CASUAL GAMBLINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10407, 3 April 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

CASUAL GAMBLINGS.

TEN YEARS AFTER.-No, 11.

CHANGE.

. [BY A. TRAMI>, ESQ.]

WRITTEN FOR THE AUCKLAND WKEKLY NEWS. The Bob .» Nob Poll Tai-Thu Harbour Board's Ultiraatum-On tho Breakwater-Tile Awful Simple Breakwater—Tito Prospective Industries - Tho Two Captains u( the Industries—A HealtuyStite of Things-Pro Bono Publican - A Changeful Class — Should an Old Acquaintance be Forgot ?-Two ex-Jlayurs-The Present Occupant -Lawyer Hidden—The Press - The' l'olice-A Beauty Spnt-A Cuntrast-I'he Chief Buttermau.

The shilling toll is levied fiom passengors both on landing: and leaving New Plymouth breakwater—there are no return tickets at reduced rates issued. The duty of its collection is forced upon the shipping companies, who have to add tho " bob" on to the fares. Passengers do not all bob up serenely, and tho perquisites of the unfortuimto shipping agents are the big D's which the indignant but helpless victims hurl at the inventors of the imposition. Then there is half-a-crown to pay for the use of the wharf for a horse to step ashore on; and if one happens to have a sulky, there is half-a-sovoreigii charged. This latter imposition is a freak of the Railway Department. Tho natural proceeding, of course, would bo to harness the horse to the vehicle and drive whithersoever one desired, but such a simple and sane action is prohibited by the railway regulations and the sulky must be taken on to Now Plymouth in a truck at the limit mileage rate of 10s—one may want to go in a contrary direction to New Plymouth, but that does net matter to the railway authorities. " This is a free country"—with limitations.

The New Plymouth Harbour Board, however, blind to its own impositions, is very cloar-sighted when viewing those of the Government Railway Department. After much futile parleying and deputa[ionising for a reduction of charges on the breakwater " branch," the Board sent the Government an ultimatum in the shape of a threat to "lift the rails." I am not aware of the Government having taken any notice of it. Should tho Board execute its ultimatum it will certainly cause a disturbance in the passenger tralfic, and may probably paralyse Now Plymouth, and leave the breakwater to the waves—a comparatively small sum would make the ports of Patea, Waitara, and Opunake capable of supplying the shipping necessities of the province, and Now Plymouth never would be missed. Should the Board nob carry out its threat it will have made itself ridiculous—ultimatums, or tas, are a eort of fireworks that require very careful handling in the letting off. The Board, on behalf of New Plymouth, should open negotiations with the Government— chenextGovernraent —for a lease of the " Breakwater branch" line. The new member oughb bo be able to manage this little job if he watches his market. New Plymouth will then bo able to satisfy its harbour vanity by a cheap excursion to the broakwater every day, and we shall be allowed to drive on and off at our own pleasure. Breakwaters are expensive, but very unsatisfactory luxuries, as some of our ambitious little towns have lately discovered. Taranaki'e breakwater has not been built, neither has ib been completed according to the original design, and never will be; there is enough of it, however, to tax all the resources of the Harbour Board to hold it together. Ib has received a severo shaking, bub the Board is hanging on to it with praiseworthy persistence. A wave-breaker or apron has been formed to keep it from crumbling away, and a dredge is steadily at work shifting the sand deposit from the fairway of the wharf, so that the coastal steamers can still reaeh it. With the urgent) needs of protection for its breakwater, and the no less urgenb necesBtty for paying its intewit to the voracious

bondholders, the Taranaki Harbour is in the poeition metaphorically describe" as "between the d—l and the deeP sea."

