"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1873.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 196, 12 August 1873, Page 2

"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1873.

Thjj Statement of tho Minister for Publio Works, a telegraphic summary of which we nublishod in oar last issue, is undoubtedly satisfactory. The sum of £200,752 has been expended out of the £400,000 voted for roadg in tho North Island, with the result of 141 miles of dray roads and 470 miles of horse ro^s opened for traffic or in progress of construction. As regards the railway works, they are more forward than was anticipated by Mr Ormond, in whut wus considered his rather sanguine Htntement delivered last year. It is to be sincerely regretted that so long u time was given to the contractors in which lo complete the Auckland and Mercer line ; tliero is no leason to expect that this lino will be open d for traffic before September, 1875. It would be well if a premium weie offered to the contractors of a stipulated sura for each month they phall have completed the work within the time agreed. It must be satisfactory to every pettier in this district to learn that it i-» thp intention to proceed immediately with the line from Mercer t • Ngaru-nvnliin, mid that the cylinders {or the bridge across tho VVailcato at that place aro already ordered from England. Tho survey of this porMon nf the Grand Trnuk line is completed, and the pJmis are be'orc Mn» in Wellington, *;j.h;it 9

there need be little delay boiom culling tor lenders, ami it is to bo hoped that September, 1875, will be the very latest date stipulated for its completion There are no engineering difficulties of auy consequence to be encountered ; in fact there is no reason except a probable scarcity of labour, to prevent our suggestion being carried out. At the very least the line between Auckland and Mercer, and that between Mercer and the Coal Mines, should be opened sirailtaneoasly, as there can be little doubt that the carriage of coal to the Auckland market woull at once prove remunerative; in fact we believe thatjtbecoal trade, if energetically worked by the proprietors of the mines, will tax the traffic resources of i the line to the utmost. The Government do not intend to ask for powers to extend the line beyond Ngaruawahia until the best route to follow in order to join one or other of the lines running South — we mean that from Napier to Wellington, and that from Waitara to the same place. In adopting this course we think they are wise. In the first place it is an impossibility that the lino to Newcastle can be completed before the time come.-, round for the Ministry to again meet Parliament; and in the second, the country that woulj have to be crossed in order to join our line to that from Taranaki to Wellington is as yet little known. As regards the Thames railway, much as we should like to see it constructed, and -much ;.<? we bolieve it would add to the prosperity ..f tl.n di*.t ict, we fnnn.it lose sight of the fact taut after till it is only a branch line, and as such should wait till the main lines are constructed. We consider, however, that it would be a very proper work for the Provincial Government to undertake if the powers proposed are granted to them. The country it would pass through, we learn, is well suited for settlement, and a railway through it would doubtless add consderably to the wealth and prosperity of the Province and Colony. We in a former article explained the terms on which provinces are proposed to be allowed to borrow for such purposes as the above, but it may be as well again to call attention to the fact that Mr Vogel purposes to devote £500,000 to tho purchase of native lands in the North Island, two thirds of which will be retained by the General Government as security for railwnys, and the other third be handed over to the province in which the land is situated. Jf a fair proportion of the £500,000 is invested in this Province we shall have ample security to give for the million Mr Gillies proposes to borrow ; we, however, consider that, sum excessive. As a matter of course, whatever coarse the railway follows South disappointment will be felt by a section of the population near whose land it does not run, but we most sincerely trust that they will be found ready to sacrifice their own interests for those of the Colony. There are four questions to be considered in deciding the course of w the proposed line :—l.: — 1. Which will cost the least ? 2. Which will open the most land for settlement? 3. Which will bring the greatest amount of trado to our port of entry P 4. Which will most effectually settle the native difficulty? The first two questions should be answered by the engineers, the third by those whose commercial experience entitles their opinion to respect, and the fourth will have to be left to the decision of the Native Minister. We trust that all will bear the above, facts in mind, and support the Government in acting for the benefit of the colony regardless of the inteiests of a few. No matter what direction the railway takes through the district it cannot fail to bring peace, prosperity, and plenty to its inhabitants.

The time is at hand when the voters in this district will be called upon to send their representatives to the Provincial Conncil. As yet only one gentleman, Mr Byron, is spoken of as a candidate ; to him a numerous requisition has been signed, which, we trust, will induce him to stand, as we feel confident that if he be returned he will fairly and honestly represent tlioso who have placed their interests in his hands. There are two eligible repre-sentatives-then required ; surely the settlers whose particular interests they will be called upon to represent can piok two from their number willing to take a seat, and able therefrom to advocate the interest of theip r cj)nBtituents. It is now a matter of serious import thaT good representatives should be sent to the Council. The Provinco will probably be endowed with large borrowing powers, &nd it behoves every settler to watch carefully that the power is exercised with discretion, and that the money, when borrowed, ie judiciously and economically expended. They can only do this through their representatives. Will nothing rouse the settlers in country districts from their state of utter political stagnation, or are they to be looked upon as hitherto — a people without an opinion or endowed with too little energy to express it ? "We trust shortly to be able to announce that other candidates are in the field.

