The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1802, 24 January 1884, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and c\a.ct jusiire to .ill men, Ot \vh.itsoc\ur state or persuasion, religious or politir.il. Here shall tlie Press the People's rij»lif in lintnin, Unawed by influence and unbribi-d by gain.

have been at some pains to select from among the candidates for the board only fuc'i as promised to urge the claims of their constituents', the committees. It we could believe that the committees, in thus forcing a change on the policy of the board, were prjmpled solely by a wish to advance the cause of education, and were not actuated by a desire for the acquisition of mere power for its o .vn gross sake, we should feel more at ease than we do now. We admit at once that the board in the past lias been permitted to wield too mmh arbitrary power ; but it may be doubted whetiier a change which merely transfers the despotism exercised by the board to the individual committees is a change for the better. In whatever direction the disposition of householders may lead them to think of this question, it is certain that the position of the teachers will be much more uneviable under the new than the old tyranny, and if this be so the children, who are after all the main factors in the calculation, will suffer. The post of teacher has never been a prodigiously lucrative one, and if, in addition to indifferent pay, we expose the schoolmaster to a new set of adverse influences, the profession will be speedily deserted by its best representatives, who will find more congenial and more remunerative employment in other walks of human industry. One remedy, and one only, it appears to us, lies at hand, and that consists in the exercise of a vigilant care in the election of our school committees and Boards of Education. If an intelligent body of men, such as we believe the school teachers of New Zealand to be, are to be answerable for their actions directly to the school committees, then, in the interests of the people who elect these committees, it is in the highest sense desirable that the best and most intelligent men iv the community should be selected for the office. Have we any assurauce that such counsel as we have taken the liberty to offer will be acted upon ? We confess wo have serious doubts on the subject, and this being the case, it is not without some regret that we see the pow er of the board gradually slipping away, and falling into the hands of the committees. This regret, it is true, is tempered by a conviction that as far as Waikato is concerned, at any rate, the Auckland Board of Education has not done its duty. When wo have secured what we are fairly entitled to claim, a separate educational district for the southern half of this provincial district, with head quarters in Waikato, and when we have a board composed of men fully conversant with the needs of this growing and important district, then we shall welcome a re-traiisfur of the extensive powers now given to the committees to the board, which, controlling larger interests, will feel its responsibilities more acutely, while at the same time its actions will command wider attention, and be subjected to keener criticism. \

The question of improving the Cambridge Public Hall and Library is now the one absorbing topic with the Cambridge ratepayers, and it is not at nil to be surprised that an unusual amount of consideration has been bestowed upon it. In some quarters the undertaking is looked upon with much disfavour, but speaking generally, it is a very popular one ; and we have very little doubt, when the matter conies before the ratepayers the result of the poll will indicate the necessary majority in favour of the money being borrowed, and the work being proceeded with. The undertaking has everything to recommend it, and if we except the question of increased local liability, we know of no objection to it. In the first place, there can be little doubt that, so far as the Public Hall is conconcerned, additional accommodation is necessary. The present building is nothing but a mere shed, with an interior aspect not even in keeping with the most ordinary pretensions. The stage is much too small, and there are no dressing rooms, nor supper-room. As to the Library, the building has neither a comfortable interior nor a presentable exterior, the accommodation is very poor, and considering the amount of support which the institution is now receiving from the public of the district, it is a matter of considerable surprise that much more interest, and of a more practical character, has not ere now been shown in this reirard. The 6nancial position of both the hall and the Library is a sound one, the Library particularly being in an exceedingly flourishing condition. The bodios representing the respective institutions have expressed the belief that the revenue of either will pay the interest and sinking fund on the amount borrowed for its improvement, and we do not think that much better authority than this could be obtained. Again, Mr Hewitt has been kind enough to guarantee the deficiency on the hall should there be any, so in this case the ratepayers have nothing whatever to fear. As some time will elapse before the poll will be taken to decide as to whether the loan shall be borrowed or not, -we hope the ratepayers before giving their vote one way or the other will make every enquiry into the matter, and before voting satisfy themselves that the step they are about to take is for the good of the town, and likely to tend to its prosperity.

