THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8068, 30 November 1906, Page 2

THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

♦ DEPUTATIONS TO MB McNAB. A number of deputations waited on the Hon Robert McNab, Minister for Lands, at the Borough Counoil Cliambers yeskrdaj morning. TIIK DOMAIN HOARD EMI'OWEBINO HILL, the Hamilton Domain Board's deputation was the first introduced, the Hamilton Domain Board Empowering Bill biing the matter for discussion. The Mayor outlined the position, saying that scattered over the Borough were several Domain j endowments, and the Domain Beard had borrowed from the Bon.ugh Council the ■inn of ill,Si«', and as the lands were no use to the Biard in their present state, it was desired that they should bi empowered to baud them over to the Borough Council, in settlement of the debt. The Dom in B'lard at present received JE2S per annum, while the Borough Council would receive a much higher turn. Mr Swarbrick, solicitor to the Domain Board, explained the legal aspect of the case, saying the proposal was to keep the outer belt and outside areas under the D main Act, and to deal only with the isolated acres in the Bor ugh. The parsing of the Bill would start the Domain Board with a clean sheet and with valuable endowments to enable them to improve their lands. Mr McNab in reply, said it was the j hurry of the business of a first session tha' i prevented the Bill being passed. He thought the proposals wou'd resal' in the increase in the values of the endowments in the future. As the Council merely intended to do what the Government wished to do on a national basis he thought he oould say that the Bill would be taken up again. A LANDS RUBEAU. On behalf of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Mr Swarbrick advocated the opening of a lands office in Hamilton whenintending settlers could obtain information regarding Ccwn lands available for settlement. In the Kirjg, I'iako and Raglan districts were large areas of land which were now or would soon be open for se'econ. Hamilton wss the centre of these districts. At present it was a distinct detriment to the district that settlers Bhould have to go to Auckland for information; it was also a detrimentjto the Department, li' cause if a man wanted Crown lands he could not find out anything about them hero, while there were plenty of men waiting to seize on him to dispose of private lands. The Minister said that immediately on his return to Auckland he would place the matter Infore the Waste Lands Board and ask them to make enquiries to see if the request could be acceded to. TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION. Telephones v<ore tha next matter touched upon, the Mayor introducing Mr J. W. Ellis, who spoke on behalf of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. He said the Minister would be surprised to learn that they had no long distance communication. The Department had been approached and had a?ked for a guarantee f 20 messages per diem, and the Chamber had been successful in obtaining one for 30, without taking into consideration casual work. As regards communication with surrounding townships similar ap plication had baen made. The reply had been obtained that it wouli cost .£2OOO to Instal the system and that this outliy was inadvisable. Fie considered that the charges would more than pay for this expense, as tho longer the township was away the more the line would be used. It was a moet reasonable request of the chamber, which they asked should be laid before the Minister for Tdlegraphs. 'I he Mayor pointed out that they could communicate with Raglan and Kawhia, bat not with intermediate stations su.:h as Whatawhata. They also desired connection with Cambridge, which was already connected with other places adjacent. The through connection with Hamilton only entailed an additional four miles of wires. Mr Mc ab said the representation would be laid before the Minister in charge of tho Department. He might say that in Otago he himself had to pay JEIOO down on installation, and £3O per annum to get a line to his own home, on a line 13 miles l.ng. This only enabled him to ring up the exchange and he had to pay the usual charge for messages. A RAILWAY MATTER. Messrs Ellis, Colebrook and Teasdale advocated the claims of the settlers in the !'<< Kuitidistriot that the train now stopping at Te Awamutu every afterno.n should run on to Te Kuiti. Mr|Ellis said this would ii. t entail expense to the Department, as there were engine sheds at the latter place. Settler wishing to go to Wellington would be able t: leave Te Kuiti in the morning and catch the boat at Auckland in the afternoon. To give those visiting sales time, they asked that the train leave Frankton at say four o'clcck. He believed the train ran from Te Awamutu to 'J e Kuiti as a special, taking no passecgers, three or four times a week. • Mr Colebrook pointed out that the nearest dott r to Te Kuiti was at Hamilton. Mr J. B. 'leasdale spoke of the great increase in settlement, saying that the one

train now running was otten so crowded that passengers had t j stand on the platform. Mr McNal) promised ti forward the representations to the Minister for Railways. IiRAHINH or FRUIT. Mi M. G. Karrer brought up the question of griding of fruit on lines recently set out in this journal. Mr MoNab said, though the matter had

