TUESDAY, AUG. 11, 1885.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2043, 11 August 1885, Page 2

TUESDAY, AUG. 11, 1885.

Politic vl afF.iirs seem to have settled down into a state of quietude bom of despair. If we searched the annals of the colony, we do not think a parallel could be found to the extraordinary condition of things which exists at Wellington at the present moment. It would be idle to recapitulate the leading incidents of the session ; they are only too well known ; but we may be permitted to speculate as to the future, though it must bo frankly admitted that the occupation is by no mean*, an easy one. There seems to be no way of un ravelling the extraordinary tangle into which the political web has been twisted. As measure after measure has been brought forward, ominous warnings of defeat and disaster have been poured into the ears of Ministers ; but every hostile division, while it serves to strangle some favourite bantling of the Government, only goes to make the seats of its foster parents more secure. The Ministci ial hold on the support of the House is much more tenacious to clay, with the legislative visions of Sir Julius Vogel and Mr Stout fading into blue vapour, than it was at the beginning of the session, when the hulliant army of bills and resolutions destined to bring back the (Jolden Age to New Zealand lay before the eyes of the country. This may seem strange, but it is not so .strange as it seems. As a matter of fact, the country can stand the present Government without a policy better than with one. It is well to have in power professors of honesty hko Mr Stout and Mr Ballance, and men of active organising mind like Sir Julius Vogel, provided only that they occupy the position of administrators. The very qualities which render them admirable in that capacity detract from their value as legislators. The purity of purpose which in the administrator banishes nepotism and favouritism from the Public Service, and the keen powers of perception and appreciation which render the service efficient and keeps the wheels of business oiled, degenerate in the

legislator into breeding-beds of empiric statesmanship and wild financial schemes. Now, we believe that the, people's representatives, if not the people themselves, are fcighing for a period of what Ims been called "political rest." Of legislation of a sort, — -and much of it of a very bad sort- -they have had sufficient to last thf>m for some time ; of downright, honest, careful work, there has been little enough. For years we s.iiled along in a dream of never-ending prosperity ; had time's, we thought, could never ovei take us, and our care was only for the day present. It was a silly dream, and we have pretty well recovered the use of our senses, though we have yet to realise the full extent of the illusion under which we have laboured. We are no pessimists ; our taith in the soundness of the colony is firm and assured ; but there is a limit to endurance. That

wo can <;o on for ever incurring fiesh burdens (f tixation in order that unprofitable railways may be made from nowhere to nowhere we refuse to believe, and the country is very clearly of tins opinion too. Public Works expenditure, except so far as it relates to the completion of unfinished systems of railway, and the construction of such lines as will »ive an immediate return, must cease absolutely. There is plenty of land available for s>ttlement without cjoinjjj to the moon for it, and if merchants and tradespeople want to make, b'v^ profits let them set about it in a legitimate way. We want a period of rest foi retiospection and introspection, and to #ivc us an opportunity to put our house in decent Older. If they will only wash their hands entirely of bunkum reforms and doubtful financial ventures, we do not doubt th.it the present Ministers will be allowed to superintend the operation in peace for some time to come.

