The Waikato Times 'OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1872.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 95, 7 December 1872, Page 2

The Waikato Times 'OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1872.

The detachment of constabulary tiiat was until lately stationed at Xgaruawahia has completed the course of musketry instruction-at Hamilton, and left that township for Kihi Kihi yesterday morning, we presume, for the purpose of carrving out public works m that ncigiibourhood. A. requisition to Major .Jackson, M.II-R., is in course of signature, asking that he will appoint a time to address his constituents in reference to his action as their representative in the Assembly. "\W' lee.rn by advertisement that Mr J. Knox will sell, at Ohaupo, on Wednesday next, 50 head of young cattle. G. F. licntlev was arrested on Thursday on the charge of having no visible means ofsttbuster.ee. This man had boen missing from his residence. Whata Whata, for the past six weeks. He was discovered lyiii'j; in a cutting under a bank. He had iio blankets or covering beyond his ordinary clothing, Jle was brought before Oeorge Kayner, Esq., J.P., at Xgaruawahia, yesterdiiy morning, and remanded till 10 a.m. this dav. W'e learn t hat this man was originally a sergeant in the Taranaki military settlers, and was wounded in the engagement that t()ok place at .Hau Hail, to the oouthof Xew l'l Viu'onth. This was the occasion on which the_ unfortunate Caplaiu Llcvd. of the 5/th Regimentj lost his lilc. Sergeant licntlcy displayed exemplary courage on that occasion ; he was severely wounded, and is in receipt ol a pension from the Colonial Government. It is our impression that, the man is not in his right senses, and wc trust that the an; <io cities will take the necessary steps to aseerui'ii lus mental condition, and, if necessary, have hon con.im d in an .".syhr.n for those sullering from his disease. His pension is quite sullicic-n: to support- him. An adjo'inii'd meeting for the eirotion of trustees for the new highway districi o! Taiuaheiv "nas held at the residence of llakiriwhi on Monday last- Mr Patrick Leslie in the chair. A rate of td per acre was carried. Mss s. P. Leslie, Robert Kirkwood, Hakiriwhi, Captains W. N. Leslie, and W. Cummiußs were subsequently elected trustees-

We have wen a letter from Mr. Gote'n, tobacco manufacturer, of. Papakura, in reply to a geuMemen to whoni he had sihit. some Lobacco-seed for distribution hero. Mr. Goieh was informed that tho seed had proved-to -a great extent.-unproductive, mid that disappointment was there fore felt bv those anxious for the immediate progress of his enterprise on tho Thames, mentioning at the saino time To Hira's desire to procure some seed or plants.- In the best spirit Mr. Goteh has- advised, his correspondent of his intention to forward, Lhrough him, a box of cigars, a box of plants, and some seeds.- to To J lira, and gave tho following direct io lis for tiie treatment of the seed just now, which mav be useful to our readers, for those and other seeds :—When the season is too far advanced for sowing in the usual way, 1 would advise the following method : Choose ft piece of rich low-lying soil; dig well, and lay oil' verv fine to depth of four inches ; draw out drills half inch deep, li inc'-cs wide,' 6 to 8' inches apart; saturate drills well, and sow seed well mixed with wood ashes ; a •"caspoonful of seed is sufficient for a drill of this size ■1-0 ft. long: cover lightly with looser soil, not burying deeper than A- inch.' They should-be re-uly for transplanting in five or six weeks, and would provide seed for the next ucasoti .• —Ailwtiscv.

