The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1362, 24 March 1881, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here sh.ill the Press the People's right maintain Unawcd by influence and unbnbed by gain.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2^ 1881.

"Justice," said the great Tully, "consists in doing no injury to men." If this be true — and, to our mind, no finer definition can be found — how very little of the precious principle has remained to bless the present age. Justice is, indeed, too often a mere name — a cloak which covers the basest traflickings, and the meanest, paltriest dealings of those who are the avowed instruments of right. If we survey, how cursorily soever, society as we find it around us, we are in no danger of retaining any of those very exalted ideas of the moral grandeur of mankind which the ingenuousness of youth may have permitted to grow and flourish in our minds ; we shall get to believe insensibly that he who expects nothing will come nearer the fulfilment of his hopes than he who looks for much. Be this as it may — be justice a mere name, a fiction, anything but a reality — we are bound to accept as a reality whatever is offered us in its name, unless we can show reasonable grounds upon which to base our dissent. It is precisely because it is so hard to take up and hold this position that we have to accept so much injustice, consoling ourselves merely by registering a silent protest against it. But circumstances have recently arisen which afford us an opportunity for giving utterance to our protest. The matter to which we make reference calls in question the practice adopted by the police at Cambridge. It seems to us that in the absence of a just and clear knowledge of what is required of them they have hit upon a device some what analogous to that recorded in sacred history respecting which it is written, " The Gentiles having no law are a law unto themselves." It may be that acting on some such plan as this the police find a freer scope for the exercise of their own particular talents, but against whatever advantages the system may possess, one or two objections must necessarily arise ; those j bearing upon that ticklish question " The liberty of the subject," being amongst the most formidable. ? Indeed, the experiment has already , suffered from Ithat' lveiiy^f act ' It will be remembered fchaton Saturday last, Mr Palmer was brought mp before the Resident Magistrate fop the, alleged tbeft of a watch*; the: evidence from first to last showed con- j clusivety that < he.wasnofrlfre thief. Indeed, bo palpable > #4«^s^iicF

become that before the case for the l prosecution was half completed it was an admitted fact that not Palmer, but the police themselves had been placed on trial. Indeed, that fact was admitted by the police themselves, so that it cannot, be called a matter of, opinion, We are prepared to admit that a certain amount of "suspicion directed attention to the acoused. He had the misfortune to bear some slight resemblance to the man who, we are bound to assume, was the real thief. Furthermore, he was known to have been in the neighbourhood when the theft was committed, so that, with all these facts before us, we have no hesitation in admitting that he was a fit subject for suspicion. The objectionable feature of the affair was the after proceeding. After subjecting the accused to all the indignity of arrest, and bringing him back from Ohinemutu to Cambridge, the establishment of his guilt or innocence was a very easy matter indeed. The witnesses were all at hand, and could easily have been got together at a few hours' notice ; but, despite that fact, the police kept the accused under remand for a period of ten days, and during all that time he had to suffer the loss and annoyance inseparable from the case of the " unconvicted criminal." The worst feature in the affair is, that the police were distinctly given to understand by all the principal witnesses to identity that they had got hold of the wrong man, and yet they persisted in detaining him in custody. Nay, more, when they did bring him to trial, they treated the evidence they themselves adduced, as that of hostile testimony, and made a very feeble attempt indeed to contradict it. Finding that that device did not succeed, they went struggling on with their weak case, in the vain attempt of showing that they were justified in the course they had taken. Altogether, we have no hesitation in asserting that Palmer has been most unjustly treated, and the only redeeming feature we can find in the whole affair is the verdict of the Magistrate, which certified that the suspected man left the dock without the shadow of a suspicion attaching to him, Mr. Palmer himself has communicated to us another circumstance