Taranaki'a two greab prospective industries of oil and iron are still futures in the distance, both pretty much in the same position as they were when we made their acquaintance ten years ago. Ironsand is still lying about in inexhaustible quantities ; the oil twain has not yet been tapped, and the extent of the petroleum supply is the problem tho present oil company are engaged upon. A limited supply of oil has been obtained from the bore near the root of the breakwater, but as it is mixod with water it is hardly payable, It is not & little surprising that the oily adviser to the Harbour Board has not suggested the laying of a pipe from the bore to the breakwater, eo that they could pour oil upon the troubled waters and save their structure from strain, and prevent sand eilt, This scheme offers as much chance of

success as any other, and Ims tho merit of being cheaper than anything that could possibly bo devised. Our old acquaintance Oiliver Samuel, Esq., ex M.H.R., is director general of the crude oil hunting syndicate, while our t'other old friend, Mr. K M. Smith, bx M.H.K., acts in a similar capacity for the ironsand business. E.M. is just as full of ironsand and enthusiasm a? when we first met him, and even more positive as to hia ability to supply the world with steel rails, made in New Plymouth, if he could only get the capital. Samuel, too, has not tho ghost of a doubt of boing able to illuminate tho globe if he can only find the oil. "Hile!" exclaims the iron-smelter, "sir, the only payable hile to be found here is in Taranaki butter." " Manufacture iron in

Taranaki a,t English cost! Impossible, sir," says tho oil can " mere hallucination of a demented fellow." Both gentlemon havo my very best good wishes for the complete success of their respective praiseworthy and patriotic " specs," and when I como around again ten years hence, hope to find them mutual admirers and millionaires.

Notwithstanding the failure of the oil and iron products to come to tho front, Now Plymouth is in a much hotter position today than when I first " struck ile" in it. It contains more people, and more work for them to do. The working class are in full employment, and the business people are awake all tho week—Sundays included. Improved values for property have, as si natural consequence, followed the increase of population. There can be no increase of pubs to meet the increased thirst, but a coffoe palaco has been erected, and several new boardinghausea oponod to supply the extra demand for accommodation. The

popular Mr. Johnstons, late mine host of the Toko Hotol, is ono of tho latest candidates for public favour in this line. Tho latest public improvement is the new verandah of the Criterion Hotel—" Dad" is up to date in verandahs. I cannot state how many years Mr. Collier has been landlord of " the Cri.," but he has been over ten to my knowledge which is a good record, and I hope lie will live to make it) tho

record of New Zealand. Tho most changeful man in the colony is your publican. Tho frequency with which proprietors change their hotels, or perhaps I should say hotels change their proprietors, is a remarkable feature in tho trade. Wo do not hear ot the draper, the grocer, the butcher, tho baker, or tho candlostickmaker selling out and buying in once in a blue moon, but tho chopping* and changings of tho publican is a subject of daily advertisement. Ono well-known r.ouplo on this coast are constantly ou the Hit, humming hiLhor and thither like a brace of bumblo bees in a clover field.

?heir record musr, bo about one a month.

These frequent changos in the proprietorship of hotels aro not, as a rule, conducive to the comfort of the travelling public. Now Plymouth is comparatively froo from thia nuisance, and, besides Mr. Cottier, of " the Cri.," we have tho old identities Harry Hammond, in the "Red House"—Hammond takos his colour from hie sign—and Lo Grand Seigneur Jacob, of tho " White Hart." Tu-ra-raboom-de-ay! Tiscli has retired on his laurels and his rents, and Audui Kaynes in his stead at the Terminus. Mr. lvaynesmay be considered publicanus par excellence. He hold* tho vice-regal cerlificiite of competency for his business. When we look around and sea the sort—all