not yet been brought before him, he had seen something of the system in America, and w,>uld make enquiries of the officers of the Department as to the possibilities of grading. WHATAWHATA-WAIIKTUNA KOAI>. Ihe deviation on the Whatawhata--Waitetuna road was brought up by Mr J. A. Young, who asked that thy sum of £2OOO bi« placed on the Estimates. Mr McNab said he would refer the matter to the Minister for Public Works. THE AIAKIES ACT. Mr G. A. Pearson, on behalf of t*ie Waikato Beekeepers' Association, urged that Section (> of the ipiaries Act be amended 10 that the inspectors' duties in the detectii n of foul brood bo simplified, by the deletion of the words " infected by disease."

The Minister gave a re-ume of how the words were insetted in the Bill, and said he hoped to amend the Act in thedireotion indicated next session of Parliament. They krew that one foul hive could contaminate the whole colony. Air Pearson said about 60 tons of honey w uld be produced in Waikato alone, and the industry was growing muoh more rapidly than was generally realised. HAMILTON TBAFFIC BBILKJS. Cr. Mason voiced the opinion of the Borough Council in reference to the Hamiltoo trailic bridge. Some time ago the ratepayers sanctioned loan works costing £15.000, of which .£20,000 would be unproductive, This was a large sum for a small community, such as Hamilton. One of these was the traffic bridge, which would bo found by the Waipa County Council paying u<|uarter,the Waikato County Council a'|uarter, and thejHamilton Borough half. The Guvernmont bad granted £IOOO and the Council wished that increased. 'I lie duty alone would be from .£ISOO to i £.IOOO, which was a tax on the bridge. This was a main arterial road of colonial i utility; toe bridge at Cambridge was i 1 assisted to the extent of £3OOO and this j was not on a main road. Cr. Farrer (Waikato County Council) j also spoke, Cr. Barton (borough Conncil) si)owed j ; that the request was not a new one, as ; many years ago a grant had taen made by ; j the Government. The subsidy should be

£ for £. The Mayor said the latest report received from the engineer, Mr Fulton, was that the cost would be more than X 12.000. The structure would be of a permanent character j indeed there was 6otae talk of iti being built in ferro corcrete. He supported Or. Birton'g j tion that the subsidy should be £ for X. Mr MoNab wouid take a note of their arguments for referring to the Minister fsr Public Works IfAILUAI MATTERS. The level crossing at Hinemca-street was advocated by the Mayor, who sad he could not see where the Dt-pirtinent's objection to the proposal came in, because this stroet was further from the station than the main street. The Council also wanted siding facilities at the saleyard.i, which would ensure greater business for the iailway. (Jr. MacDiarniid said it was peculiar that a town of the Hize of Hamilton divided by the railway should have otiy one thoroughfare. i r Young pointed out that the only crossing was on the principal street' which was i hi eked up. Mr McNab tad he had to refer this matter to the Minister of Railways. Mr M. G. Farrer brought up the question of the appointment of a caretaker, and the providing of a goods shed at Kirikiri- : rii'. This alf>o will be referred to the Minister ! of Railways SCHOOL 01 i>Allt'i KU'JIION. The proposal for ti.. establishment of a sohool of dairy instruction was next ooa--Bidi>red. '- o'inbined deputation from the VVaikato A. and P. Abboeiation and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce »prtaring

to support the claims of thy Rmkura State tarm ui a site for the school.

