The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2137, 20 March 1886, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by Rain.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1886.

There can be no doubt that His Worship the Mayor of Hamilton has been misled in regard to the position taken up by the members of the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Institutions Board, and he has unwittingly led the Council astray with him. Frankly, we have allowed ourselves to be deceived also. At the last ordinary meeting of the Borough Council the Mayor reported that a city member of the Hospital Board had informed him that the Auckland and suburban representatives had come to the conclusion that it would be useless to attempt to levy a rate for charitable aid, and that therefore all that the local bodies would be asked for was a proportion of the money required to maintain the hospital. This Mr Graham said he, for his part, was perfectly willing to agree to. He pointed out to the Council the necessity for keeping open and in an efficient state the only hospital in the provincial district, and the members of the Council, with two exceptions, were so impressed with the force of the Mayor's contention that they cheerfully voted the money. The exceptions were Messrs Scott and Sandes, who protested against the payment ot any contribution towards the hospital because the assessment was fixed upon a most unjust basis. The answer to this objection, given by the Mayor and one or two councillors in different language was this, that the basis of assessment had been fixed by law, and that as the law could compel them to pay, they might as well make a virtue of necessity. The Auckland Board, the Mayor reasoned, had been advised that they had the fullest power to recover at law rates levied to support the district hospital, and hence it was useless to resist payment. The Council then decided to pay the money without reference to the justice or injustice of the claim, recognising only, first, that the hospital is a necessity, to be maintained at all hazards, and secondly, that whether they liked it or no, the money must be paid. So far so good. In the face of the Mayor's plain and repeated declarations that he does not object and never has objected to the payment towards the hospital, even upon the present assessment basis, it would be ungracious if not worse to say anything to the contrary. Nor, on the other hand, are we going to seek for excuses for seeming inconsistencies. In this respect, Mr Graham is well able to fight his own battles. Let us now address ourselves to the question raised in our opening sentence. We ventured to say that Mr Graham has been misled. Let us make our meaning clear. It will be remembered that the Board, when they first met at Auckland, were totally at a loss to understand the provisions of the measure they were called upon to administer. In a word, they were "flabergasted." No one can charge them with a want of intelligence on this account, because neither the Members of Parliament who passed it nor anybody who has had the courage to wade through its dreary array of contradictory clauses, can make bead or tail of the Act. Under the circumstances, then, the board remitted the Act to Messrs Hesketh and Eichmond for their opinion, and these gentlemen, after giving it the most careful consideration, practically arrived at the conclusion that it is, as a whole, unworkable. The opinion was published at the time, and we need not do more than briefly epitomise it. They pointed out that up to clause 34 the Act provided for a District Board with power to levy one rate, to be used for Hospital and Charitable Aid purposes. There was absolutely no provision for two funds. Clauses 34 and 35 provided for United Boards, with power to raise and spend money for charitable aid purposes only, and the Auckland and North Auckland District Boards were united for this purpose. But inasmuch as the District Board could only levy one rate, which was to be applied to both purposes mentioned, it was hard to see how the United Board could levy another and a specific rate. The United Board moreover was not incorporated under any name. In the opinion of Messrs Hesketh and Richmond the Act, as we have said, was unworkable They thought the District Board might levy a hospital rate perhaps, but they did not think the Board could levy for charitable aid; nevertheless, at the request of tho Board, they drafted a resolution levying the double rate, and though this resolution -was strongly opposed by the Waikato representatives, who protested against the injustice sought to be inflicted upon us, it was carried, and it had not up io last night hem rescinded. In terms of this resolution the Borough of Hamilton was assessed at £22 odd for a period of four months, and this is the exact sum which the Borough Council voted away at the last ordinary meeting oa Monday week, and in- ,

sisted on paying at tho adjonrned meeting last Monday. While therefore we have been protesting against paying the money to the hospital, except under compulsion, the Council has actually contributed its share towards the incubation of paupers as well. Mr Graham acted on the assurance given to him in Auckland by Mr Kidd, but something better than this should have obtained before paying the money. In any event the payment of the balance of the <£22 not required for the hospital ought not to have left tho Council's hands. If Mr Kidd spoke with authority and on behalf of his fellow members representing the urban districts, why has the claim made by Government for the A 22 not been modified 1 The Board was to have met last night, and possibly everything has been put straight so far as the Charitable Aid business is concerned. If Mr Kidd spoke advisedly the resolution of the 9th January will have been rescinded, and the amount paid in excess by the Hamilton Borough Council will be refunded.

