The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1676, 3 April 1883, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Efjii.il .mil evict justice to all men, Ot «li.itsoc\cr st.itc or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's rifjhf maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribcd by gain.

TUESDA Y y APRIL J t 1883.

Canterbury is evidently fully determined on having her West Coast railway. How the rest of the colony may faro is, of course, a matter which concerns our lister province very little. .Fortunately, tlu're is some difference of opinion on the subject of the routo, and to this circumstance the rest of the colony may owe many , benefits in the near future. No one can seriously doubt the importance of ultimately connecting the East and West Coasts of tlie South Island. The immense mineral deposits on the latter must in time to come afford employment for a large industrial population, to feed which the former is so well able. Mr Travers, writing on the subject in the Wellington Post, says no railway system for the South Island can be treated as complete which leaves the West Coast unconnected with the trunk line, which he assumes should run between Christchurch and Picton. With the question of route we have very little to do. The question which concerns us is the utility of the line itself, towards the cost of which we aro expected to contribute. Unless it can be shown that the railway will open up country adapted to settlement, it is not to be expected that people in other parts of the colony should cheerfully acquiesce iti its construction; because we take it the present mode of conveying the mineral products of the Grey and "Westport to the agricultural districts at the other side of the island, is by no means inefficient. It is not likely that the cost oi" carriage would bo much lower on the rail, while the question of time cannot as yet be of very great importance. It strikes us as being a little singular that, notwithstanding all the hurry and bustle discovered by the agitators for the line, the most sanguine do not anticipate that it will be completed for several years. Mr Travers even goes so far as to say that not more than £150,000 a-year could' for many years be conveniently expended, " the total cost (£2,000,000) being therefore spread over a period of at lea«fc 12 or 1-t years." He adduces this as a' Reason why the colony s>hould t at once commence the work. To us, we must confer, the argument seems exceedingly weak. If the railway is to be constructed at 1 so sl6w a rate, it follows, unless each section opens up fresh country and meets with full employment, that the yeab'ly instalment of ' .£150,000 is simply locked up and becomes unproductive, while tho colony has to pay for the luxury in the shape of interest. If there are such enormous stores of wealth lying along the West Coast as Canterbury people are wont to assert — and we Relieve there are — only waiting for decent means of communication to be developed, surely 12 or 14 years ought not to be wasted in this loose fashion; the line ought to be pushed. througUi off-hand with the greatest possible celerity. It is said that between 1872 ; and JBB2 the mines at Reef ton, ,yie}de4, gold to the value of upwards of a million'of money , at an original, outlay of capital of gain ething 1 urider£so,ooQ. Of .this raiUiQttjr more, than onefourth has been jmiM in dividends to shareholders, and tfce jb&jance has been expended' in : ]#nd labour, and, there can be no'.jflGijbt whatever, continues;! our. authority, that had there existed reasonable*' facilities , for the M transport of / machinery i <a»d food during <, I;he 'period referred to, the ; yield oJ! gold' would have been" double, and'otaer substance.? | of, fully equal, , value would have been' taken to market; It ruu'st; be ''remembered' '.that the mines near Reef ton are' Btii ' in the infancy of, their^ progress, and that,, those at ,LyalJ, which ,aye; of fully equal impoijtan&e^ are" only'

just opcfiing to the colony. J\ o\v A ll^fcH£L^ji f ly| goes to \h^i\ thali\the|co^tru4iph of the W<jst Q^ist linel^ight^iiot to 'no sgjtfn oujjja pr tjj&ft is absols'jsly |^ce^(v.^Q,f|f^urse the 'coj»ny N <ainiiot*hßqBsPels'''to build n railway costing two Trillions. In the first place, we are pledged not to borrow p »uvj'^, ha^ tjiat amount per annum', 1 4nd[,' f in ? tho second place, it > wdu'kl hardly bu fair to devote all our borrowed money, fora couple of years even, tr> ono particular job. But, if the lint! is of < suclj,exLra6rclinfi,nw ■•impprta.ncc-v if it' 'promises ib pay* 'so liandso'iiiely as its advocates would have us believe, how is it that private individuals do not rush to invest their money in it? Troth to tell, we do not think Canterbury people themselves have very much faith in the paying capabilities 1 of the line, for many years to come. But it would be pleasant to have the handling of a couple of millions of public money, to create for a few years a large consuming class, within hail, and to leave the colony hereafter to pay tho difference between the annual cost and the annual revenue.