Ox the fourth page of this issue will be found somo information about our frozen produce trade. The facts (assuming the statements to be such) detailed are not very reassuring. The London correspondent of the Dunedin Star, from whose, jotter we cjuote, c^raoteriees

the chilled cheestr per the steamship Doric as " a low class article of coarse flavour," though the agent, Mr Page, says it is the bent he has seen from Australasia. Now, as we are also told the cheese arrived in first-rate condition, the only conclusion it is possible to arrive at is that the article was not intrinsically of much worth. The Doric sailed from Christchurch, and we believe the cheese was made at the Ashburton Factory. This factory, erected according to plans prepared by, and under the supervision of; Mr William Bowron, ought to have turned out a first-class article. The fact of it having failed to do so is, as we have said before, not re-assur-ing. However, the price obtained for the cheese is better than might have been expected after such an account of the quality. But we do not think 56s per cwt. will, after the usual deductions for freight, insurance and agency commission, leave a sufficient margin of profit to the consumer. A penny a pound more would make all the difference in the world. The butter sent home in the Doric appears to be little better than cart grease*. The correspondent of our contemporary concludes with a hope that New Zealand will not get " the name of supplying fifth-rate provisions suitable only for workhouses and gaols." We do not think we shall fall quite so low as that, but, at the same time, we cannot hope to acquire a reputation for supplying the Mother Country with the best, unless we go into the business in real earnest. We have repeatedly urged that if we are to enter into the produce export trade we mu&t take care that we send nothing out of the country that is not good of its kind. Low class cheese and cart grease butter will not do.

The civil case, H. Ramsay v. Lewis, claim £00 for wages, was concluded at the District Court, Hamilton, on Tuesday. His Honour reserved judgment. j I 1 (

During last year the excess of immigration over emigration in New Zealand was over 10,000 persons. Altogether 10,000 souls arrived in the Colony.

The usuual monthly meeting t of the Piako County Council, which ought to have been held yesterday, ha* been arranged for next Wednesday, at five o'clock in the evening.

A meeting of the Cambridge Town Board will be held on the eveuing of February Ist, at 7 o'clock, for the purpose of passing resolutions in connection >\ ith the £700 loan, which has been granted by the Sinking Fund Commissioner-!, Wellington.

The death is announced of Mr Thomas Rawdon, one of the oldest residents on the Thames. Mr Rawdon, who occupied the post of Borough Foreman of Works, had been in failing health for some time.

The Eev. E. H. Gulliver, M.A., will conduct the morning and evening services at S. Andrew's, Cambridge, next Sunday, and will also hold a service at Ohaupo, at 3.30 p.m.

A joint meeting of the Cambridge Domain and Town Boards will be held tomorrow afternoon, at four o'clock, to discuss matters in connection with the drainage scheme at the Lake. A full attendance of members of both bodies is expected.

In reply to "Ignoramus"' letter, we are requested to state that Mr Barton's visit to Te Awamutu and the Upper Waikato district was necessarily brief, only allowing of time for a visit to a fe.v of the leading residents, and that Mr Barton much regrets not having met " Ignoramus " among many others ; but he hopes to rectify this on a future occasion.

As an instance of the advantage of co-operation,—a gentlemen jit the Piako district, who ia a member of the Canterbury Association, was able to procure his clover seed sixpence a lb. cheaper than he could have done had be bought in the ordinary way. It is needless to say his neighbours are anxious for the establishment of the proposed Waikato Association.

Harry Symonds has now opened his new hotel at Waotu. The casual visitor to the district, would be at a loss to understand the necessity of such an extensive building in such an out of the way place, there being no less than f out teen rooms, including bed-rooms, .sitting rooms, &c. The hotel is very well appointed, and should receive no small amount of favour at the hands of the travelling public.

The late heavy rain has done considerable damage to several of the roads in the district. A portion of the CambridgeOxford mad has lapsed into its old unpleasant state; and unless the weather clears up immediately, heavy traffic in this direction will be attended with anything but successful consequences. We hope the Hon. Mr Mitchelson will remain faithful to his promise on his return to Wellington, and see that the maintenance of this road is well provided for

The celebrated Professor Payne will give his entertainment in the Public Hall, Hamilton, to-nig^ht. Dming intenals Mr Harry Saville will give some of his famous recitations, and the performance M-ill conclude with a spiritual seance. The entertainment has been well spoken of, and should be well patronised. To-morrow and Saturday evening the professor will appear at Cambridge, on Monday at Alexandra (the date having been altered), and at Te Awamutu on Tuesday (race night.)