Bain is again very much needed throughout the Waikato.

Mr Adams was the successful tenderer for Mr H. Ashers stock of general goods at Cambridge.

Messrs W. J. Hunter and Co. sold a large mob of sheep from Napier at the Cambridge Yards on Thursday.

We are asked to state that the quarterly celebration of Holy Communion will ba held at Christ Church, Ohaupo, to-morrow.

Mr W. P. Cogswell, clerk of the Whaingaroa Road Board, notifies in another column that the bridges on the Wai pa-Raglan Road are unsafe for wheeled traffic.

This is the age of gold dis coveries. The _ precious metal has been found, in precious small quantities however, at the Wade, north of Auckland.

Professor Posnett, who succeed! Professor Tucker in the chair of classics and English at the Auckland University College was * passenger by the lonic on Thursday.

The opening of the new room of the Cambridge West School wan celebrated with a concert and dance last night, which passed off very successfully. A full report will appear in our next.

A lecture in aid of the general funds of the Presbyterian Church of Waikato West, will be given in the Public Hall, Te Awamutu, on the 26th inst, by the Rev. T. W. Dunn. Subject: "Faces we mcc*; and how to read them."

There appears to be large flocks of sheep coming into the district from Hawke's Bay. On Saturday over 3000 were mustered at Mr J. S. Buckland's cattle yards at Cambridge, and were disposed of privately, and there is another mob of 4000 on the road.

In the totalisator appeal case, Dark y Island Bay Racing Club, in which plaintiff claimed half the dividend in a deadheat, the race having been run off and the money paid to the holders of the winning tickets, the decision of the Resident Magistrate Court, which was in favour of the defendant was upheld.

The members of the Church of England and others resident at Oxford will be glad to learn that the first service will be held on Monday evening next at 7.30. Tin Rev. John Haselden, organising secretary of the Home Mission, will be glad to confer with the settlers afterwards about fut'ire services.

The members of the Hamilton Baud are making pood progress under the leadership ot Mr P. Munro, and are expected to make their first appearance in public shortly. New music in on the way out from England, and the secretary expects it by the next mail, .so that the band will ere long have a varied repertoire of tunes.

Mr A. Ferguson, whose thigh was dislocated at the Raglan races on Wednesday, is doing well, under the skilful care of Dr. Murch. The doctor met the patient at Whatawhata on Wednesday night, and successfully reduced the dislocation. Mr Ferguson is likely to make a complete recovery.

We are requested to state that the Hamilton Legislative Association is further prorogued to Tuesday, the 4th of May. This step our informant states was reluctantly resolved on at a Cabinet Council held on Tuesday night. The Ministry was anxious to meet the House at once with a full programme, but in view of the approaching Easter Holidays and the numerous engagements of the public in the interval, reluctantly decided on further prorogation.

The prize-takers for dairy produce at the horticultural show were, for the best lot of olbs. of butter, Miss Forrest ; and for Mr Kincaid's special prize for twelve lib. pats of fresh butter, Mr Moon. The judges in the roots, cereals, and dairy departments were Messrs G. J. Neal and Win. Russell. Mr J. Bull, postmaster, showed some fine roots of sugar-beet grown in the garden at the post-office. We are surprised there were no other exhibits of this crop, considering the amount of interest that the cultivation of the sugar-beet has occupied in the Waikato.

The whole of the young fry of the salmon-trout, exhibited at the Horticultural Show by Mr Gelling, died whilst in the hall, no doubt from the effects of the heated atmosphere of the room. Mr Gelling took great paint to convey the fish to Cambridge, where he intended to liberate them, and we sympathise with him on the present misadventure. It is to be hoped he will shortly make another and more successful effort to introduce the trout into the streams near Cambridge.

