselves of the assistance of the provincial authorities and their staffs. The resolution, however, was framed simply to catch provincial votes* but the matter at issue was only a personal one. He would not agree to hand over the administration of the policy to ils determined opponents, or those who had been unwillingly forced to accopt it in order to save their seats. "With reference) to immigration, he took the whole responsibility of Messrs- Birch aud Seaton's appointments, having , urged it on the Government in his capacity as a member of the Mouse- He believed the appointment of those gentlemen was usefnl and judicious. .If they were political opponents of Mr Reid's it was their misfortune, not their fault; and it would not interfere with their doing good service as immigration agents- As to the appointments being unpopular in Otago, if the angel Gabriel was appointed to anyoflicc tho appointment would be unpopular with Home there- He condemned the defection of the Wellington members as ungrateful to the Ministry, which had obtained obloqny in other parts of the colony by assisting them- If tho present Ministry had chastised them with whips Mr Stafford would do so with scorpions. He saw no reason why the Otago Provincial Council should not vote the ex. penditure for the public woiks of the province, and control and administer them by their ovviv provincial stallMr Wakefiold supported the resolutions, He accused the Government of having taken the idea of the public works policy from his father Gibbon Wakefield's pamphlets- He condemned the administration of the scheme. While differing from the lion. Mr McLeau on many points, he reiterated tho appeal to him not to allow party interests to weigh so far as to prevent his continuing in office if a new ministry were formed. A WOODEN BRIDGE. Country bridges are dways useful, hut rarely orjiamcntal. Designed for strength, appearance is sacrificed to utility. It is often the case, however, that the ornamental inay he combined with, the useful with advantage. In bridges of a certain character this is essentially the case. A simple timber laid across a stream as a foundation for a bridge, although the simplest and plainest form of structure, is far from being the strongest. The truss of lighter materials is stronger than a single heavy beam, whilo the arch may be made lighter yet than the truss, with a still further gain in strength. A wooden arch may be made of boards fastened together with nails aud bolts, which may be builfc readily of materials always at hand, and needs no piece longer than thelve feet, even for an arcli of forty feet span or over. Nor is it necessary even to lay a centre on which to build this arch. It may be built up on the ground, a foundation of stakes or posts being made on a barn Door, if of eullicient size, and when complete moved to its place and set up. The mode of proceeding is as follows : —We will suppose a bridge of twenty-four feet span is needed. Tho first necessity is to make the foundations Tor the arches. These should be built firmly of stone or timber, and well backed, and step) made to roeoive the feet of the an'.lies. If the bridge is to be twelve feet wide, three arches will be necessary. These are made of spruce boards, preferable as being elastic and tough, or, wanting them, pine or hemlock will answer, and twelve inches wide and one inch thick. The form of tho arch is laid out on say the barn floor ; and a scantling tacked down for the base, with studs reaching from it to the line of the arch. A board is [then tacked to the end of the scantling, and bent round on to the ends o? the studs, and tacked to thorn to bold it into its place ; another board is put to the end of this, until the other end of the scantling is reached, and the liguro of the arch is complete. Other boards are then placed over the iivsb ones, and wrought nails driven through and clinched. The joints must in all cases be broken. Boards are nailed on in succession until a sutlieient thickness is secured—twelve to twenty inches, as may be needed for a bridge to bear a less or greater weight. Nails must be plentifully used to make the arch solid, and when complete a few screw-bolts should be put through, and the nuts, protected with broad washers, screwed up tight. There will then be a solid rigid arch of timber twelve inches wide, ami as thick as maybe. Three or four of these are made and set up on the foundation, aud stayed with cross-stays. Crossbeams are placed on them, on which the roadway is built. These arched beams are much stronger than straight ones, and are of much more desirable form. For an ornamental bridge they are especially desirable, as they are susceptible of any amount of improvement in shape that may be wished. "Whore long, heavy timbers are ditlicult to procure, these arches will "be found much cheaper, as the materials are at hand everywhere. A coating of hot tar to each board before'the next ouo is laid ou, and then an extra coating over all when finished, will help to preserve tho timber for many yoava.—Americon Agriculturalist. ___