sort*—of persona keeping hotels, wo are apt to regret the absonce of a board of examiners of candidates for this rosponsiblo calling. I cannot pass the Hat of New Plymouth hotels without recalling to memory our old friond Charlie Coomber, who, at- tlio time of my first visit, was tho popular landlord of the Taranaki. Charlie, 1 roieret to say, is one of the unfortunates to whom Time has brought a deplorable change, and the last tiino I saw this good fellow and thorough linglishmai) ho was broken in health and poor iu circumstances, but still cheerful. Pubs naturally introduce tho brewer— thoro is only one in New Plymouth—Mr. James Paul. Ho was mayor of the town when 1 first miido his acquaintance, and tho mayor elect at tiie time was Mr. Win, Bayly. Ten years have passod lightly over these two nenttomon, and except perhaps a little muro whiteness about their polls and a deepening wrinkle about their jills, I see no differenco in their appearance. People do weai- well in New Plymouth. I believe it can produce more old identities to the square mile than any other province in New Zealand. There must bo quite a full regiment of surviving veterans of the Maori war. The shooting of the Maoris must have been very indifferent in those days. The present Mayor is Mr. Roy, a lawyer —affable and able. Ho himself lias no desiro to continue in tho office, but his party keep him in for tho purpose of keeping some other fellow, who is not agreeable to'thera, out. In his last race for the chair he loft his competitor, tho boss barber of the town, a furlong behind. I don't know why New Plymouth folk objected to the barber. I should think it more economical to be shaven and shorn by a barber than by a lawyer, at any rate. New Plymouth i 9 a lawyer-ridden town. A lawyer heads the municipal party j the sporting push have their prominent lawyer to look up to! the goody-goody flock have their lognl shepherd; the nondescript section have more than ono pet legal philosopher; commerce and society cannot move without consulting their especial law regulator. Samuel—ho bosses the lot, iu tolo. The press has participated to some extent in the general prosperity, and thereis a slight change for the better in their advertising columns. The morning paper has secured more convenient premisoe, opposite its contemporary. It is still ably edited by Mr. Mackenzie, who improves with age,and has abandoned red flannel throat protectors, and I do not at all despair of having a tot of hot with him some of these cold days. Our Father in journalism, the evergreen Seffern, has relieved hiinsolf of the Budget, and retired from newspaper life. He has taken to horticultural pursuits, which means that he can ewig hie stout undor his own vino and fig tree, and study the habits of the codlin inoth, untormented of " the devil." He is one of the few members of the eeribbliin' profession who can afford to do so-long life to bim! Most of us will be content to die in harness. The press of New Plymouth is not conspicuous for its aggressiveness. Next to the press tho least regarded body is the police. There is, however, a change in store. A new broom in the person of Sergeant Stagpoole has arrived and Now Plymouth will presontly awake to the fact that it possesses a police force which must. be respected, Sergeant Stagpoolo is an active and persevering officer, and " when constabulary duty's to be dono," he is just the joker to do it. Spoilers beivaro. The Recreation Ground, Mew Plymouth's " beauty spot," still absorbs the best attentions of its admiring proprietors, and iinprovemont eucceedi improvement, developing new beauties and increasing its attractiveness. "A thing of beauty, and a joy forever," the "Reo" will, lob us hope, help to compensate the coming generations for the tolls and taxes'bequeathed to them by their progenitors. That other show, tho Agricultural and Pastoral, to .wit, is in a languid state. Ic never was. very healthy, and its last exhibition of itseli woa poor indeed. I don t think <it would take any barm if they gave it a rest for » year or two. In narked

contrasb to the poverty-stricken condition of the A. and P. Association, is the comfortable and well-to-do circumstances of the Jockey Club. Thanks to the effectivo operation of their milking machine, they have beeu enabled to spend considerable sums in improving their property and attracting large audiences to their Show. To talk about Now Plymouth without mention of Newton King would be like playing Hamlet without tho Prince of Denmark. The great auctioneer continues to be the dominant factor in New Plymouth's business relations. In his own dominion—which is a pretty wide one—ho is prophet, priest, and king. To his restless—l mighb say resistless—energy and progressive enterprising spirit, New Plymouth owes no small portion of its present prosperity. His devotion to its interests is a sacred duty with him. Without Newton King there would be no Moturoa Freezing Works in existence, and the oxport of butter from New Plymouth breakwater excoeding small. The sheet anchor of Taranaki's prosperity is butter; and Newton King is the chief butter-man. After Newton King, the Mountain.

ADDENDA.

Sinco the above was in the hands of the printer the Harbour Board, under pressure of the Chamber of Commerce, who became alarmed at the near prospect of having their business ruined by the " ultimatum," " came down a peg," and opened negotiations with the Railway Department, which resulted in an " understanding" to the offoct that the rails are not to be removed from tho wharf; thau a reduction of Cd per ton on present haulage rate be conceded ; that the Railway Department) keep tho deck of the wharf in repair, and the Board attend to the lower portion of tho structure; that facilities be given for tho removal of goods for places down const from the breakwater. Pending tlfe consent of the Minister for Railways things aro slalu quo ante ultimatum—"as you were." New Plymouth hath effervosced, and is now us still as etalo soda wnter,

In Memoriam.—l havo to add also that our old friondand brother, Charles Coombor, has just died somewhat suddenly at Inglowood, and has been buried at Henui, where tho brethren of tho A.O.F. gathered round and performed the funeral rites of tho Order. ______^__