The Francais actually expresses a fear that England is making preparations for the invasion of France. Everybody knows, it appears, that the English are constructing very important fortifications in the islands which they possess on the coast of Normandy. About a year ago the Conservative Press called attention to the fact, but the Cabinet had no cares, and the warning was not heeded. The erections referred to are for the purposes of attack, and, says the Francai", can have no other object than the disembarkation of an English army on the coasts of France.

A very painful accident happened on Thursday to the messenger boy, John McCrae, in the Cambridge telegraph office. He was sitting at his usual corner near the public window near the counter, tho drawer of which was drawn open at the time, when, rising suddenly, he struck his head with great force against the edge of the open drawer, inflicting a nasty scalp wound in the shape of a V over two inches in length. Mr Bull, who happened to be at home, immediately sent for Dr. Cushney, who came prepared and stitched up the wound. The poor lad, whose head bled copiously, bore the severe pain very manfully, and is getting on famously.

Heretofore the fishing industry in Auckland has been a monopoly, and the difficulty of getting anything like a decently regular supply of this food in Waikato, may be traced to this caiite. We learn from the Herald that amongst the passengers be the steamship lonic, which arrived from London on Thursday, was Mr Crowe and party (17). Most of them have been engaged in the fishing trade on the coast of Scotland, and they have come to Auckland with the intention of pursuing their calling here. Mr Crowe is a practical fiisherman, and it is to be hoped that he and his party will prove successful in their new sphere of labour. The Jewish subjects of the United States have presented to the national GoTernment a colossal statue of " Religious Liberty," as a proof of their gratitude for the protection accorded to their creed. The ■tatue is the work of Ezekiel, the great Jewish sculptor, and represent* America with her urn outstretched, as a sign of shelter, to a youth typifying Religion, The left hand of America rests upon a scroll of the laws of the United States, which give religious equality to all her sons. At the feet is the American eagle, with its talons on the throat of the serpent of in tolerance. The monument, which is shortly to be erected, will be presented by the American Jew« a« their centennial gift.

In the course of a lecture delivered to those interested in the mining industry at Lawrence the other day Professor Black said the brauiH [of England were now being waited learning Latin and Greek, but anything practical, such as they were now inaugurating, was there neglected. Germany was far in advance of England in this respect, no was France, and even Russia in many things. It wan absurd to done the young people of this Colony with nothing but Latin and Greek. Let them ba taught something practical— something of service to both themselves and to the country. They should endeavour to get alongside Germany in those matters, and le.ive even England behind.

After fully enquiring into the circumstances surrounding the charges brought ag.nnst Mr Walters, manager of tho Lower Refuge at Auckland, the Hospital Board has passed the following resolu ti<»n, Mr Mays and the chairman (Mr Waddel) dissenting :—" That, after the icidmg of Mr Walters' reply to accusations made, this committee are of opinion that Mr Walters, the manatrer of tho Lower Refuge, possesses too violent a temper, and treats the old people too harshly, in consequence of which we hereby request the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, at their meeting to-morrow, the 19th instant, or any adjournment thereof, to discharge Mr Walters from the management."

The following special messages to the Press Association, dated London, March 17th and 18th, have been published : — The Duchess of Con naught has given birth to a daughter. — The interview between the representatives of German interests in Samoa and Sir F. Dillon Bell, relative to the purchase of German interests by New Zealand, has proved unfruitful.—Greece is embodying two more daises of reserve troops. — The barque Alpheta, 810 tons, Captain Richards, which left Adelaide for Portland, Oregon, on Bth September, and is therefore 191 days out, has been posted at Lloyd's as overdue. — The petitions presented for the winding-tip of the Commercial Bank were done for the friendly protection of the London assets, and the action taken by Mr Pleydell in the matter has been approved.

