The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1363, 26 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 shall the Press the People's right maintain Una wed by influence and unbribed by gain.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1881.

In a local published in last Saturday's issue we asserted that the new Hamilton - Whatawhata road was practicable for stock-driving and horsemen ; also that it was quite likely that our Whatawhata friends might be venturesome enough to attempt to utilise it for light wheeled traffic. We cannot but feel gratified that the residents of Whatawhata have been, if only to a limited extent, brought within easier communication with Hamilton as a centre. To both places it will be an undoubted benefit to have this road thoroughly practicable for wheeled traffic. The Government Engineer's estimate of the cost of rendering this road available to the public was, we believe, .£2OOO, but as yet only £600 has been voted. This money has been spent on the swamp portions solely, and all who have seen the work executed must allow that it has been judiciously laid out. It is, however, necessary to do something more, as without further expenditure the outlay already made will be comparatively useless. The road is required for heavier traffic, and it is the more necessary that it should be made available for such as early as possible, as it is likely the bridge over the Waipa at Whatawhata will be finished during the next month, when this road will not only be the direct route to Whatawhata, but also to Raglan. The distance from Hamilton Railway Station by the new road is under seven miles ; the road, which we can only call a track, now in use, is about double this length. Hence the completion, of this work is of vital importance to Raglan, Whatawhata, and the adjoining districts. The Highway Boards have not funds to complete the road ; and if they had, outlying ratepayers would naturally object to the expenditure of the Districts' money, upon what is, in reality, a main highway. Therefore, it behoves the various districts interested to request the powers that be to use all influence with the Government to secure a further grant. This, of course, would cause some delay, as the answer would naturally be : "Nothing can be done till next session." In the meantime, a large district is suffering from want of direct communication. It is easy to show that the expenditure required would actually create a revenue to the Government, as settlers being brought within speedy communication with the Hamilton Station would naturally prefer carriage by rail as being more efficient than any other mode of conveyance, As we hinted in our last issue, a responsible gentleman, who has a practical knowledge of the work, and who has carefully examined the road, is willing to complete the swamp portion, so as to render it fit for heavy traffic within two months, and maintain the same for a further period of six months for the sum of £350, and upon receiving a guarantee, is prepared to allow the matter of payment to stand over for twelve months. We think that the advantage to the districts lying between Hamilton and Raglan is so palpable that little difficulty ought to be experienced in taking advantage of this offer. Of course, ultimately, cuttings will be required on the Whatawhata side of the swamp, possibly necessitating a further expenditure of, say, £300. Even with this sum added the total comes to little more than half the Government estimate. The lastnamed works will not be absolutely necessary for a year or two, or until the traffic materially increases. A sum of £650, approximately, is thus required to complete the work, making a total of £1250, as against £2000, the Government Engineer's estimate. Surely the member for the district will be able to claim for his constituents this amount. As we have before shown it will be of incalculable benefit to a large district, which, possessing many natural advantages and a fair quality of land, is seriously hampered by the want of good means of communication. Raglan, we have before spoken of as likely to be the future watering place for the Waikato people, with the bridge over the river, and this road available for traffic, that charming seaside resort will be brought with easy distance of any part of this district.

Tendencies are undoubtedly operating in favour of an extension of commercial enterprise. New outlets for trade are eagerly sought after, and aided by scientific research products hitherto deemed perishable for every purpose but that of local consumption are being operated upon in »uch a way as to retain their pristine value until they reach the hands of foreign consumers. In this way the inexhaustible resources of these colonies, in the shape of food supplies, are in a fair jyay for acquiring a value from wiucn *bey fcave heretofore been

