THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1886.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2133, 11 March 1886, Page 2

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1886.

, That some grave misunderstanding exists on the subject of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, as , between the Mayor of Hamilton f and the County Council of Waikato, must be quite obvious. This is very much to be regretted, because very \ little can be done in the direction of reforming that iniquitous measure without unanimity on the part of • the country districts. Apparently . the Borough of Hamilton, having , triumphed over the United Board in the matter of charitable aid, is satisfied, and is agreeable to pay over its share of maintenance money towards the hospital without any further todo. The mayor and those councillors who took this view of the case were the more inclined to pay the money when they learned, first, that, in default of payment, the amount would be stopped out of subsidy ; and, secondly, that in any case, subsidy or no subsidy, the Act gave the District Board ample power to recover. This is what the council's solicitor said. The mayor and the majority of the council therefore made a virtue of necessity. It is scarcely fair to say this of the mayor, since he claims to have all along been favourable to granting supplies to the hospital. But it is equally true that he concurred in the Waikato County Council's objections to the basis upon which the contributions were levied. Be this as it may, we are convinced that if the mayor erred he erred in good faith. The excellent services he rendered on the District Board, services which resulted in averting the burden which the Government sought to cast upon us in the shape of charitable aid taxes ought to save him from the reproach and contumely with which "Anti-Weathercock" seeks, somewhat flippantly, to cover him. Mr Graham's motive could not have been sinister, since he has nothing to gain and all to lose by the payment of the hospital tax. He gives what we concede to be the true reason in the letter which we print in another part of this issue. Moreover, he has the candour to appeal to the Waikato County Council to convene a meeting of delegates from the various public bodies in order to settle the matter. He does not desire, and few will doubt the sincerity of his declaration, to repudiate any compact which he may have entered into, and we understand he will, as the executive of the council, withhold action in the matter until next meeting. But if the mayor is not blameable, still less are those councillors who voted with him in good faith. It is to be regretted that he and they acted as they did. We had hoped to see this question fought out to the bitter end. The injustice sought to be inflicted on the country districts is of so gross a nature that the idea of bearing it ought not to have been entertained for a single moment. We are quite willing to contribute towards both hospitals and charitable aid on a fair basis of assessment, but that is as far as we ought to go. We must be just to ourselves before we can afford to be generous to others. When a few more goldfields have been discovered and the necessity for any mental or bodily exertion on our part has passed away, we shall doubtless be only too ready to take charge of the Auckland paupers and pay for the hospital treatment of those who have never been within miles of our borders. £• Until those halcyon days arrive we must be pardoned if we endeavour, however unsuccessfully, to look after our own material welfare. By no action of ours ought we to countenance such a wholesale system of larceny as that created by the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act of last year. If, notwithstanding our repeated protests, the abstraction of our money still goes on, our remedy, failing the repeal or amendment of the Act, is to start a hospital and workhouse of our own.

The Piako County Council meets this afternoon.

The banks in Waikato will be closed on Wednesday next, S. Patrick's D*y.

We are requested to state that the regular monthly meeting of the Hamilton Library Committee take* place on the second Friday in each month. Thr next meeting will therefore be held on Frida/ next at the reading-room.

The annual harvest festival at S. John's Church, Te Awamntu, will be held on Sunday next. Th<- service will be choral. Contributions of fruit »nd flowers will be thankfully received, and willing hands are wanted to assist in the work of decorating.

The Cambridge Licensing Committee held a special sitting on Tuesday l.wt, when the application for the transfer of the license of tne Masonic Hotel to 1). O'Laughlin w«a granted, on condition that he becomes » married man within three months.

The forthcoming Horticultural Show to bo held in Cambridge on the 17th inst. promise* to be the most successful and oxtewiye one over held in the W«ikato r