To add to our horticultural troubles (says the Adelaide correspondent of the Argus) another grub has been discovered among our orchard*, and it is said to be far more destructive than the codlin moth, inasmuch as it kills both trees and fruit, white the latter only attacks the fruit. An orchard at the Hermitage, in the Gumercha district, having from 500 to 600 apple trees, has been completely destroyed. Last year the owner averaged 30 bushels per tree ; this year he has not got a bushel. The habitat of the grub is supposed to be the silver wattle, but having discovered the apple tree, it makes that its home. As bisulphide of carbon is known to be destructive to animal, but not to vegetable life, an experiment is to be made of boring some of the trees in the orchards in the neighbourhood, and filling the holes with 'the bisulphide. The result of this experiment will be awaited with considerable interest.

The steamship lonic came into harbour from London on Thursday morning, having en route called at Teneriffe, Capetown, and Hobart. The steamship brought 115 passengers. Of that number 75 aie for Auckland, 13 for Wellington, four for Dunedin, four for Canterbury, 13 for Lyttelton, five for Napier, and one for NeU m. Of these for Auckland three are cabin, 14 second cabin, and the remainder (58) are in the third cabin. When the sleamer left London she had 154 passengers. Of these three were landed at the Cape and 75 at Hobart, her list having been increased at the Cape by 38 passengers. She also brought 24 bags of mail matter for New Zealand, of which 18 bags were from London, six from Capetown, and five from Hobart. Her cargo for Auckland consists of 800 tons, amongst which are some 2000 barrels of cement for use at the new dock. Very fine weather prevailed during the passage, which occupied, with detentions, 46 days. The lonic is expected to proceed on to Southern ports this evening, making Wellington her next port of call. Great progress was made during yesterday and last night with the discharging of the cargo out of the vessel. -Herald.

Exception has been taken to our observation that the exhibition of the root and garden produce at the Horticultur.il Show on Tuesday was a meagre one. In expressing this opinion, which was merely a reflex of that of others, we referred to the sm.illness of the display, and not to the excellence of the exhibits themselves. For instance, the potatoes shown by Mr J. For r es>t, who was the only exhibitor, were certainly a splendid sample, and could not be surpassed by any in the Waikato. What should be of primary importance to an agricultural district are the evidences of the capabilities of its soil in the shape of the main products of the farm. In this particular the show was weak, whereas the orchard and the garden came out with clearer prominence. Whilst on this subject, we must also apologise for any omiisions made in giving the names of those who devoted so much time and energy in arranging the details of the great event. We delight to give praise to those who are in every sense of the word entitled to recognition, but in the brief time available for writing out a lengthy report, it is to be expected that many worthy names will be unintentionally overlooked.

Yesterday's Herald contains the following; — VVhat seems to have been a most unprovoked and cowardly assault was committed in Victoria-street East about ten o'clock last night upon Captain J. G. Corbett, of Cambridge, by a man named Thomas Mulvaney. It appears that rather more than a year ago Mulvaney was brought up before Captain Corbett, at Cambridge, on a charge of threatening to burn Kirkwoods Hotel down, and was bound over to keep the peace for twelve months. Being unable to find sureties, he had to take the alternative in Mount Eden. Meeting Captain Corbett in Victoria-street East, opposite Goodson's, last night, he accosted him and demanded whether he was not a magistrate, and had not bound him over at Cambridge. Captain Corbett replying in the affirmative, Mulvaney, who is a powerful man, hauled off and dealt Captain Corbett a blow which knocked him down in the roadway. In a second or two a crowd collected, and Mulvaney made off up towards the Albert Park. It may be explained that Captain Corbett, who was in command of the No. 2 Company of Military Settlers in Taranaki during the war in 1863, had one of his lags taken by a hawser on the Wellington wharf some years ago, and was consequently unable to defend himself from the attack. Constable Finnerty arrived on the scene, and quickly gave chase to Mulvaney. He caught him before he had got quite a hundred yards from the spot. Mulvaney was arrested, and will be brought up at the Police Court this morning. We are glad to be able to state that Captain Corbett received no injuries. __^_^____^_