excluded, and in a corresponding degree those two great desiderata — enterprise and employment — are bound to be promoted. The remark has almost become trite that the man who makes two blades of grass to grow instead of one is a benefactor to his country. In New Zealand the difficulty is not in getting the grass to grow : that we have in superabundance, and as a natural consequence fat stock is similarly plentiful. What we have lacked is a market with demands extensive enough to absorb surplus stocks. This short-coming, we are glad to find, has at length been overcome ; the trade in fresh meat has reached that phase of development when it can be placed on the English market, .and otherwise brought within reach of the teeming multitudes by whom the trade of that market is either directly or indirectly fostered. Our readers are no doubt aware that two consignments of this meat in a frozen state were dispatched from the colonies to Great Britain, and that the last experiment fully realized the best possible expectations. The venture has now come to be known as that of the Protos, the name of the vessel by which the consignment was sent. The Protos left Hobson's Bay on the 18th of November with 3000 carcases of mutton, a few tons of beef, and 100 tons of fresh butter. She steamed by way of the Red Sea and Suez Oanal, reaching her destination after a passage of sixty days. The reports to hand state that while there was some doubt as to the quality of the butter the meat arrived in excellent condition. Later dates give the pecuniary results of the transaction, and these, we are glad to find, are equally satisfactory. The meat realised 6^ per pound all round, and from other sources of information we glean that on a large scale it can be conveyed home at a freight cost not exceeding 2Jd, so that a net sum of fourpence per pound would be left for the shipper. That estimate leaves a very fair margin on present values for fluctuation, and when we consider that only a few years ago flockowners were glad to realise a moity of that amount from the " boiling down " process we are justified in saying their prospects have undergone a vital improvement. In Southern New Zealand the enterprise has been taken up warmly, and a company with a large subscribed capital been, or at all events, is now in course of being floated. In dealing with the project, a Southern contemporary puts the question very fairly. He says : "It is not necessary that the company should confine its operations to this provincial district. It ought rather to be a colonial concern. By that means a regular supply of meat could be depended upon from one port or another. At certain seasons of the year the meat would be in the best condition in Otago, at another in Canterbury, at another in Wanganui, and so forth. But, at all times of the year, a cargo would be depended upon from one or other of our New Zealand ports. We therefore urge upon those who are themselves interested in this question, and who have the means at their command, to set about the formation of a meat export company without delay." We have no hesitation in saying that the Waikato is vitally interested in the satisfactory solution of this question. To a very large extent the district is committed to pastoral pursuits, and whatever the present position of the enterprise may be, we cannot afford to ignore questions bearing directly on its future prospects. The subject is one the Cambridge Farmers' Club might fairly take in hand. Southern enterprise, as represented above, earnestly invites co-operation, and the club in question would be doing nothing more than transacting the business coming within the scope of its Operations to ascertain upon what basis that co-operation could be most judiciously arranged. In conclusion, we reprint the following stimulating remarks from the columns of another contemporary : — "The arrival of the cargo of the Protos in London in a sound condition means the opening up of a new industry for these colonies — an industry, too, for which they are preeminently fitted. The United States can more than successfully compete with us in wheat-growing. But the advantage is all on the side of Australia as regards meat production. We have no North American winters to contend with. Wherever water is, cattle can be reared in the open air all the year round. And coming nearer home, New Zealand is even more favourably placed in this respect than Victoria and New South Wales. We have a better soil, a milder climate, a more plentiful supply of water. Everything is in our favour to enable us to enter successfully upon the production of beef and mutton on a large scale. Wheat-growing is a precarious occupation. A bad harvest, under present conditions, means general disaster throughout the colony. If we are ever to escape from the inconvenience of such recurring difficulties, it must be by varying the nature of our exports. And one of the most important of these should undoubtedly be fresh meat." \

Echoes from the "Cafe" are held over to make room for District matter. The next English mail via 'Frisco will be despatched from the Hamilton Post-office.on Monday next, at 10 a.m. A meeting of the officers of the Auckland Volunteer Companies, was held in the drill shed on Thursday, Major