The new peal of bells for SAndrew's, Cambridge, have been raised to the belfry of the church tower, and Mr D. Richardson, who is superintending the work, expects to have them in position in a few da.v>, though it is doubtful whether they will be ready for chiming by next Sunday. The peal weighs considerably over two tons, and ringing will be out of the question, but the chiming of the new peal is expected to be as loud as the ringing of the old one, and ringing has been discontinued for some time past in consequence of its btraining the building too much.

Grave fears were entertained by the farming community of Waikato that the inclement, we might say the winterlike weather of the past few days would continue, now that the crops in the majority of cases are ripe and ready for the machine. In several places the hay crop has been almost ruined, and the oats have suffered considerably ; but the wheat in the majority of cases looks more healthy and promising than we could have expected, ifesterday the hopes of the farmers brightened considerably, the weather being all that could be desired, and we sincerely hope it will continue so until the crops bhall have heen saved. The weather indications are at present sufficiently encouraging.

The followiug special messages to to the Press Association* dated London January 21st, have appeared in the N.Z. Herald.—Tiie Victorian gunboats will be tried on the Tyne on Wednesday and Thurdry next, and if successful they will sail for their destination on the following Saturday. —The health of Her Majesty the Queen is unsatisfactory, and she ia unable to stand for more than a few minutes.—The Russian paper Novoevermya attacks Baron Maclay, for favouring the projects of England in Now Guinea.—Queensland is offering to convert two and a-hftlf million bonds into inscribed stock.

I hear (writes the Wellington correspondent of the _ Otago Daily Time*) that steady progress is being made with the Civil Service reorganisation scheme. Minister are said to be going into the matter with great vigour and thoroughness, and according to present plans, this will be one of the cardinal points of Ministerial policy for the coining session, I believe strenuous offorts will be made to have it quite ready by the opening of the session, and to include within its scope sufficient retrenchment as at least to go against the deficit expected in the years revenue, so that it mny prove practicable to avoid increased taxation for next year, unless it be perhaps another farthing on the property tax. This would bring it up to its old figure of 1880 - viz., a penny in the pound. I have reason to suspect that an important chMtyt in the «ntyswwAto q{ trot 4«fwt*'

ment, to which I am not at present At liberty to refer more particularly, is under earnest consideration, and will be announced in the course of the next few weeks. If I am right in my conjecture, the step I allude to will excite some diversity of opinion, according ao locality.

The medical Times publishes some alarming statements about the contamination of tinned food. Researches made by expertsshow that there is aconsiderablepercentage of stannous hydrate in nearly all food preserved in tins, and talced in large doses stannoua hydrate is distinctly poisonous. The question, says the Medical is not one of immediate action ; It is rather one for inquiry as to the action 'of small repeated doses continued for a long time. A metallic taste would appear to . show a largo quantity of stannous nydrate, and thiH in often met with in the preserved fruits we import from America. The question (says the Witness) has # a peculiar interest in a country which imports so much tinned food as New Zealand. As far as we are aware, cases of ascertained injury from health from tinned food are rare. Perhaps the doctors can give evidence on the subject.

MrEllery has supplied the Melbourne papers with the following memorandum with reference to the comet which is now telescopically visible at the Observatory : —" The Pons comet—so called after its discoverer at Marseilles, in the year 1812 —according to Encke's calculation of its period ot revolution round the sun, to be again visible after 70£ years, and first seen on September 1, 1883, by Brooks, in America, has been looked for at the Observatory since the beginning of the year, when it should have been visible shortly after sunset; but owing to the cloudy weather and the very faint nature of the object, it wan only last night, about 20 minutes past 8 o'clock, that it could be observed shortly before its setting. It it at present a small telescopic object, of which "only an oblong nucleus, surrounded by a 1 very faint nebulosity, could be seen. The horizon was not quite free from-haze, and there was not time for making accurate measurements, but the position agrees pretty well with the computed places. This evening (.Tsui. 7) the position will be R.A., 22h 23m., declination 9deg. north ; and ut 8 p.m. it will be nearly 20deg. above the horizon, bearing W.N.W." The comet will bo visible for about a month.