The English mail arrived in Auckland per s.s. Zealandid, on Saturday evening, and the Waikato portion was delivered yesterday. * Owing to pressure on our space we are unable to publish our usual summary,' already in type.

The programme of the Richmond Turf Club's races, to be run on the 25th mst., will be found in our advertising columns.

Miss E. Biggs, assistant teacher at the Catnbiidge Public School, has been transferred to Hamilton West. She entered upon her new duties yesterday. The evening services at the Presbytciian Church, Cambridge, we are tequeated to state, now commence at half-past 6 instead of 7 o'clock, as formerly. A sacred concert and, entertainment in connection with the departure of the Rev. T. O. Carr, will be held in the Wesleyan Church, Cambridge, this evening. The programme is a very interesting one, and should &eeure a large attendance.

The nomination of candidates for the Selwyn ilisti ict took place on Friday at Lccston. Mr R. J. Leo, the Hon. E. Richardson, and Mr John McLachlan, were nominated. The show of hands resulted as follows :— Leo, 23 ; Richardssn, 14 ; McLachlan, 14. A poll was demanded. The numerous friends of Mr R. Gwynnc, of the Hamilton Hotel, will bo glad to learn that his health has somewhat improved. He returned to Waikito on Saturday from Auckland, where lie had been for a couple of weeks, looking considerably better than when he went away from home. The late Mr E. G. McMinn, as stafF- sergeant of Major Yon Tempsky's corps of Forest Rangers, served through the whole of the Waikato war. Afterwards when the A.C. Force was formed, he joined Major Yon Tejiipsky's division, and was with him when he was killed on the East Coast. After the division was disbanded he came back to Harapepe, where he resided on his farm till his death.

In reference to Mr Bryce's proposed trip through the King country, the prevailing opinion at Alexandra, gleaned from a variety of sources, is that, unless he obtains a large party of natives as a guard, he will undoubtedly be turned book, or possibly some greater catastrophe might happen. It entirely depends upon the force at his disposal ; if his party is strong enough, woll, but if not, determined opposition will be offered.

The reverend incumbent of S. Peter's, Hamilton, is to be congratulated upon the energy he continues to display m devising ways and means for reducing the debt upon his church. We hear that since Judge Smith's last visit hei?e, the Jlev. Mr Biggs has been in communication with him in reference to the delivery of a locturo. A reply came from Mr Smith yesterday, expressing his pleasure in acceding to the request, and that the subject chosen would be "The History of Writing." The date of, the lecture cannot yet be definitely fixed, but in all probability will bo about Monday, Ifay 21st.

Intelligtttui© received by the San Francisco man anniningps the death ot Mr W. P. Snow, the gentleman who recently spent some months in this province, and who established the Maori newspaper Te Kurimalo. Mr Snow, with his wife, was proceeding to England, vi route for America, by one of the Oiient steamers, and whon in the Rod Hca he was seized with fever and died, ,The news of his death was received in Auckland, where he had made many friends, \\ itli feelings of deep regret. The Cambridge Road Board have been prompt to avail themselves of the ad vantages offered by the Roads and Bridges Construction Act of last year, We 'Am informed fchaj; fcheir fifteen debentures of #00 each weyp posted tp the Colonial Treasurer yeufcevday, and. that the whole of the works for which, the £1000 was borrowed are in progress, and will, it is expected, be finished before the annual meeting of ratepayers which will be held at Broadmeadows on Friday, the 4th of May next, the day after the Cainb.pWgp race meeting.