Wither* was requested to interview Mr. A. Y. Macdonald, district manager of railways, with a view to making the best arrangement possible for the convejance of volunteers to the Waikato on the occasion of the Easter Monday review. The * continued drought is a matter of very serious import, and there is every reason to fear that the turnip crop and other green crops will prove failures. We understand that efforts will be made by the Volunteer authorities to obtain as large an attendance of the natives at the Easter Keview as possible. Several settlers have generously offered to provide the necessary provisions, and no doubt a large number of our Maori neighbours vrill avail themselves of the opportunity of being present. Thursdays "New Zealand Gazette" contains) a notification that the Government it prepared to receive proposals from persons willing to establish a factory for the manufacture of blasting and sporting powder. The proposer is required to state what amount of bonus he would require to induce him to undertake the manufacture. A bonus of £5000 is also to be given for three yeare in succession for refined sugar, each year, by machinery established in New Zealand, of no less , than 100 tons of cane sugar, and the person receiving a bonus, shall be also entitled to the bonus for the "two following years upon fulfilling the condition above named. Our Auckland morning contemporary states that efforts are being made to induce Mr It. W. E. Macclvor the celebrated analytical and agricultural chemist to visit Waikato with the object of giving a short course of lectures on the subject of agriculture. Great interest ' has been taken in the matter by Messrs P. A Whitaker, MH.R., and W. A. Graham, both of whom are in Auckland and it is possible that success will attend these efforts. It is to be hoped that the farmers in this district will avail themselves of this opportunity of gaining information which cannot fail to be of immense value to them. A cablegram from Sydney dated March 23rd states : — The steamer City of Melbourne has arrived here from Noumea, and reports that the steamer India has arrived from New Ireland, with three hundred of the Marquis De Ray's immigrants. Their provisions and water were exhausted, seven had died on the passage, and four after arrival at Noumea. They report that the colony at New Ireland is virtually abandoned. The immigrants of the India refuse to land at Noumea, fearing a fresh deception, and demand conveyance to Baroelona. They are entirely dependant for the common necessaries of life on the benevolence of the Caledonian authorities. A recent sitting of the Resident Magistrates' Court,|Dunedin, was interrupted by an extraordinary incident, which is thus described by the Morning Herald : — "A solicitor in one of the cases elected i to give evidence, but whilst on his journey from the bar to the box, either from bodily infirmity or more questionable causes, he exhibited a desire to quarrel with the chairs. His Worship, evidently desiring to maintain etiquette in Court, indignantly exclaimed, "Mr. , you arc not in a fit state to plead, and you are even in a less fit state to go into that box and give evidence. I will not take you or your oath — you are intoxicated. I warn you against ever again making your appearance in this Court in the state you are now in, I shall bring the matter before the judge of the Supreme Court in some way. " The case was then adjourned for a week. Some of the local bodies down South, will not we imagine, suffer much were the Government subsidies withdrawn. The Waitako County Council finds itself in such a strong financial position that it has determined to place £4000 on fixed deposit. Without trenching on this sum the Council finds itself able to carry on its ordinary work and also erect expensive new offices. The case of the Government clerk Wilkinson, who was recently arrested at Hawera for embezzlement affords, says a contemporary, a striking commentary upon the principle of paying low salaries to officials through whose hands a large amount of money passes. It appears that the total deficiencies in his accounts amount to £415. His salary was only £135 per annum, though upwards of £26,000 of Government money passed through his hands in a very short time. It would seem as though the dog tax has not yet had the desired effect of ridding the country of the numerous useless and mischievous curs which infest it. On many occasions we have been called on to record the damage which has been ,done to Mr Isaac Coates sheep by the depredations of stray dogs, until we had almost begun to think there was a design somewhere in the matter. Yesterday we heard that the same gentleman has again lost eight or nine ewes on his farm near Hamilton East, through worrying by dogs. We trust that the owners of the wretched animals which are thus permitted to roam at large may be ascertained, and that when discovered an example will be made of them. We beg to draw the attention of breeders to the sale of pedigree sheep, the property of P. Leslie, Esq., Wartle, on Thursday next, the 31st inst. It may be said without hesitation, that no such opportunity as that which will bo presented on Thursday, has ever been offered to sheepbreeders in Waikato. Mr Leslie's flock has obtained a name for purity and excellence which any breeder might be proud of, and it is well known that neither care nor expense has been spared in the breeding and management of the flook. The whole of the sheep are directly descended from ewes imported by Mr Leslie In 1868, and none but pure, pedigree rams have been used. We would direct attention to the printed catalogue f orf ullerinformation. A fire broke out at Featherstone, Wellington, on Thursday morning, resulting in the destruction of about £8000 worth of property. The premises destroyed were Faber'a Club Hotel, Messrs, Toogood's general store, and several priTata dwellings. The cause of tho fire is unknown, but it is supposed to hare been accidental. The following are the insurances: — Faber'o Hotel— on the building : Standard, £250 ; Limited, £250 ; North British, £250; National, £250; Union, £500; London, Liverpool, and Globe, £500. On the stock: National, £250 ; Union, £250 ; London, Liverpool, and Globe, £200. Messrs Toogood'a store and building : Victoria, £500. On the stock : Union, £500 ; New Zealand, £500 ; Colonial, £250 ; North British, £250. On the furniture : Hanseatic, £150. Mr. O'Neill : — On the shops and dwellings : £150 ;on the furniture, £50 ; and £150 on the stock, all in the London, Liverpool, and Globe. During the last few days Mr E. Wilson has been engaged in making borings on the western side of river, on the site of the proposed railway bridge, Hamilton, with a view to ascertaining to what depth it would be necessary to sink to reach s rock foundation for the concrete pillars. It was thought that the rpek would not be reached under a depth of 90 or 100 feet, but after going through about 30 feet of sand and three feet of stiff white pipeclay, they came upon sandstone, but in consequence of the shaft caving in, Mr Wilson was nnable to Suage the thickness of the stratum, t is probable that in a few days this fa.et will be determined. In the meantime