connected with this affair which demands an explanation. During the time he was under detention he had to pay for his own rations. For two days the police brought him a little bread and butter and some tea or cold water, for which he had to beg hard, and on the third day the constable in charge of the " lock-up" informed him that the police were not obliged to find prisoners in anything but dry bread and water, and that he would advise him, j therefore, to pay a Maori fellowI prisoner, who provided for himself, for a share of his food. Mr Palmer took the advice, and paid the Maori 10s for a week's share of his not over-clean or over-plentiful provisions, of which dry bread, tea, and sometimes a little stew formed the principal part, the police finding nothing further. Had it not been for the Maori he would have fared but badly. On the dismissal of the case, Mr Palmer demanded the return of the money paid for his rations on the threat of exposure, and 7s, or Is per diem for seven days was returned to him. Mon- , strous as this may seem, it is only on a par with the fact revealed in I the evidence of the Maori witnesses, that the police, in spite of their prompt denial that Palmer was the man who sold the stolen watch, tried by every means to win them over to indentify the accused. So much for Mr. Palmer and his misfortunes ; but this is not all. On Monday an equally curious case cropped up at the same Court, a young man named Reid was placed upon his trial for having no lawful visible means of support. It is a noteworthy circumstance that the accused in this case was out on bail, so that he must have been in a position to command means in some shape or another. On surrendering, as stated above, on the Monday, the police applied for his discharge, alleging that since his arrest they had discovered that he was possessed of 1 property, in the shape of an unrealised legacy. Now, we ask, why was that fact not ascertained before the accused was apprehended ? Detective Doolan, to whom we believe all the honor and glory which may be extracted from the conduct of Reids case belongs, has earned for himself a reputation of the "blood and thunder" sort. If we mistake not, he was, some ten years ago, removed from Tauranga, as, in the opinion of some of the more prominent settlers in the Bay of Plenty District, his actions tended rather to the annoyance of the lawabiding portion of the community than to the suppression of crime. It would seem that this officer's peculiar talent in the getting-up-cases still stands him in good stead ; but however advantageous to himself, the public are not likely to appreciate the exercise of this particular faculty. We have always held the opinion that the periodical transfer of all police officers, and detectives in particular, is a mw qtia non to the proper carrying out of the provisions of the law, bur chief contention being that long residence in any one place must of necessity engendersympathies and friendships inimical to the impartial performance of their duties, s i [jkp it is, of paramount importance that they should at least be less familiar to the community than the. town pump,, fofclnktenfo; 'Were th%'nbt so, we> iaiLtb see,the,utnityof>tliis.,branclx

?6t the force afcjall. As regards the of police business in Cambridge, we jean come to no other conclusion than that it is altogether unsatisfactory. It is hard to say what tho next freak may lead to, unlijsSj-indeed, the proper authorities take the matter in hand at once, and we are hopeful that they are not so far blind to the duty they owe the public as to neglect doing so.

A question cropped up at the meeting held in. Cambridge relative to the water supply question, as to the powers of a local body to impose a rate on parties who would not be benefited by such a supply. Clause 253 of "The Municipal Corporations Act, 1876," which " The Towns District Bill" provides shall be read as part of its provisions, deals with the question, and for the information of persons so situated we recite the clause as follows : — " The Council may make and levy water rates as follows : — In respect of the ordinary supply (Ist) upon all lands and buildings to which water is supplied, where rateable value on the valuation roll does not exceed £12 10s., a rate not exceeding 10s. per annum ; exceeds £12 10s., but does not exceed £100, a rate not exceeding 7 per cent, on such value; exceeds £100, but not £200, a rate not exceeding 6 per cent, on such value ; exceeds £200, but not £300, a rate not exceeding 5 per cent, on such value ; exceeds £300 a rate not exceeding 4 per cent; (2nd) upon all lands and buildings to which water can be, but is not supplied, situated within one hundred yards from any part of the waterworks a rate not exceeding one-half of the rates above