A largo meeting of members of tlio Presbyterian body in Coromandel litis bora held, at which it was ir r mgcd to give a eall to tlio lit v. Mr Tait, ottering him £200 a year ami a house. It was resolved thai: the building of a church should be at once commenced. Mr Tait was cnllcd in and informed of the-resolution which had been arrived at. With respect to the call, he declined to give ail immediate answer, but advised the.meeting, if they still continued inclined to Rive this call to forward it in the usual wav through the Presbytery, Mr Tait strongly advised the proposal of pro. o.vding nt once with tlic building of the church. There is already soma- £2(JO promised 011 the old subscription list towards this object, and Mrs has collected not much hiss than seventy cr eighty ponnds by tile appe.irauec of her suhscrip' ion list. —Adroiiser. The Li/tlk'tai ■Tims-i, in an aitiele on the education .'ystem of the province of Canterbury, says " When the pr -posals of the -Bonrc- of Education are submitted to the Provincial Council — Ibr it is understood that they will mate definite and comprehensive sag-restioifs, based on the experience acquired during the past year and their estimates o! the future rcquireiner,l.s of tlie province—the position of what are called special grants, or denominational, schools, wiil naturallv come to the surface. Last year these schools numbered thirtv-two, and they have now dwindled d >wn to ftf een. They are to be found principally in Christclnirch and its suburbs, in Kah'.poi, and in .one or two other outlying districts. It has been undeniably proved that a denominational system of educat ion is wa-stelul, and that-it tends to lower the eflieicney of the teaching power by increasing the number of separate establishments. This was. the result arrived at in Great Britain after a--protracted- trial of the system, and simi'ar verd : cts have been pronounccd in every other country where it 11-is been in force. If the work of education is to ho undertaken by the State—and it is now almost universal'}-, admitted to be a primary duty of Government —denominationalism must necessarily be elimina'cd from the system adopted. Every child must be regarded simplv as a citizen, .and not as a member of this or that religious denomination. All.must stand on the'same footing, and special grants on religious grounds must be considered altogether inadm'ssable. Compromise ifr any shape only tends to further complications, and it is in every respect desirable to arrive at a definite and final solunon. YVc have no wish to detract from the value of the work don' 1 , by the denominational schools in tins province. On the contrary, we have always recognised then' services and record*d their merits ; but when, as it is admittedly the case, especially in Christchurch, tliey strtird in the way of more - efficient, institutions and at the same time increase the general expenditure for educational purposes, it is absolutely necessary that the local Legislature should determine the question of their further existence —so far as it depends upon grants from the public purse- -one way or the other. The exceptional and partial perpetuation of special grant schools is an injustice to the t,hole province and a hindrance to the cause 01 education." A sale hv anction of rural lands in the various "Wa'.kato settlements was held yesterpay at noon in the Waikafo Lands Otllee. There was a moderate attendance of intending purchasers. Mr A. Sinclair, of the Survey Office, discharged the duties of-auctioneer. For some of the allotments, especially those in the Maioro settlement, rtear the mouth of the Wa - kato, there was a keen competition. In the parish of Komakorau there were six allotments offered, but nd bid for then given. In the parish of Pepepe. there was a block of 1 |: ,0 to acres of land, containing coal, offered at 3,750?, but no bid was given for them. In the town of Ttiranga, section No 2, allotment No IS9, 1 acre w».« sold to Jlr W. H. Kissling for the upset price, 15/; lot 190. 1 acre, also sold to W. H. Kissling. for the the ups?t price, 15/. of Titakau, section No 7. lot. 4, 12 perches, sold to Mr W. Kirby at upset price. 5? ; lot 5, 12 rerehes, sold to Air TV . Kirby, at upset price. 5/. Town of Tuakau, section No S, lot 1, 12 perches, sold to Mr W. ICtrby, at upset price, 51; and lot- 2, 12 perches to the same purchaser, at 5/. Settlement, of Maioro, lot 20, 5 acres, upset price, 71 10s, sold to Mr ThOmas Maekav. at 13/ 10s lot 13. o acres, sold to Mr T. Maekay, at upset price, 71 10 : lot 25, 5 acres, upset price, 71 10s, sold to Mr Thomas Maekay. at 11/ 10s. Town of Tuakau North, lot 230, 21 perches, sold to Mr Dromgood, at upset-price. 5/. Parish of Maugatawhiri, lot 110, 8 acres, sold to Mr C. Leathiun, at upset price, 4/. Settlement of Makctu, lot 51, sold to Mrs Guinivan, at SI 10s. Several allotments were oflbrrd m the parish of Tepuna, Tanranga district, for which no bids were given.— Cross. Deceniber-4. Mr Birch, one of the numerous immigration agents sent home at the expense of the colony, has. since his arrival in ICurope. been principally engaged in endeavouring to induce a number of knitting women" from the Shetland Islands to emigrate. From his proceedings and speeches we arrive at the conclusion that Mr Birch is about as suitable a person as could have been selected for a mission of this nature, but we were not aware tmtil now that the General Government contemplated "fostering" the industry of knitting stockings and other articles. AVc trust it will not be thought offensive if we say that Mr Birch has generally been regarded as a talkative old woman, and no doubt the Government, in making the appointment, took into consideration his peculiar fitness for a mission to the knitting women of Shetland. But it will be thought by many that in sending a foolish old man home under no restraint from the Agent-General, the Government have brought a certain amount of ridicule upon | the colony. To talk to young girls of knitting up the wool j of New Zealand, and thereby saving the cost of importing j stockings, is .just as sensible as the ancient suggestion to mop up the sea, and not a whit more so. Mr John Macgregor ("Bob Boy"') of canoeing celebrity, in a long letter on •' Canoeing in the Shetland," published in the Times of 13th September, has the following reference to Mr Birch: —"A settler in New Zealand, is at present lecturing on emigration, and offering high wages there, especially for young women to go out as ' knitters,' who can work up the wool of our

far-away antipodean colony, while we in England are to ea,t the mutton. He had obtained only eighteen girls after all his eloquence, and found the people would not believe that his promises could possibly be realised." \\ c think it will generally be admitted tiiat the time has-arrived lor the leeall of Birch. —Advertiser.