The chairman of the Cambridge Domain Boaid lws been authorised by the board to prosecute any person or persons infringing the bye-law s of t!ie doiram. The Hamilton Choral Society will meet <m Wednesd 13% (to-monow) evening: instead of Wedne-day week .is ai ranged at last meeting. The Cambridge Town Board meets to-d.iy, when the proceeding are expected to be of .in interesting, and peihaps lively charactei. The Cambridge Parliamentary Union will hold its iimul weekly meeting .it S. Andiew's «elioohooni this evening, when a laiue ittend mcv of members is expectod. The piogiamme piomtses an mteiesting evening, Commander Edwin telegraphed at V22U yesteiday :— Expect bad weather between noith and east and Ninth east. Class fall, and aftei 12 liouis fnun now hiavy fall of lain. The scholarship examinations in Waik ito c immence to-d.iy at the Hamilton K.ist School. Mr Vincent E. Rice, seciet.uy of the Boaid of Education, arrived in Hamilton yesteiday, and will act as supervisor. The committee appointed to arrange the pielnninaties in connection with the establishment of the meat tinning mdnstrv in Waikato will meet at the Public Hall, Hamilton, on Fiidiy next, at 2 o clock. It is hoped, in view of the importance oi this subject, that there will be .1 laige attendance. Another sign of the decadence of the native race was exhibited at the Police Comt, Hamilton, yesterd iv, in connection with the Kutoiiia Railway obstruction case. When the defendants were called upon to sign the bail bonds, the old chiefs complied, but the yonnsr men, son 1 * of tho former, weie ignorant of the art of writing' svul signed with a mark. At the morning service at SPaul's Wmleyan Chinch on Sunday morning, the Rev. H. R. J)e\\sbuiy made refi lenee in his seiinon to the pioposed formation of a Nationalistic Society at Cambridge. We understand that Mr Dewsbmy pin poses delivering a SMies of Sunday eve.img li'ctmes, be mug on X ition ihsin, fieethought, and Chiistian evidences. The sale of town endowments tookplaccat Cambridge >csteiday at the town board olhce. Mi Hunter was the auctioned, Mr Cowper being still confined to h's bed with iheiunatism. Only two suctions weie passed in, and the lest weie sold at a considerable advance on the upset price, the prices langmg fiom "is to 38s per acie per annum. Tne hale was consideied most satisfactory. The next meeting of the Hamilton Legislative Association will be held on Tuesday evening next, the ISth m^t. The Ministiy has bi en recniistincted since Mr Templet's lesiguation. Mi Rubeit Seddon h.is joined the Cabinet as Colonial Seciet ny and Minister of Education. The lattei portfolio was formcily held by Mi Swarl)ilck, who now, in addition to that of Woiks, holds the offices of Attoniey(ieneialand Mmistei of Justice. We are informed on good authority that Row i is doing all in his power to induce Taw hiao to sevei his connection with the pakehu, and retne bick to the Kuiti, his former place of residence. He went down to Whatiwhatihoe the other day, and stated his case, but Tawlnao was steadfast. "No," said the monaich "my face is now towards the Europeans; I cannot turn round, and if I walk bickvvaids I might fall into a hole." The musical and dramatic entertimment m aid of tho funds of the Hamilton Roman Catholic Chinch and schools will be held at the Oddfellows' Hall on Thursdiy evening. The full progianiine has aheady appeared. The lady and gpiitlenipn amateurs who aro taking pait in the comedy have been zealously reheat smg for some time, and promise to establish a leput ition foi themselves. The musical poitiou of tho piogiamme is of exceptional merit, and we expect to see a full house. The Hukanui Public Library has lately had an addition of £10 vvoith of books, which bungs the unmtiei of volunien up to 4"30, besides a uuntbei ot peuodicils. Two thuds of the books aie standaid woiks and the rest books of icferenee and light reading, but all have been most caiefully selected and aie a great bo.m to the di»tuct, especially in the winter. A new h minimum has also been piocuied fiom j Euglutd to bo used at divine vice, which is held foitniglitly in the hall. It is understood that the Hon. P. A Jiurkley, Coloni. il Societal y, Ins icceived letleis flout some of the members of the P.unellite p irty, lefpiestmg him to allow him-elf to be nominated for an lush constituency in the cause of the Home Rule inteiest." Mr Jiuckley has not arrived at any decision in the matter, but expects to receive fuither communications in a few days. For some time past Mr Buckley has been anxious to visit his native country for thf puipose of seeing his patents, and it is not unlikely that he may do so at the end of the piesent year. At the usual fortnightly meeting of the Hamilton Wesleyan IJand of Hope, last evening, there was a laige attendance of members and their fi lends. Mr(J. French occupied the chair, and in a short address congratulated tho members on the success they had achieved since the movement had been started m Hamilton. He asked them to keep their object m view, and hoped each individual member would feel that lie had an interest in the affair, and that theie was something for him to do in forvv aiding this work. The following progiamme was given in a commendable manner ■ — Recitation, Ruth Wy itt ; rending, Annie T)avN ; duet, and chorus Edith Cox, E. Cornish, and others ; violin duet, Messrs Me'ichem and Mellow; duet, K/ite J>avey and E. Cornish ; solo, Air Meachem. Mis Cox and Miss Salmon, contiibuted thchaimtmmm accompaniments, and hymns weie sung at intervals duung the mcetinc. Mr Pond, the Government analyst, vi ill ainve in Hamilton to day, and it is undeK-tood that he will bung with him the lesnltsof his analysis of the beet roots he took down with him some weeks ago, and which weie grown in different parts of tho dutnct. Many of our readeis are interested m this matter, and those who can make it convenient should avail themselves of tho opportunity of meeting Mi Pond, and hear what ho has to Bay_ on the subject of beet culture. Mr Siegner, of the firm of Siegner, Langguth and Co., of Auckland, will be a fellow pessenger of Mr Pond, and as this gentleman has had largo experience in the beet xugav industry in Germany, and In ings pliins and estimates of the cost of erection of the buildings and plant necesHary for starting n beet sugar factory, a largo lunmmt of information will be affoided on a subject which nooner or later will occupy tho attention of settlers in this district. To the Editor :— Sir,— Will you oblige by giving space to the, enclosed :— Having read a local m your last Thursday* hsuc from your Wlmta-wlmtn correspondent, permit me to say that ho ha« proved himself an adopt, in tho Machiavellian theory of morality. He Beom« to have ap pointed himself, or beon appointed by the pigs the Porcine I)on Quixote. No doubt his next move will be to mount hii J{o«iiianto, rtdo up and down the district (lance in hnnd) demanding the liberation of nil impounded pigs, and redress for all dm-

tressed porker*; singing m he goo-i along the well known ditty, »o witty, "Billy O'Pork is the boy, sur." I challenge him to give the name-* of those having pigs running atlaige, except on their own land, and who he insinuates range the ranger, and .t<> sign his name. Otherwise I must coj^je to the conclusion that ho is utterly beyond contempt. ' I will set tho example by signing mine— D. F. Scott. The following special messages to tho Press Association, dated London, August 7tli and 9th, lime been published : — Tenders for the South Melbourne municipal loan of £800,000 at o per cent, were opened to-day, whrn tho amount was subscribed nearly fourfold. The average prico h £10 1 IG-i. — The hirvest )s proceeding ripidlv, but recent tains haws tended to harden the market. Veiy littlo bu.sinc>.s Inn been transacted with Australian breadstuffs. — The town of Kashgar in Central Asia, which was captured fiom Mahomed Y.ikoob Boy by China, in November, 1877, li.is been ri 1 captmed by Y.ikoob Bey's son, who wai aided by Russia. — Lord Randolph Churchill, Secretaiy of State for India, ni.ide a stitoment on Indnn finances, whicli show .i deficit m the levenucof three millions, due to the recent military preparation*. He .iKo expected that there will bo an increase of two millions per annum on account of inilitaiy services. — The general election for tho French Senate will probably take place on the 4th October. — The French Press ha\o taken a \ery offensive tone at tho defensive alliance between China and England as against Runsia.