Cr. Young said he would like to point out that this 'ocality was the centre of a large dairying district, in fact, the Waikato would er- long become one of the most importmt dairying centres in the colony. As regards the contention that Wellington was the proper district for the school, he would like to siy th it this part of the c lony was more suitab'e than the Southern por ion of the North Island, because dairying was the main industry, and large estates had rfcimtly been and were even now being cut up. The Ruaku a farm was central for the whole i f the North Island and the f.-ct that the North Is'and main trunk line would be completed within the next few years would bring it within ea>y reaoh of Taranaki, llawke's Ii ty and other central districts of this Island. Tne late Mr John Ballanoe had, some years ago, promised to K rant J65000 for the erection of a sohool ot agriculture ; n the Waikato, but this was nullified by the fact that the settlers could not agree as to the looatkm. Now these difference had been removed, and under the late Mr Seddon the farm had been bought and established as the centre of instruction and experiments in agriculture. There was another p >int he would like to take that epportunity of mentioning. There sunned to be no definite system whereby farmers' sons I could get instruction, and be would like to I see something done in this direction. ! There should be monthly instruction j classes, when qualified men should go round and explain to the students the experiments being carried outj the young men Cjuld then see the progress made in these experiments. Messrs Bell and Ellis also Bpoke on the subject. The Minister for Lands said the Bubject of schools of dairy instruction was a matter that had occupied his attention for years past, and he had always looked forward to having his name in some way associated with the establishment of such in th s colony. They would recognise the dim culty that beset the selection of a site. There were two sides to the proposed school; first there was the scientific or investigating part of the work and, secondly, the imparting of the knowledge so obtained. There must be a model farm attached to the institution. To properly start an experimental stUion of the kind under consideration there must first be engaged a thoroughly-trained up-to-date bacteriologist, versed in the baoteriolopy of milk; then there was a qualified chemist acqiainted with the chemistry of milk. The men so qualified in any part of the world could be counted on the fingers of very few persons. There must be attached to the dairy school a model cheese and butter factory. To do this they mu-t have the finest butter-maker and cheese - maker obtainable. Competent assistants would also be required. The idea was to instruct factory managers, buttermakers and others engaged in butter and cheese faotories-not all and sundry who would not possess the necessary fundamental knowledge. The school session would H only during the off season for factories. There was nothing in the Australian cilonies like what he had in his mind ; very few in Canala or the United States and none in the Mother Country. There cjuld be only one such school in this colony, and if they did their work well there would be only one in the Australasian oo'onies. So that once for all, all localities had to realise that one only would be undertaken. That it should be in the centre of a dairying district was not the only cmsideration, and the industry had obtained a fair footing in other districts besides this. He showed that from their geographical position, it was impossibe tor either Otago or Auckland to have the proposed institution. With regard to that one question of the university—as it might be oalled—it would only lead them to awr mg impression if he suggested that Kuakura ooald over be determined up n as a site AlrMoNab point;! out that the whole of the Sjuth Island men must come up to the north of the North Island. Another difficulty was that of scientific instruction. Por some time yet they would have to utilise the bacterio'ogical and chemical Wboratories situated in the oapital citv, all these cimsiderati ma indicated that the farmmust be within striking distaios of Cook's Strait. As regarded the instruction of farmers' sons at the State fa-m be found they had reached a pwition at Riukura and Momohaki, from which he oould see good results acoruing to tha people of the colony, The idea was to take farmers' sons as c wiets and give them free lodgings with a small sum as pocket money, and of oourse instruction There was at Ruikura poultry, bee and dairy farming, and he to ba able to show them that there was not necessarily muck, and mire, and squalor and struggling fnm morning to night, in systematic farming. The details were so far advanced that he had that morning discussed with his officers the site of the building for the accommodition of the cadets. Lincoln College did not seem to fill the requirements of the whole colony On the lines of the pilioy he was following, he did not think it right to hold out hopes that could not be fulfilled that a school of dairy instruction could be established here, but he hoped that in six or eight months to have the accommodation at Kuakura rilled with students. The Mayor on behalf of tha various deputations thanked the Minister for the courtesy shown those having business with him. He hoped to see the Minister here again.

Mr McNaH, in acknowledging the Mayor's remarks, Baid it wa3 the duty of every member of Parliament to make himself conversant with the conditions of agricultural life, and to this end he had invite 1 members from the cities and the South to accompany him & his tour during the early months of next year.

CONVINCING EXPERIENCE. " 1 was badly scalded some months ago," writes Mrs Knight, storekeeper, Lutwyche (y.), " and after trying many remedies gave up the idea of their giving me any relief. I was about to call in a dootur, when I remembered Chamberlain's Pain Balm was highly recommended for burns and scalds, and ooncluded to give it atrial. The way it stopped the pain and reduced the inflammation and swelling in such a short time was really magical. This experience convinced my that it is a splendid liniment, and ever since I have been recommending it to my customers and friends." For sale by W. Dey, Hamilton j Thos. Wells, Cambridge ; Geo. M. A. Ahier, Te Awamutu; Green and Colebrook, Ngaruawahiaj Chas. Dallas, Taumarunui; T. H. Chapman, Kihikihi.