OMONDVILLE.

Bush Advocate, Volume I, Issue 79, 6 November 1888, Page 2

OMONDVILLE.

(from our own reporter.) After a long struggle for the mastery had endued between those who favoured granting licenses and those who were averse to euch a course, the new licensing district was proclaimed and licenses granted to the three new hotels now open. The first opened was the Makotuku Hotel, which had been built on a site obtained* from Mr J. Ho'obs, This pomfqi'table hotel is managed by the proprietor, Mr Essex, and his good lady, in such a manner as should make it a favourite resort of all who wish to pas3 a quiet evening, with the additional inducement of good liquors, good beds, and courteous attendance. This hotel contains twelve very oomfortabie. btimm tf m lYft^e m

of 16 x 10 feet. Some of ,tn*e rooms are larger than this,, but others are a little smaller, and they are all furnished with spring^mattrasses and chairs, while cheerful wall paper and pretty pictures are met witlr not only* in the bedrooms but all through the' house. There are in all five sitting rooms, two upstairs and three in the lower storey ; tthese are luxuriously furnished, and have fire-places in them. Tne dining ropi% has a flppr space' of 28 x 17 feet, and is very comfortably fitted up. , The kitchsn is perfect in all its appointments and capable of supplying even, a larger number of guests than is likely to make a demand -on its culinary capacity. A beautifully toned piano by Foster is ever ready to respond to the touch of musically inclined guests, j and should further sources of amusement be required^ a good bagatelle, board and a shooting gallery are open to choose from. In addition to the rooms already mentioned there are' the bath rooms, where both blunge and shower baths Bre to be nadVat any time. Means of escape are provided by three inch roDes coiled away at all the windows, and the windows work freely so that no time would be lost in opening any of them. The ceilings, mantels, skirtings, and doors are very nice pieces of workmanship, and all in native woods locally grown. The hotel is lighted with the Defreis . safety lamps, which aggregate a candle power equal to between 500; and 600. The front is shaded by a flat verandah or balcony, supported on round columns, and at night this is lighted with a brilliant lamp equal to 100 candles. The. next /hotel to open was the Ormondville Ilotel, and-this, like the one mentioned above, is a very imposing building, and adds much to the appearance of the place in which it is situated. I was shown over the hotel by the proprietor. Mr Leach, and obtained tne sizes by measuring the rooms with his assistance. In this hotel are four sitting rooms, measuring 16 x 16 feet each, a dining room 40 x 20 feet, nine bedrooms 14 x 10 feet each, a bar 20 x 16 feet, and a spacious, kitchen fitted with patent Leamington range amongst other useful appliances. Here, too, the sktrting, dados, and ceiling show excellent workmanship, as also the doors in figured rimu, beautifully polished. Some very pretty oil-paint-ings adorn the walls,' and handsome wall paper shows off the woodwork by contrast. The furniture is all new and manufactured to order by Mr Sebly, of Waipawa. New carpetting and oilcloth are also laid down. The commercial room is beautifully fitted up, and when one gets comfortably seated there in a yielding spring chair the temptation to remain is very strong. In the bar parlour one feels this temptation growing stronger, and if there happens to be a good player at the magnificent piano by Collard and Cnllard, nothing is so annoying as to recollect that the printers will want "copy" in the morning, and that one cannot . stay as long as he would wish. Comfortable beds with spring mattrasses invite the weary travellers to reppse, and if provided with the " night-cap " there should be as the Americans say "a power of sleep in those beds" In planning this hotel the chance of a night alarm of fire was not lost sight of, and a ladder is built into the wall within easy reach of the large window at one end of the passage m which all the bedrooms open. This window works very freely, and an iron bar projects from the wall 4 outside the window, such as ia found ready for grasping at the side gf railway carriages. A strong step, or platform, runsunder the window, from which, while grasping the hand iron — one can step on to theladder and descend in safety to the ground. In order to test the practicability of tbis means of escape I opened 1 the window and stepped out on to the ladder, and having descended without any trouble— although the night was as dark as pitch, and I moved as awkwardly as I could so as to bear some sort of similarity to a man or woman wakened in the dead of night from a sound sleep — I then returned by the ladder into the passage, confident that the means of escape would answer all requirements From inquiries I made I found that none but good brands of liquors were kept in stock, and though, of course, I did not sample all the stock, what I did taste was of* the best quality. The walls are all 12 feet high and the ventilation supplies enough fresh air to meet a far greater consumption than is likely to be be ! required. A^t the time of my visit the hotel was lighted up to. about 300 candle power, but I was informed that the light was not up to full strength, as it was a quiet evening, or to put it in other words it was one of those evenings experienced by all hotels when customers are few. A large concreted cellar is under this hotel for storing liquor. The Beaconafield Hotel was first erected at Kopua, but when the railway was finished as far as Makotuku, the proprietor (the late Mr Drower) had the hotel . removed to that place and built in the station yard there. As there was an hotel there already (that of Mr I). Smith), and as the proprietor of this hotel had been refused permission to # build in the yard, he naturally objected to Mr Drower getting a license for a house which would take all the trade from him (Mr Smith), and the ratepayers joined with him in his objection, with the result that no license was granted to this hotel. After a time, however, Mr Smith ( compromised the matter by removing into the old Beaconsfield Hotel, but only in time to find his license refused with those of the other hotels. After the new licensing district had been proclaimed the old hotel had to be removed out of the station yard, and this was accordingly done, the present Beaconsfield Hotel being built and opened under the. oare of Mr Smith. A short time, however, had only elapsed when Mr Smith became " full up " of hotel keeping, and the present genial proprietor, Mr Harry Gasson, took charge. This hotel presents much the same appearance as the Ormondville Hotel, being in fact nearly a counterpart of that building. Like that hotel it contains nine comfortable bedrooms measuring 16 x 10 feet, has four sitting rooms, including commercial room, and a cosy bar parlour, and like its counterpart the sitting rooms are 16 x 16 feet, and has a spacious and well appointed kitchen and a well furnished, dining room 40 x 20 fee,t, The. same fire escape ladder hujH in the wall with iron hand rail and step under the window, opening on a similar passage