Mr %9W¥Qn f manager of the Ashburtott, Cheese Jfyfitftry,, visited To Awamutu on Saturday and inspected *})« factory. He was aeeompaniefl by Oapt. Runciman. A correspondent telegraphing from Te Awarhutu, last night, says :—: — " Mr Bowron lias spent' the day at the factory. His report is that the milk is evcellent. Everything is going on in a satjisfocjioi'v manner under the new , cheese-ntf&ij?,' Jo regard to the past there certainly, from iqjne cause, has been neglect in the niai)a^en^nt, but the greatest evil results from the 4&D)pneps of the curing-room. -There- may be a' few cwt. damaged, but -the quality is considerably better than the appearance, which is owing to the dampness of the curing- room." ", '

<46 & dinner given to the Taranaki Cricketers &fe Auckland .on Saturday evening, Mv J£o}>jnson. captain of the representative Unm V»ififr vfs^ecl -the south 'at the end of Jasfc year, i/Oflk ad- , vantage of the occasion to '.present . Mr W. E. Barton with a souvenir ot the trip in the shape of a bat, vrhich bore| a silver plate wiljh the following insciiption engraved on it:— "W. E. Barton, highest aggregate scorer, trip hoi Auqk,la«d Rppfegontatives South, 1882." Mr , Barton is we'd j^noVn' to many of our readers, having. Jwfced fop ?ome time as accountant at the Hamilton bp&noh qf Bank of New Zealand. , ' ' , ,

Continual complaints are reaching us of the dangerous, state of the NgariiawahiVH'ariultdii road,'' between j^lr .W&|hpF, r s JaudDHavelp'ckc HillA and jvl-. thptjgfc • t ttsp/jfljjgd y. Representations have been maclG.^ ( p{jp XTmycastl'e Board, Jin whoßeldifefcrtyt' tlje rw^rk/UffiJ, j^hey , put the matter off, on the plea that m<ff jf/M'e no funds' at'theit disposal. Why did they not take atlvaiitqjje? bf the. "Roads* and , jßi^dges^.Coustructipn, Act ? Whjen an agc}x|ont occurs,' and 'they 'are mulct in heavy (kifla^ea, the levying ,of a special ' tl Wfa ' $8, i°r 'rather tjie ratepayers, yiiL'bfegtfrTQ" think then that if wo;uM,have beeu befctef ti)fl.t some- little attentfb'n' s had* Wen""|iven|»t .anyratie t ;,1» \ filling^ 'pfy, the .jhojf'sj Kveri. ,'i v £^hor9ufehly ' forming the road K^^|fiftJpJsi#S;U ',? J,

The usual monthly meeting of tlio Hamilton Domain Board was held last night. Presgnt/^Messrs A Knpx Coohranjju-Sfej S. T^Seddpn wrote, "Yd(piestinsjjio\£.shat Go^rrfiijjent had adopt«d£i& mie of; nroadj.flhrquteh thfe Hauiiltdljjpj -Bjbck, ,sfy the* bonril should cwinnuo tho said iroad&lhrdn'gh the domnin lamia lo his property. He did not ask the braid to spend money in foming the road, but simply to lay it oiY faiiH, have ft' gazetted^. The board reysnlyed to nccetln to' the rccjncstr'oii iihe the applicant pay "the necessary expenses. —The engineer, Mr T. G. Sindes, forwarded a certificate for £28 for tho contractors for Neddon's drain, who, he reported, were making a i very good jo&/ t He recoipme^jded further that a portion of the drain be fascined *at tlie bottom, at a cost of 14s per chain, or underc£lO.--It waa-agreed to refer the matter of f.xscining to Messrs Tippen, Cochrane and Gandin, to confer with the engineer, with power to act. —The following account was passed for-payment :—: — F. A. 'Whitaker, £21 Gs Gd (preparing leases Sic.) '

A correspondent, writing from' Cambridge, says: —Some people have a curious desire, I might say a curious knack, of affording themselves entertainment at the expense of those with whom they may perchance l»c at variance, and do not seem to consider what pain their little malicious funnyiams may give their unguarded victim. A reverend gentleman who has for some time past been exercising his begging talent on behalf of a new house of worship iv a certain thriving centre in Waikato was informed by the usual memo, that a registered letter awaited his acceptance at the Post-office. Thinking that some charitably-disposed individual was passing a donation through the post in aid of the good work for which he (the rev. gentleman) was collecting, he did not hesitate to pay the registration fee and Hue. On opening the letter, however, he was apprised, to his great chagrin, of the uncharitable nature ol the donor, the contribution consisting of one solitaiy copper, for which he had paid no less than fourteenpence.