The Waikato Times "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1873.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 227, 23 October 1873, Page 2

The Waikato Times "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1873.

Ik oar last issue we wrote regarding the Superintendency, and we trubt, as we then stated, that we have banished the name of Mr Dargaville from the minds of every elector iv the Wuikato. Ib is our business this morning- to explain to the eleotors the enunciated policy of Mr Lusk, he having been the first Hpuaker from the hustings. We ugree with him iv thiukiug that the future of the portion «»f tin- colony we inhabit depends to a giv.it extent upon the policy of the man elected bupfrmieiideut at the coming election. Provincial (iuvemnumt — ac any rate in the North Island — lim&t in a very short period die of financial inaui. tiou. We dibugrce with Mi* Lusk iv the opinion

ti'ut i..j if\iuuo is ileiUMblts Ir.ui l.uiJ purchases 1 here is ti vast area of country nominally under the offiueis of the E'rovincial Government of Auckland. The majority of this land, provided the necessary funds are forthcoming, must inevitably become the property of the Europeans, -and the moment a purchase is made revenue is derivable. Mr Lusk in his address very properly states that it is ugejess to talk of cutting down salaries'; Government officers are proverbially badly paid, and their quality proportionately indifferent. All the country districts owe a debt of gratitudo to Mr Lusk lor his Education Act ; he, it is true, was unable* to get it through the Council unmutilated, but as a man of principle, with the absolute necessity of education staring him in the face, rather than education should be non-existent in the country districts, he pocketed the amendments as to taxation that were forced upon him. The position he stood in was very much this : — " Shall I pander to the man of property, or shall I take only that which I can succeed in obtaining from a corrupt Council?" Property is over-represented in the Council, and to this fact is to be attributed the inequality of taxation for education that pie vails at the present moment. Mr Lusk was impressed with the necessity of educating the people, and has sacrificed the votes of the Auckland mob rather than be a party to allowing the rising generation to grow up ignorant, aud consequently unable to perform the duties of ! citizens intelligently. The Education Act is a great feather in the cap of Mr Lusk, and whether he be elected Superintendent or not, his name cannot fail to be handed down to posterity as the man who was the first to give effect to the opinion that a people to lloiirish must be taught to read, write, and think. Mr Lusk has, during the time he has held office in the province, proved himself an able and industrious servant of the public; he has a thorough knowledge of the working of provincial institutions ; he knows the requirements of the different districts ; and is alive to the fact that the country -must make the province, and not the city that bears the same name. The tendency in all colonies is for the towns to grow too fast for the country that has to support them. The population of the towns from being concentrated usually exercises undue influence. Mr Lusk states that bis aim, if elected, will be to foster the country districts. We believe that his knowledge of political economy is sufficiently great for his statement to be founded on conviction. In conclusion, we will point out that Mr Lusk has rendered good service to the province ; he has been tried, and not found wanting to any appreciable extent. We are not perfectly satisfied with him, yet in the absence of others we cannot help recording the fact that we consider him a fit and proper person to represent the province of Auckland. In our next issue we shall express our opinion of Mr Williamson.