fcei(irpoms,ja broad .stairwajr^i^leiet;^ wallfc and roomy ■■ceifer; t . :^*gOTqytrH; chord piano By Steimacher sj^nds;w ; the iUvig bar parlour,; and is^se^bni silWin the eyejnng, an<^ fr|quentlir ,c^[|be heard in the. daytime? JSoinei jyiffgood singing r cah- : -b'e"heairdvh.erealmost every ey eningjViand tlu| Host being a thorough bushman, is just the man to make his giieste feel at hprne. Mrs Gasson, too, has a knapk of njiaking #ne;rfeel . comfpYtable, and? the .pthe^mempers: pffiheiiFamily .fulfil their part so well that the visitor ia not very- anxious to leavefwhenhduty calls , away, and many , a ;ple&ant evening has your faitht^lscribfeiij^nt beneath this Hospitable roof.; . ;■■■'.;,- In the early daysmeatiiratßagplied from Norsewood," and after a time Mr D. Smith, who' was then residing at Kopua, began to supply this place with meat as well as dther/articles of food. When Mr Smith removed his business to Mafcotuku he of course supplied' that place with meat, and by coming down to OrmondyHle at regular intervals, was able to still supply his old customers there. After a time Mr K. McKenzie opened a butchery at Nprsewbbd:, and* Mr Smittf - gave up business in the butchering line in order to attend, to. his duties as publican. The butchering seems to have passed through a number of hands, until, finally, the business fell under the care of Mr W. L. Siddles^whohad made his home at Makotuku and supplies a first-class article, kept sw£|im a clean well ventilated shop.; >she Orraondville butchery hasalsochan&ed hands, -Mr. ,I\ W. -Redward, w,hp iuad from the earliest days conducted the butchering, business, first for Mr Drower at JSTorsewood,' arid- then for Mr McKenzie, who had left the district and opened a butchery, at Eai* koura, or,, as we sjpell it, Kaikora, ( When dealing with the subject of Maori names somtfday, I will give the legend connected with this place.) Mr Red ward finds that the business will repay him for a little" outlay,* arid is therefore about to have a new shop built instead of carrying on the business in the place used by him at present. There remains a great^deal to be written on this place, sPmUclrin fact that I must bring this letter to an end for this issue, as I cannpt]iQpe to exhaust the subject in a letter of any reasonable length, but, I think that ih next issue : I 6an conclude my remarks on this interesting place.