the contractor is sinking another shaft aomewhat lower down the bank, which, in consequence of the looseness of the country, has had to be closely timbered. This is now down a depth of about 19ft., and ao far nothing but pure sand has been met with. The result of the boring, so far, must be considered to be very satisfactory. A meeting of the ratepayers of the Tamahere Highway District was held at Wartle yesterday for the purpose of electing a member of the Board in the place of Mr Patrick Leslie* who has resigned in consequence of his leaving tha colonyThere was a good attendance and the chair was occupied by Mr Browne "Wood. Only one candidate was nominated, Mr Joseph, John Barugh, Mr Leslie's successor at Wartle, and iv consequence was unaminously elected to the vacant seat. The chairman at the close of the meeting made a short complimentary valedictory address to Mr Leslie on leaving the district. He remarked that though a comparative stranger in their midst he had heard on all sides of, and could himself testify to, the good which Mr Leslie had been the means of doing the district, of which he might well be called the father. He felt hewaa expressing the feelings of the meeting when he said he was sorry at his going away. Subsequently a meeting of the Board was held at which the Secretary was directed to write to Mr Leslie expressing regret at his departure and wishing him on behalf of the Board God speed.

Mr John Knox will dispose of a miscellaneous lot of goods, at his mart, this afternoon. The Waikato Cavalry Volunteers (Hamilton Troop) will assemble for drill on Monday, 4th April. The Orakau Mill is now working, and Messrs Berry, Gardner, and Neill are prepared to execute orders. A meeting of the Loyal Duke of Cambridge Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.U., is convened for Tuesday next, at 8 p.m., in the Lodge-room, Cambridge, when important business will be brought forward. The chairman of the Cambridge District Board invites tenders for vaiious works in the district. Plans and specifications, can be seen at the Waikato Hotel, Hamilton, Camp's Hotel, and the National Hotel, Cambridge. The public are cautioned by the chairman of the Cambridge District Board against removing sand or gravel from roads or pits under the jurisdiction of the Board. Mr W. J. Sykes, surgeon dentist, late of Sydney, proposes pajing a. professional visit to the VVaikdto about the end of the month. 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, withoutthe risk of beingcalled 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. j Country buyers on remitting cash with order will i be supplied with goods at co-operative prices ; justthe same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, I floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding, and general I house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at j the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount ot I 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 new and cheaply nouGHT. An inspection is invited. — Garlick and Cranwkll, City Hall Furnishing Arcade Queen- ! street, Auckland.