mentioned; (3rd) upon all buildings usecl as stores or warehouses, or for any purpose other than as dwelling houses a rate of 2\ per cent, in the rateable value. In respect of the ordinary supply, such rates as may be fixed by any by-law in that behalf, or as may be agreed upon subject to any such bylaw with any person receiving such supply. In respect to any meter provided by the Council for measuring the quantity of water supplied, such annual charges as may be fixed by any by-law in that behalf. Mr Bryce, member for Wanganui, and late Native Minister, addressed his constituents last evening. A lengthy resume, received by electric telegraph, will be found in another column. Mr Coates commenced yesterday further drainage operations in the , Kurunui Valley, the property of Messrs Morrin and Studholme. Samuel Pascoe, charged with larceny as a bailee, was discharged on Tuesday morning, the Magistrate not deeming that the evidence Would warrant his send- ! ing the case to a jury. The Goldmining District of Te Aroha has by proclamation in the New Zealand Gazette, been brought under the operations of the "Outlying Districts sale of Spirits Act, 1870." The middle line of a further five miles of the Thames- Wai kato Railway from Motumaoho towards the Waitoa has been defined by proclamation in the New Zealand Gazette. i The quadrille assembly held in the Temperance Hall, Hamilton East, on Tuesday evening passed off very satisfactorily, considering the short notice given by the committee. Considerable progress is being made with the new lift of the Waikato Steam Navigation Company at Cambridge. The cutting has been finished, and the timber work is now being placed in position. We hear that the half-caste Wallace who was attacked by the native Piwiki at Cambridge some weeks ago, is rapidly recovering. The case against Piwiki comes on again on Friday. Messrs Maunder and Sons, contractors, have finished the fourth bridge on the Rotorua Road, that over the Pokaiwhenua, and expect to complete the fifth in the course of a week or so. Mr Cudworth, of Cambridge, met with a severe accident on Tuesday. While standing in a ladder he was suddenly seized with a fit and fell to the ground, sustaining serious injuries to his Head, Dr Waddmgton was speedily in attendance, and applied the necessary remedies. Great surprise has been felt that tenders have not been called for making the road from Toles Hill to Matahura. Some months ago it wa« understood that funds were available for the purpose. In the interests of the district of Rangiriri, we hope steps will be taken to push on the work at once. The Borough. Council of Hamilton appear to be determined to enforce the by-law, restraining people from running cattle and horses about the streets of the town. The police prosecuted in three cases yesterday, the defendants being let off with a caution. 11l our report of the meeting of Waikato County Council in last issue it was stated that Cr: Ferg-usson's motion to refund £25 to the Tamahera Board on account of the Mangaonua Bridge was lost by the casting vote of the chairman. The voting was as follows: For the motion Ura., Eergusson and Wells: against: Crs,, Camming and Primrose and the chairman, the latter recording a deliberative rote. After the capture of the Kelly Gang of Bushrangers a board wasap-* pointed to classify the various claims made by the police, which the Board has done. It transpired that the capture was not the result of any information given to the police, consequently the whole of the £8000 will be distributed among the ten police officers concerned at Glenrowan. ' The current number of the ' Illustrated' New Zealand Herald,' just to hand, contains the usual complement of well-executed woodcuts, but the subjects are wholly Australian. A supplement contains some fairly, good lithographic sketches taken at the la,te Duriedin race meeting, including a portrait of Sir Modred, the winner of the Cup. , Complaints have reached us to the . effect that butter deficient in weight has been frequently ; sold in .Hamilton. u The 1 names of tqe delmquents have been given, ■p'ut^aa.w^ do.not think' the, storekeeper! arg '§lpne tq. Mame,. we, /would t merely suggest that^greatec care should be;exercised in the future. The ret»U; dealer, though he may not be aware that he is ' ■eiUrig. light iwei6Kt«is.in^erthele|sJ^able. foridoink co,:^pMfriifhis^boJHnea£ t» t 'nee* thnt:he?isfAirlyde*lt%ith'by the pro-

