The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1360, 19 March 1881, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal .and c\.irt justice to all men, Of whatever it.itc or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain Unawcd h) influence .md unuribcd by g.iin.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1881.

Vague hints have lately been in cumulation to the effect that the Colonial Treasurer contemplates asking authority to negotiate a further loan in the London market. That he has any such idea may be considered doubtful, and that Parliament would grant the authority equally so. We take it that, for some three years or more, the money market must be closed against the colony. A compact to this effect was entered into when the last loan was obtained. This being the case, it follows that the most must be made out of our colonial vitality. The resources of New Zealand will have to be taxed to the utmost degree for some years to come. Metaphorically speaking, consumers of champagne must content themselves with small beer, until such time as commercial matters assume a healthier tone. Frugality, for some time past, has not been the

order of the clay. The present may be regarded as a transitory state. The most forcible illustration of the ups and downs of colonial life is, to our mind, afforded by the sister colony 1 oi Tasmania. In the year 1861, Tasmania was, commercially speaking, at deaths-door. In that year, we in Now Zealand were selfglorifying over our large gold discoveries. Years have elapsed, and what do we find? While in New Zealand the national debt is some thirty millions, and the private one some fifty millions more, the state of things in Tasmania is totally different. With exports nearly double the imports, Tasmania has a debt not exceeding £20 per head, while in New Zealand it is over £60. Contemporaneous history is especially a study well worth the undertaking, and it is well to draw deductions therefrom. We find that in 1879 the exports and imports of Tasmania were actually below the figures given in 1857, showing that the trade of that colony had decreased alarmingly during a period of twenty-two years. Last year, however, the standard of exports and imports exceeded that of 1857. Briefly stated, the causes which brought about this remarkable decadence, and the marvellous returns of trade which followed only two or three years ago, may be recapitulated thus : — The falling off of Tasmanian exports in 1857 and the years immediately following was mainly due to the contraction of the markets available to the local producers, owing to the provision of local supplies by the other colonies, of which of course New Zealand was one, especially during the Otago goldfields days. But let alone its agricultural and pastoral resources, its timber and especial geographical position, Tasmania has, for some years past, opened out and developed wonderful mineral resources. Tin. copper, gold, and coal have been worked up there with energy such as has not been the case in Zew Zealand. Victoria — now so great a Protectionist — was not so in 1857 ; and large exports of flour, grain, wood potatoes, fruit, timber, and products now thought comparatively small, were then a fruitful source of national income. At the present hour the nature of Tasmanian exports is materially altered. While the farming products just enumerated have shrunk, save fruit and wool, the export of tin, gold and other mineral ores, has largely increased. The tin alone, exported last year, was worth £362,000 and the gold £200,000, in round numbers. And in the case of other products of the soil, the same enormous " exporting" increase is noticeable, whether it comprises wool, whale-oil, fruit, or hides and skins. In fruit and jam, for instance, Tasmania last year figured up £1 52,000, of which enormous total no less than £32,000 went to New Zealand ! The exports of hops and bark respectively during the same yearly period amounted to £26,500 and £31,000 respectively Save in reference to gold, hops and oats, the quantities of produce exported to Victoria from Tasmania were less of their several kinds than the quantities sent to either New South Wales, Pouth Australia, or New Zealand respectively. These figures are certainly interesting, showing as they do, how well things come to him who helps himself. If instead of thinking of, and longing for, fresh loans, New Zealand colonists would make the most of their opportunities a different state of things generally would come about in as equally short a time, as we have shown was the case in Tasmania.

The Colonial Treasurer (Maj or Atkinson), will address his constituents at Patea on Monday evening.

We understand that the contractor for the Rukulna Swamp Road works contemplates commencing operations on Monday.

The homeward New Zealand mail, which left Hamilton on Monday, 28th February, was delivered in London on the 15th inst.

Passengers by the Te Aroha coach would feel sensibly relieved were the approaches to the small bridge near the Waiharakeke on the road between Morrinsville and Waihou improved.

We are pleased to note that the Waitoa Highway Board have effected considerable improvements on the main roads, especially to many of the bridge approaches, which were necessary to the safety of the travelling public.

Mr. Loyett's contract # on the Hamilton -Whatawhata road will be completed to-day, and the road will be then practicable for horsemen and stock, .and no doubt some of our Whatawhata neighbours will consider it available for light wheeled traffic, at any rate during the present season.

At a meeting of cricketers held at Cambridge after the Hamilton-Cam- ■ bridge match on Thursday, it was de- j cided that the County match, Waikato versus Waipa, should be played on the 2nd of April. A list of players, from which to select a team to play in the proposed matches in Auckland, was drawn out.