So far as we nro ablo to glean from tbo columns of our contemporaries, the opposition to tho proposed ad valorem duties dops not generally arine from objections to tbe principle, btit in con«cqnence of t'jo percoutage being too nich. I/we nro to credit the rtatemrnU of some of our respeotable merchants they nre undoubtedly so. We extract the following table from the columns of a contemporary :

It will bo seen that the greatest increase is in silk. As silk is most decidedly a luxury in the colony, we trust that no reduction will be made, but in other cases the duty should be mad« to assimilate as nearly as possible the old tariff, Wuire glad to notice that the Town Board of NgaruawahilHiave adopted the sensible plan of purchasing for distribution gratis a number of treos and shrubs. We trust that the inhabitants will avail therasclvos largely of this opportunity of improving the appearance of their township s nothing will do so equally with the planting of trees in the front of each houso. We understand that the terms are only an undertaking from the recipients that they will protect them while young, and when matmel keep them m proper order.

On.S.iiurday ovemng a meeting was held in Is'guniawahn for tbo purpose of taking steps to form n bwUirg club. A subscription list was opened in the room ami C^s premised. Tho bubScribcrs then passed resolutions authorising a committee to bo afterwards elected to draw up a cotle of laws aud to treat vrith Mr Boss, the lqcal boat builder, for the building of tho required boats, the said boats to be pair-oared out-rigged gigs. Tho following were elected a provisional committee :— Messrs Hollaway, Curtis, Clarke, Byron, and Alexander. It has seldom 'come to our lot to announce the initiation of any club, witk equal satisfaction, Bowing is, perhaps, tho most health-pro-ducing and health-preserving sport that has as yet been invented, and it would be ■hameful on tho part of tho young and middle-aged mon of the district if they did not utilise the splendid river running Dnst their very door 3. The European Mail of the 13th June reports on the New Zealand hemp market as follows :— There have beon no public sales since our last report, and privately, but a very limited business at rather easier prices is ajl that can be reported. The future hardly looks so bright as could bo wished, and unless a material improvement takes place in Manilla hemp, lowor prices will have to bo taken to make sales of New Zealand, the fall in which has not reached that on Manilla. Quotations are aa follows :— Comtmn to fan 1 , £24 to £26 ; good fair to good, £27 to £30 j fine, £3} 10d to £35. Landings for April, 171 tons ; deliveries for April, 127 tons; stock, May 1, G43 tons; landings for May, 505 tons; deliveries for May, 117 tons; stock, Juno 1, 1037 tons. We have^ received a letter from a correspondent signed "Progress." He asks us to intimate, to use his own words, that " thero is great difficulty in obtaining timber and bricks in many parti of tho VVaikato ; there is, however, an abundance of sandstone, easily worked and suitable for building walls and chiinnies. * This stone hardens by exposure to the atmosphere. It could be delivered at any landing on the river at half tho cost of brick. Our correspondent would supply the sandstone, but we must remind him that we live by our newspaper as he does by his avocation, we therefore decline to advertise gratis. We believo his suggestion is worthy of consideration. We have been requested to intimate that tbo Rev D. Bruce w,.'l conduct service at Ngaruawahia on lu-ida v next at 7 3'< |' m. J The European mail via Suez anived in the Wmkato last evening by coach.

inrolco of %'aila f i, Window Glass ,i Sheet Lead „ Paints t .. „ Vostna ' ... „ Starch ! cases Moleskin Trousers case Lien's PeJt Ilafca ! cnses Lndies' Straw Hats . . . . case Silks . „ Ribbons „ Lnces ... „, > coses Ladies' Dress Goods ... i „ Men's Shirts > „ „ Clothing ! „ Hosiery > „ Haberdashery I „ Tweedi and Cloths ... onto Calicos ' cases Oil Floor-cloths Old Tariff. £ s. d. 4 0 0 4 9 0 3 8 0 10 0 14 0 1 10 0 4 10 6 6 0 5 5 0 3 11 3 7 7 11 4 0 0 22 10 0 17 10 0 11 10 0 26 10 0 19 10 0 13 10 0 3 10 0 .5 0 0 Howl £ «. 8 16 18 5 7 4 1 8 5 2 2 15 9 0 11 5 8 5 75 5 53 5 24 2 51 17 27 5 29 15 40 2 32 2 49 5 5 10 11 0 Faril d. 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 6 6 0 0 0