We understand that. Mr John Edgar, who, since the establishment of the ' Cambridge Mail 'has been employed on the staff of that paper, has summoned the proprietor', Mr Chas O. Montrose for using abusive language towards him. The case on for hearing tomorrow. We are informed that the Hamil-ton-Whatawhata road is in such a state that it is guaranteed to render it available for wheeled traffic, with maintenance for six months, for the trifling sum of £350. This subject is of great importance to the welfare of the district, and we shall take occasion to make, fuller enquiries with a view to its ventilation. The last analysis, made by Mr Pond of Auckland, of sugar-beet grown in the Waikato, is, we are told, very satisfactory, roots grown by Mr Lewis O'Neill on his property at Claudelands, Hamilton, gave an average return of 14j per cent, of sugar, the lowest being 14| per cent, and the highest 14£ per cent. When it is considered that 9 per cent is looked upon as a payable yield, the results given above is most satisfactory. Some time ago we referred to the fact that the Government were calling for tenders for supplying sleepers for the Thames- Waikato Railway, as an indication that the work would be pushed on at once. Further evidence of the intention of the authorities to prosecute the operations, is how to be found in the circumstance of a camp having been formed about two miles tliis side of Morrinsville of the Public Works staff. The contractor for the Bukahia road works has lost no time in taking advantage of the present line weather. Twenty-five men have been engaged, and within a week a dozen horaes will be at work. As this is a risky job, requiring fine weather to make it pay, and a work the district is anxious to see brought to a speedy completion, we trust Mr Lovett may be favoured, and meet with little delay through bad weather. The adjourned sitting of the Assessment Court for the Borough of Hamilton was held at the Court-house yesterday, before H. W. Northcroft, Esq., R.M., Assessment Judge. His Worship gave his decision on the objection to the valuation raised by the Hon. James Williamson. Mr O'Neill appeared for the objector and Mr Hay for the Borough. The Borough valuation of £300, annual value of 34^ acres, was reduced to £62 Bs. This was all the business. Nearly all the main drains on a portion of Messrs Morrin and Studholme's property, Piako, are completed, and a considerable area of swamp, which was more than usually wet, is now comparatively dry, and they have been the means of lowering two lakes ten feet. We are glad to learn that the fires raging on this portion of the district for some time past has not done the damage it was feared it would. On the other hand, the effective drainage was such as to allow a "good burn, rendering a considerable area fit for sowing this season. Mr Fred. Gtaudin, one of the oldest and best-known Hamilton settlers, is about embarking in the business of hotel - keeper, and has purchased the lease of the fine hotel known as " The Waikato," in Hamilton. Under Mr Gaudin's able management, we may be sure that the house will be second to none in the district. We cordially wish the new landlord success. We cannot too highly commend the action of those members of the Hamilton Borough Council, who successfully opposed the leasing of the Borough endowments for suoh a long period as that proposed by Cr. McGarrigle. Doubtless the latter gentleman concientiously believes that it is only by offering utroug inducements to lessees that the endowments can be let to suitable tenants, but he quite overlooked the fact adverted by Cr. Hill, that in the present depressed state of the money market the lands would not fetch anything like their real value, and that by patting with them for any long period the Council would be committing a very grave error. A meeting of the officers of the Waikato Cavalry, convened by circular, was held at Te Awamutu on Saturday afternoon, when the ground on which the Easter Review is to take place was selected. The preliminary preparations are being pushed forward witli all possible despatch by the local authorities, and it is expected that by Good Friday — on the evening of which day the Thames Volunteers, 400 strong, under Major Murray, will arrive — the arrangements for the comfort of the visitors will be complete. Including the Auckland Volunteers and the Waikato Cavalry, it is expected that fully 1000 men will take part in the demonstration, which will be the most imposing ever made in this district since the war. The Contractors for work on the Newcastle -Raglan road, are at last get- j ting paid, the £1200 grant having been placed at the disposal of the Board. Another grievancenow springs up. Previous to the works undertaken under this grant, contractors had been employed upon other works in the district, these have not yet been paid, and on application being made to the Board by one bo situated, he was informed that he would have to wait And be paid out of rates, when collected. What has become of the £350 money advanced so to speak, in anticipation of the grant, and spent on the main line of roads, and which it was