The census of the New Zealand population will be taken this year on the ! night of the 3rd of April. Similar information will be collected in all parts of the | United Kingdom, so that when the census* returns are made known, a very close approximation will bo made of the number reigned over by the Queen.

i The result of the very successful ! entertainment given by the Magnet Variety Troupe on Thursday financially is that between £8 and £9 will, after all expenses are paid, be added to the Hamilton Band fund. The Committee of the Band desire to return their thanks to the members of the Troupe for the trouble they have taken in their behalf.

Mr Buck having disposed of his interest in the Waikato Hotel to Mt Gaudin, the latter gentleman will take possession on Monday, -About twelve months ago Mr Buok "opened the WaUcato Hotel, and during his regime the bnsiness "has" been conducted in a manher'"Sa"tMaov tory alike to the inhabitants of Hamilton an<f the travelling public.

; The large number of works now in progress in this district are indications of the gradual recovery from the state of depression which has existed of late, aud of the consequent advent of more prosperous times. Many and loud have been the complaints of want of work, during, the last twelve months ; but now the' supply of labour is not equal to "the* demand, and this notwithstanding that the Aroha, contrary to expectation, only absorbed a very small proportion of the labouring portion of the community. Several contractors willing to pay the highest rate of wages are unable to pro» cure the number of hands they require.

Rotorua Lake is a magnificent sheet of water and admirably adapted for aquatic sports. We are glad to notice that the Europeans residing in the Lake District are waking up to this fact, and that a meeting was held at Lake House on Monday night when it was proposed to form a committee for the purpose of raising funds for an annual regatta for the Rotorua districts. Mr Robert Graham was elected president, and Mr William Kelly vice president. Mr W. A. Ellis was appointed secretary.

A Watchmaker at Copenhagen, by the mime of Sonderberg, is reported to have made a watch which requires no winding up, inasmuch as it performs that work itself by means of an electric current. An electric magnet fixed inside the watch keeps the spring perpetually in a state of tension. All that is required to keep the watoh going is to preserve the battery in proper working order, for which purpose one or two inspections in a twebremonth are said to be sufficient.

The first full-sized bales of wool sent out of the Taupo District were brought here last week by Mr Fenton, The wool 18 grown by Mr Grace on the southern shores of Lake Taupo, and the obstacle hitherto in the way of sending away largo bales was the impossibility of having them conveyed across the lake, the only available means of transmit being the Maori canoes. This obstacle, we arc glad to say, has now been overcome by Messrs Axford and Cane placing their fine cutter Dauntless on the lake between Tokanu and Taupo. The quantity of wool brought up by Mr Fenton was nearly four tons, and now that an easier and cheaper | way has been opened for conveying goods across the lake we may hope to see a much larger amount of trade carried on between Tauranga and the settlements on Lake Taupo.— Bay of Plenty Times,

Our Tauranga contemporary says : — The viait of the chief Te Hura from KingTawhiao to the tangi atßangawhaea was an event in the history of the proceedings. This chief, who was an intimate friend of the deceased, met with a reception worthy of hia position. Te Hura visited town yesterday, and invited a number of his European friends to attend the great mooting at Hikurangi convened by the King, He states that preparations on an extensive scale are being made to have a supply of beef, mutton, pork, potatoes, &c, for the thousands that are expected to participate in the business. Te Hura is a fine looking man, but considerably chattered in health. Before the war he Jived at Matata, but he subsequently | went to reside in the King country. We understand that some Europeans here intend to accept the King's invitation, and will accompany To Hura to Hikurangi.

About three thousand persons live in the Winter Palace at St Petersburg, some of whom have been born, baptised, confirmed, and married within its walls. There are families which have even had the honour of dying out in it ; and in St Petersburg, a contemporary states, the story finds common acceptance that there is a meadow somewhere on its roof, where cows are put out to graze. Certain it is that there are huge cisterns on the roof which in winter have to be kept from freezing by heating furnaces in the lofts below. It is said that before the Russian architectural mind tnought of these furnaces the water in the cisterns was kept in a liquid state during winter by redhot cannon-balls, which after being heated on the roof were dropped into the water. When one of thebe forced its way through the lead into a lady's apartment, nearly setting fire to the Palace, the system of heating was changed.

An exceedingly interesting experiment in home colonization is now being tried in Cheshire. Mr Binney, a Manchester solicitor, with a firm faith in the saving virtues of a peasant proprietary, was impelled a year ago by a suggestion made by Lord Derby to put his theories to the test of practice. He bought an estate of 150 acres at Whitley, in Cheshire, and resold it in smalll lots of one, two or more acres each to men who were willing to settle on the land. About half the estate has been resold, and twenty habitations have already been run up for the accommodation of the small landowners. Each settler owns the fee simple of his plot, and as the colony is j within easy distance by rail from the great industrial centres of South Lan» cashire, they can command a never-failing I market for their produce. If this colony of market gardeners or peasant proprietors I should prove a "trade success," a practical step of the first importance will have been taken to solve one of the most difficult problems of our time.

