"OLD ORDER CHANGETH."

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 154, 2 July 1927, Page 25

"OLD ORDER CHANGETH."

GUMFIELD REMINISCENCES. EARLY DATS IN THE FAR. NORTH. A CONTRAST WITH TO-DAY.

(By NORTHERNER.)

Each time I stand at my door and view the weary wastes of swamp and scrub that meet the eye in every direction, memories of that delightful poem, "The Deserted Village," return vividly to mind, for here we have the poet's story in actual reality. The cause of the decline of the once densely populated gum areas is not, however, as Goldsmith has it, the advent of the "idle rich," since poor and wealthy have suffered alike, but must be attributed to the most unfavourable commercial conditions prevalent at the present time. To the stranger, nurtured probably amid the comforts of a more metropolitan area, it seems scarcely credible that such an uninviting district should once have been a veritable beehive of industry, but a more extensive acquaintance with the various hills and ridges reveals mouldering remnants of the myriads of camps occupied by the population of the 'Good Old Days'." Good days they indubitably were. Starvation and want were things of which the people had no conception. To one not averse to strenuous toil, and gumdigging is this at any time, the occupation was passably remunerative. A digger of average ability had no difficulty, twenty years ago, in obtaining a sack per day, t.*.e proceeds from which were sufficient to provide something more than the bare necessities of life, both for himself and his family, at the same time allowing the more thrifty to save. Not a few who have since attained positions of some consequence in the more kindly parts of the colony, owe their success primarily to the gumfields. A steady worker, after seven or eight years' solid labour was in a position to depart, secure in the knowledge that .he possessed sufficient to start him in a more elevated plane. A Polyglot Population. And yet there were many who failed miserably in their attempts to rise. Improvidence was always a prominent failing among the men of the north, and more than one still dependent upon the spade for their livelihood, owe their downfall to self-indulgence. Of course it is a widely known fact that many whose presence graced these parts in bygone days were inferior types of humanity. It is a grave misconception, however, to suppose that all were such. There was a certain section whose sole reason for being where they were could be explained by the phrase, "force of circumstances." Men who had known better positions, or whose adverse luck in business transactions had left them penniless, often resorted to the gumfields in the hope of recuperating their losses. Most nationalities were represented by people from almost every walk in life; in short a more polyglot population would be hard to find. Here could be seen an English nobleman in company with an expert cracksman, who was indulging in a little cooler in the country; while a little farther away was a collection of professionals; doctors, chemists and barristers, many of them clever men who held diplomas gained at the famous English Universities, ana yet dragged down to bestial depths by their one failing, drink. As is but natural among a collection of widely differing nationalities, life seldom ran harmoniously. In the.main the population could be divided, into three distinct factions, the Maoris, the Dalmatians and the British, the lesser, generally casting in their lot with the party which, for the time being,'reigned supreme. Between the major factions there existea always a .slumbering enmity, which, on occasions of provocation, often burst forth: into violent activity. ( At the Weekly Dance. The most common diversion from-life's arduous toils was the weekly dance held in the local hall, and - here • it was, after unrestricted bibulation on the part of the majority of both sexes (and this was an absolute necessity for the full enjoyment of the function) that trouble generally began.', An 'imprudent action or remark, in itself an affair of little consequence which, under normal :onditions, would have-passed unheeded, was sufficient to call.forth the slumbering wrath of the faction against whom it was directed.. Even perhaps some petty private grievance would afford the opportunity for a general outbreak. Lights were extinguished, and then comr menced a battle royal between the contending factions, the -third standing by until the fortunes of battle were per* ceptible, when they sided actively with the likely victors. Those whose sense of propriety forbade them from joining the melee, generally proceeded homewards at this stage of the evening's entertainment, leaving the more forcible members of the community, to them; selves. The figHt was no half-hearted affair. Men stripped to the waist and used their fists with great gusto, if unscientifically, the action always being decisive. The losing faction usually found itself forcibly ejected from the hall, while their conquerors continued to tread the light fantastic until other arguments necessitated a further purging, when the* whole process was repeated. Thus they continued, the orgy seldom ending before daylight, . whey many of the revellers, incapable of journeying- homewards, threw themselves down and slumbered peacefully. , It is not .overrating nutters to say that in these "dry areas" more liquor was consumed than probably anywhere else in the Dominion. When local supplies ran l°w, they were augmented With wagon-loads from surrounding districts. Many of the Dalmatians, educated in the art of wine-making in their native landj turned their knowledge to good advantage. "Sly-grog" and wine shops were as plentiful as flies in summer, and their proprietors, if unscrupulous, were among the most influential inhabitants, for theirs was the moat- remunerative, though riaky occupation in

the district. Since the moral aspect of the business did not perturb the minds of .the majority of the population, they were generally the most respected citizens. Strangely enough it was a rare occurrence for these parasites to be brought to .justice. There was but i>nc policeman actually resident in the district, and, of course, quite incapable of coping with such a widely established evil. The drinking powers of many of the local inebriates was something of a miracle. Their's was not the customary day's jollification. Their bouts lasted for weeks during which time, night or day, they were seldom, if ever sober. After two or three months of bard toil, when they were possessed of a considerable sum, these men would hie themselves off to the nearest "bote!." and spend their entire wealth upon liquor. When they were penniless they returned to work in order to a muss sufficient for another outbreak. Some, indeed, who desired something more stylish tliau the gum-fields could provide, would walk to Auckland, a matter of over two hundred miles, in order to relieve theniselves of their uioncr.