understood, would be refunded to the Board out of the £1200 ? That sum should be available, and claims, such as referred to above, should be the first charge upon it. At the wedding of Mr Leopold de Rothchild to Miss Perugia, at which the Prince of Wales and Earl Beaconfield were present, the bride wore white satin trimmed with Mechlin lace, which made a charming nceud of lace in front. The train was of white satin and Mechlin point. Her reil was of white tulle, her boquet small, and of rare white flowers. Her dress in front was set with little sprigs of orange blossoms, sent from the Sooth of France, and she wore the same aWeet-scented blossom in her hair. Although.the parure of jewels for the hair from the bridegroom was most admired among, the presents of the bride, Mdlle. Perugia wore no jewels in her hair or elsewhere, and the whole wedding party was conspicuous by the absence of jewellery. In the course of his speech at the Parihaka meeting on Monday, Te Whiti eaid:— -" In the olden times, the line between evil and good was dearly defined, but now it had become obscured by artful reasonings, so that evil was made to appear good. This oaused a great deal of trouble in the world, for' although people tried to do good they were of ten led away. .To set things right, they should listen to his words, and try to do what he told them, and they would not do' amiss. God was not angry with, the lowly-minded, but the proud, deceitful man was an abomination to Hun. Fighting was not the means God adopted to settle disputes. When the world- was created there -was no fighting. Love was the great source of peace. They should love one another, also the pakenas. There were troubles at present for Maoris, but these would be settled by Mm. After dilating Jon the blessing of peace, the Prophet concluded as follows i—" All wp, be peace. There ia trouble amongtf us, bgUeii^i t^aJk^iriUc^ne^right; The, oihief pfth<j world Js.jfce sword., bufc there.

Governor jis the givat man in the land. We, do mot aeek ta hide it. We are the most insignificant in the land. The Govoruor is greatest in the land." The Rotorua, at the Bluff, brings Argus cablegrams up to the 12th mat., from which we clip the following items :—: — " Important changes in the management and regulation of the army, indicated by Mr Childers in the House of Commons, have excited much criticism in military circles. It is aunoun ed that General Wolesley will be entrusted with carrying into effect the new scheme' of army reform. —The aspect of affairs in the East is moßt ominous Both Turkey and Greece continue their preparations for war. The Turkish Government has sent orders to the United States for large quantities of ammunition, and are placing the navy in a thorough state of equipment, — No improvement is manifest in the relations between Turkey and Greece. Warlike feeling in both countries is very strong, and it is confidently expected that the outbreak of hostilities will Itake place at the commencement of the spring. — Marked sympathy is evinced by the Irish in the United States with the agrarian agitation in Ireland. Branches of the I and League have been established in all the principal centres, and it is stated that no less than 920 large contributions have been forwarded to the Head League at Dublin. — Another severe shock of earthquake has been experienced in Switzerland, the effect of Avhich was felt principally in the cantons of Lucerne and Zurich. Great alarm is felt among the inhabitants.

All claims against the Waikato Hotel are requested to be forwarded to Messrs Dickcson and Burnett, Ntraruawahia, on or before the ist proximo ; and all accounts due to the said hotel will be placed in the hands of Mr John Edge, cumbe, of Hamilton, for collection, whose receipt will be a full discharge. W. H. Hales, Esq., District Engineer, invites tenders for metalling' Te Awamutu Station Road up to noon of Thursday, 31st instant. Mr George Corniah has leased the premises lately occupied by Mr Rujjq, hairdresser, and will in future carry ou the business. Mr J. S. Buckland will hold his next regular cattle sale at the Cambridge Yards on Tuesday, sth April, and the Ohaupo live stock sale on the 12th April. The new pure caah system now being initiated by Or. 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 arc 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 aportionofthe 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 whirh is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount ot five per cent, will be allowed to those who pay af the time of purchase. G. &C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their late cash sale, the present stock is nbw and cheaply bought. An inspection is invited. — Garuck and Cranwell, City Hall Furnishing Arcade Queenstreet, Auckland.