, The days for S. Andrews Cambridge Grift auction will be seen by advertisement in our columns to have been fixed. For the greater convenience of country settlors sending contributions, two days have been fixed, and Mi Buckland and Mr Hunter have kindly consented to sell for j the Vestry on their sale days. Mr Hunter's on next Thursday, and Mr Buckland' a on Tuesday, April 5. The stock already promised, in in great variety, including Cattle, Horsos, Sheep. .Pigs, Turkeys, Ducks, Fowl, Potatoes, Butter, Cheese, Honey ; also a Plough, a Wheel-barrow, and a variety of contributions from the store-keepera and others in the town. We are requested to say that any donations which are sent, will be thankfully received. Mr Carter has kindly consented to allow parcels to be sent to his office at the Livery stables on the morning of the sale. Further particulars as to the delivery of all the contributions, will be notified in a future issue of the Waikato j Times.

We have been permitted to see a copy of the rules and regulations of the newly formed Cambridge Working Mens Club. The object of the Club which is established on the west side of the river is stated therein to provide a reading room, writing materials, refreshments, chess, draughts, cards, billiards, dominoes and such other amusements as the committee shall think fit, and also to promote genial and social intercourse among the members. The yearly subscription for honorary members has been fixed at half a guinea, the entrance fee for ordinary members after the first three months, from the formation of the Club, shall be one shilling, and the annual subscription 4s. No intoxicated person, whether member, officer, or servant, shall be allowed in the Club, and no swearing, obscene language or religious discussion shall be indulged in by the members under pain of expulsion. No gambling is to be permitted. The remainder of the rules relate to particulars of management, mode of conducting the Club's business, meetings of members, &c. "We under* stand, that the institution has obtained a pretty firm footing., ;> Five tenders liavs been received by Mr Cawkwell for works on the Bukuhja, Swamp road, namely, those of

Messrs Lovett (accepted), J. Ooombes, J. Livingstone, Norrish, and Henderson, and King. The two last were informal. The tendering was very close between the other three. Having seen the specifications, and been over the ground, we consider that if carried out in its entirety, this road, which is now almost impassable, will be practicable for all ordinary traffic. As we before stated, the Hamilton Highway Board accepted Mr Williamsons offer to do the work, and agreed to remit rates to the amount of the cos* of the work, provided tenders were called for publicly, and the plans and specifications met with tneir approval. The Tuhikaramea Board, on the other hand, accepted Mr Williamsons 'proposition, provided that the amount to be remitted in rates did not exceed £200. This sum will not, however, be sufficient to complete the portion within the last named district, that is to say, that the whole of the road will not be ballasted. The Hamilton Board having made no reservation as to the amount of expenditure, a thoroughly good road will be made from the Ohaupo road to the Rukuhia station. We would suggest to the Tuhikaramea Board that they follow the example of their neighbours, as the road will prove of equal advantage to the ratepayers of each district.

Mr S. Tucker, well .and favourably known throughout the district, and for a considerable time in the employ of Messrs N. R. Cox and Scott, has commenced business in those premises adjoining the Hamilton Hotel, as a general storekeeper, and offers goods at a. low rate of profit for cash. He will no doubt command a fair share of the trade. Messrs W. J. Hunter and Co. will hold their next Ohaupo cattle sale on Thursday, April 7, at i o'clock. Mr J. S. Buckland will offer the lease, by public auction, of certain lands in the Mangapiko Highway District, by virtue of the Rating Act, 1876, on Tuesday next, at Ohaupo, unless all rates and arrears of rates thereon be paid meanwhile. Tenders are invited for gravelling near Eyre's farm, Hokonui Road. Mr J. S. Buckland, after the Ohaupo live stock sale on Tuesday next, 22nd instant, will sell certain li\e stock, farming implements, and sundries, in the estate of Joseph Diabblc, a bankrupt. Mr J. S. Buckland will sell at Wartle, on Friday, April 8, at noon, the whole of Mr Leslie's farming implements, horses, milch cows, and household furniture. Mr Kenneth Morrison is appointed ranger for the Town of Ngaruawahia District. The new pure cash system now being initiated by G. and C. will certainly prove a. benefit to the public. It has been a great success^ in Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who buys at an establishment where the goods are marked low to ensure a. rapid sale must be a great gainer. G. and C. sell their drapery millinary, and clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative society,_without the risk of being called upon to bear a portion of the loss should the year's business prove unsatisfactory. Garlick and Cranwell will aim to retain the confidence which the public have hitherto shown them, and are determined to give the pure cash system a fair trial; whether they gain or lose the first year. Country buyers on remitting cash with order will be supplied with goods at co-operative prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding, and general house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount ot five jjer cent, will be allowed to those who pay af the time of purchase. G. 8c C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their late rash sale, the present stock is nkw and cheaply nouGHT. An inspection is invited. — Garlick and Cranwell, City Hall Furnishing Arcade Queenstreet, Auckland.