We refer our reader* to the report of the chow committee and to the advertisement apjieanng in to-day's isnue. We remind our readers of the Wcsleyan anniversary soiret 1 , und concert in the Cambridge Public Hall to-mownv night. As several well-known and talented amateurs from Aucklnnd are to appear, there should bo a rare musical tre.it in ■tore. Mr Samuel Vaile, writing to Archde.icon Willie on the Oth inst., says :— 11 1 shall have to be in your district towards the end of the month, and if the Cambridge people wish it, would then give an evening to the railway question. If it is dntired that I should j>poak, I shall be glad to know in time." The Show Committee of the Horticultural Society h.uo decided to adopt a proposal made by Mr H. Cowper to erect a trophy of tins of canned fruit produced by the Jain Company. Placed in a conspicuous position in tho hall, with their handsome and showy labels artistically arranged, the exhibit of these specimens of local mdustry should form a noticeable feature of the show. We direct the attention of tourists and other intending visitors to the Hot Lakes district to the amended advertisement of Mr W. K. Carter, coach proprietor. The coaches will now leave Oxford, not Cambridge, su formerly, for Ohinemutu, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 7 a.m., and Ohinemutu for Oxford on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12.30 p.m. A number of tourists en route to Rotorua were passengers to Oxford by yesterday's train. In our advertisement columns will be seen the balance-sheet of the Hamilton Annual Christina* sport*, showing the satisfactory credit balance of £VJ 10a lid. It is proposed to hold a meeting of subscribers shortly, to decide as to the disposal of this surplus. Some advocate the claims of the Public Library, but it will probably appear to the majority of subscribers that as the money has been earned on, and by Sydney square, the bulk of the funds at any rate ought to go to its improvement. A main element in this desirable and even necessary work is, no doubt, an efficient wator supply, either from tho ground itself or from the river.

Messrs Robson and Op., Te Aroha, have nearly completed their arrangement! for bottling the celebrated mineral waters on a large scale. A large supply of bottles, specially manufactured, with the name of the firm blown in the glass, and of a handy size and shape, has arrived, together with the necessary labels, &c, and operations will be commenced forthwith. It will be remembered that Mr Robson obtained a monopoly of the waste water for five years from the domain board. The water is said to be the equal, if not the superior, of any mineral water in the world, and no doubt the enterprising bottlers will be extensively patronised.

The chairman of the Te Awamutu Town Board has received the following telegram from Mr Maxwell in reply to the telegram containing the resolutions passed at the public meeting on Friday last :— " J. Walton, Esq.,— l am directed by the hon. the Minister for Public Works to reply to your telegram of the Oth instant., regarding the new railway time-table, that the table has been arranged to suit the various districts of Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Lichfield and Te Aroha, so far as the means at his disposal admit, and he regret* being unable to run more than one train daily fr«m Auckland." Mr Walton also got a letter from Mr Hudson on the subject, in which Mr Hudson stated the matter was having his attention.

A correspondent at Ngaruawahia writes :— "Tho Church of England Sunday School treat took place on Tuesday across the Wai pa river, ju«t above the punt land- ! ing, and was a great success. The Sunday school children mustered on the ringing of the bell, at half-past ten o'clock, and inarched to the punt, where they were conveyed across to the 6cene of operations, the parents of the children coming over later in the day. The Ngaruawahia Brass Band took part in the proceeding*. The committee, under the supervision of the Rev. Mr Shanaghan, deserve great praise for their good management in having abundance and to spare of the good things. At about 5 o'clock tea was announced, and ample justice was done to the good things provided. A vote of thanks for the committee and Brass Band terminnted a most enjoyable day's outing, each Sunday scholar receiving a prize for attendance.

The following special messages to the Press Association, dated London, March 7th, Bth, and iftli, have been pub lished :— Mr Howard Vincent will ask Mr Gladstone to convene tho Federation Conference in connection with the Tndian and Colonial Exhibition. In the House of Commons, Mr Octavius Morgan asked the Government whether they were prepared to open an office for the diffusion of knowledge concerning the various colonies for the benefit of intending emigrants.— His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge has signified his acceptance of the invitation to preside at the farewell dinner to be given to Sir Murray Smith. Kirl Granyillo, Secretary for the Colonies, has also intimated his intention of being present. — The Times this morning, referring to the forthcoming Budget, states that the army estimates only provide for the maintenance of eight thousand British troops in Kgypt.— In the HoubO of Commons last night a Bill dealing with the crofter question was read a necond time.— The Doric left lust night for London, with her cargo of frozen meat in good condition.

The Rev. H. R. Dewsbury delivered his famous lecture on " Macaulay " at the Public Hall, Hamilton, on Tuesday. From some unaccountable cause, the attendance was meagre, but as the chairman, the Rev. J. Dellow, humorously remarked, the only result of this was* that those present got a bigger share of the feast provided. The lecture was certainly one of the most brilliant ever heard in Hamilton, and we are bound to say that it owed its success less to Macaulay than to Mr Dewsbury. As a matter of fact, the lecturer, in his enthusiastic admiration for his hero makes somewhat extravagant demands upon our credulity. We are not going to enter into a controversy however, our object being rather to indicate that in the hands of the gifted lecturer Macaulay appeared to be a much more estimable personage in every respect than we had ever supposed him to be. A more charming commentary on the life of a great man we have seldom heard or read, and our regret is that we have enjoyed so few opportunities of hearing Mr Dewsbury in the capacity he assumed on Tuesday.