On Saturday, the 18th iust, a friendly rifle match was fired between East and West Hamilton, chiefly members of tho Waikato Itifle Volunteers. The day was all that could be desired for the match, and some tolerably good ahoofcinc was made. The ranges were 300, 400, and 500 yards 5 fife shots at each range ; position, any. The scores of the teams tire— East Hamilton : Capt McDonald, 34343 44343 44404 r>l; Vol H. Hinton, 43333 42334 20432,43; Seret Small 42432 00334 30303, 34; Sergt Williamson, 43343 23034 33023, 40 ; Corp Pearson, 33342 42333 23030, 38 : Corp Bands, 03343 00304 00030. 23; total points, 229. West Hamilton . W. Coleman, 43333 44204 02244, 40 • Serat Dunne, 30443 32302 02030, 29 ; Capt Slater, 33323 02003 03230, 27 ; J. Odium, 34343 33042 00043, 36 ; Ensign Deegan, 3 ; Hinton, 04343 33244 30300, 36 ; total points, 171, the east side thus having the victory by 58 points. After tho match they dined together at the Royal Hotel. Captain McDonald occupied the chair and Mr Coleman faead him. After the cloth was removed, the usual loyal and patriotic toasts were given and heartily responded to, and the f-m kept up till 10 p.m., when God Save the Queen was sung, and everyone retired thoroughly gratified with the day's sport and evening's enjoyment. We believe it is intended to challenge some other paHs of the Waikato to a friendly contest with the rifle, and we hope to have the pleasure of chronicling a number of matches during the ensuing iumnvr. We are rather surprised that nothing has been done in the Waikato towards getting up a Eifle Association. Some of our shots should be sent to the Intercolonial contest, shortly to take place on the other side of the water. We hope to see vigorous action taken by tome of our riflemen towards the establishment of an association. Flax growing is reported a success, as far as experience goes, up to the present time in South Australia. The Adelaide Chamber of Manufactures, through its persevering and zealous honorary secretary, Mr Pizzey, issued circulars requesting replies to questions relative to the course pursued by those who had tried the experiment of growing flax, and •ome of the replies are published in the Observer. From four out of five of these it would appear that the cost of preparing the ground and putting in the crop, less the cost of seed, averaged 17s 3d per acre ; pulling and tying the crop in bundles, £2 per acre 1 while the yield, varying from 2\ to 4J tons per acre, averaged 3 tons 12i cwt. per acre. The quantity of seed sown varies from 42 lbs. to 112 lb§., or an average of about 73frlbs. per acre ; a seeding of 42 lbs., giving the heaviest yield, viz., 4i tons per acre. For the flax dried and tied up in bundles, the price is shown at £3 per ton. The soils on which the crops were grown are described as lime, loose loam and clay, loamy sand, loamy soil and black nand, tho heaviest yields being from the two last named. Sowing took place from the end of April to the beginning of June, and the pulling in October. Putting in and pulling the crop w shown to cost about £3 per acre, and taking Mr Boediger's crop for example, our contemporary makes out a clear gain of £4 5s per acre. Unfortunately no deduction is made for seed, rent, and carting to market, nor has anything been put down lor manure, yet flax is an exhaustive crop, and can no more be produced continuously without restitution than can wheat. When all the legitimate charges are deducted, the net profit will be something considerably le3s than the cum named. We have no wish to discourage new industries, the reverse if they can be made to yield a profit ; but we find it hard to imagine South Australia growing flax at cheap as it can bo grown in Belgium. They can't do it in Ireland. — Cross. A considerable portion of the walls of Messrs Henderson and Macfarlane's si ore, recently destroyed by fire, says the Cross, has been pulled down. Yesterday, the men clearing away the debris of the store, in the rear of the front buildings, came upon a largo body of kauri gum not injured, or at least vn-y slightly, by ihe fire, and tho further pulling down of the brick walls was stopped to 6nable the workmen to get the gum removed. During tho whole of yesterday afternoon several carts w ere busy removing the gum. There was a depHi of about a foot that had suffered from the fire, but the centre of the heap seemed to be quite sound. It is stated thnt the building will be at once re-erected, and that in a very short time tenders will be callod for work. Active measures are also being taken to clear out tho foundations of Webbs buildings, iv Fort street, which wero destroyed nearly a year -igo. Plans have been prepared and contracts taken for their re-erection. Thoso, together with the rebuilding of the properties bm-nod on the wost side of Queen street, will cause the building trades to be very busy, now that the dry weather is approaching. There i* every indication at present of labour being in considerable demand in Auckland for some time to come. At a fitting of the Resident Magistrate's Court at Hamilton on T uw lav last, W. N. Searanoke, Esq., R.M., and ft. H. Y. m, i.0n.1, E»q., J.P., on the Bench, a case of appeal agifn>r. high" n -utes was decided, W De Vere Hunt v. The XIII, riroa iii-!''.\ay Board; Mr Leary appealed for the appi-i' mt. Viv Seddon, chairman, and Mr Potter, secretary to tho 1$ .11J, conducted the defence on behalf of the Board. Tho grouiuU of appeal were unfairness and over-estimation of acreage. Mr Soddon niudo several technical objections to the modus operandi against the Board, all of which wero overruled by the bench. Mr Loary then proccoded to call evidence- to shew thnt the assessment was unfair. The* Court having heard the evidence on behalf of the Board, cleared tho Court for a quarter of an hour, and at the reopening, adjured that the evidence preponderated in favor of the appellant ; reduction grunted in one farm from £3 10s per acre to £4, and another farm from £4to£2lo»j judgment for appellant, with full cosK A cricket match ua« played *t Cambridge on Saturday last by a team composed of »otllor» uud one of Armed Con•tabulary. Viotory fjll to tho bcttlcrs by 16 runs.

Uu s>,itiirda>, the 18th inst., a meeting of u tow members of the W'ukato Jocley Club touk plaoo at the Hamilton Hotel at 2 p.m. After waiting for a coiuiderable time for | •oiuo more to put in on appearauoo, it was unanimously ' re&olvod by tuo.#q proseijij tUfi\ ifc were better to postpone i the Meeting titt next 1 Saturday, at U«e aame time and place. ' We are sorr) to learn that the opinion of some of the Jockey Club u tlj.it there will bo no chanje of the Waikato combining this year- for races that woyild attract good outside dtOL-k, cdcli didtrict huvm^ already oommenced to collect^ subscriptions on jts ov,n account. j It will be doeii that thu nominntion of candidates for a seat in the Provincial Council for Kaglan will take place at Riiglun on the 31*t day 'of October. We have no 1 1 yet heard the name of any candidate mentioned. Wo trust that the selttJM will xjluct a good representative. Immi^rantb by the Ilrdaipcdcs were landed on Tuesday, and notice Wa-j Mssufd Miaf they would bfr ready to reoeive o:iK»iK« ¥ i»«- % i 1 t" yesterday, lit 1C o'clock. On Tuesday evening ilr Gillies addressed bit constituents in Auckland. In our ne\t issue wo shall gire the salient points of his address. • Letting on the Superintendent's election we regret to itate is \ery prevalent. The state of the betting market at the present time is tuo to one freely offered on Mr Williamson, a bet there are very few in the district willing to take, The most knowing, however, are occasionully d ceived. There are two men m the iield with almost equal claims on the votes of the elect ors. Mr T. Morris, of Hamilton, intimates that he will open his new and varied stock of summer drapery on Tuesday, the 28th inst. He invitea all to inspect the goodi and mark the prices, which he has made as low as those prevailing in Auckland. Ihe stock is well worthy of inspection, and cannot fail to afford a great treat to those of the fair se* who visit his establishment ; and where is the lady who can resist the temptation ? — Advt.