WANGANUI WHACKS.

NZ Truth, Issue 62, 25 August 1906, Page 4

WANGANUI WHACKS.

The local evening paper r-wwittl? published an article on Rua, the Maori prophet, and m the course of its remarks accuses the Native Minister of supineness m administration. think a good searching enquiry) would do a lot of good. When aa official of the department can, m the discharge of his duties, gather together Maori curios to the value of hundreds of pounds, it does not say very much for the integrity of the officials employed. That the Maori has been fleeced— it would be within the bounds to use a more forcible wordis perfectly true, not only by permanent officials but by those temporarily employed m a magisterial manner witnessing signatures. The evil does not stop here. The Maori is charged five shillings for a. copy of the division or sub-division of the land he is interested in— an utterly improper charge, not m any way sanctioned by. the Court. Persons who have leased land from the natives have paid fees —a guinea or so— for a deed that is absolutely worthless ; and I believe the attention of the department has been drawn to it, but no adequate punishment has been meted .out* nor has any full enquiry been made to find out how deep-rooted are these abuses. ■ .• • •

The Mayor of our town conrplainsi m a letter to the press, of the extraordinary manner the trustees or th« College (Industrial School Estate) carry on their business. Extensive alterations and improvements, costing eight hundtred, were given to a firm of builders, without calling for tenders. Of course such conduct causes the public to talk— it may be unreasonably and unjustifiably. When the Trust Commission was here, one witness spoke m the loudest of praisa forthe institution. This witness happens to be a partner m the firm who got the , ao-tendering job— a circumstance that may be nothing, but still ,i circumstance. There is no doubt that there are many firms here who are just as competent to carry out the work, and being a public institution tenders should have been called.

A. G. Bignal is reported to hav< been appointed a trustee of the Industrial School Estate with sky pilol McLean. Things should be as whitt ac undriven snow.

Our Jockey Club are trying to fix up their trustees legally, - by quiet legislation, and there is every probability that our two papers will stifle all information orr the subject, as advertising worth is before the public weal. It is to be hoped- that Messrs Remington and Hogan, M.'s H.R., will not allow the Jockey Club to filch a reserve, for their own private advantage. We are sadly m want of a man who wqu-ld take the lead m preventing clubs from robbing the public of their inheritance.

I heard up the Coast that our new member is. not panning out up to expectations. Well, some people are m a hurry ; he has not. had time yet. No doubt he lias not, and never will, have an easy row to hoe, but a'little .-bird whispers that the discontents think he spends time and leans too much on the opinion o! the evening rag. %t is the general .opinion that the influence of that paper ,1s .gone, caused by poor editorials.; Nowadays a paper must think ahead y of ite, readers, and educate them up : to the questions of the day y, not be a -lame duck quacking behind.

Honors are given for valor m thc navy and army, but the hero who fshows valor m his every, day walk of life receives nothing. These remarks are oalled for by reading an incident; of bravery recorded some time ago. On the other side of our beautiful Rhine, cattle-yards are all about the place, which are a great .menace ta the safety of pedestrians. Well, onu afternoon some bullocks were bein^ driven, and a "blithering idiot" of a bullock must cut up rusty, and start doing some Balaclava charges at all jand sundry. By; a merciful dispensa.jtion of Providence, the right man vraa m the right place. There ivere bulI locks to the right of him, bullock* to 'the left of him, bullocks m front c£ him, bellowing like . thuiider, and therewas a mother and her children facing certain mutilation. What did' this gallant do ? tie did not re&son why, but started m to do or die. Getting up alongside this roaring beast, he put his hip ' against its should-*:, caught hold -of its. horns, y'and with herculean strength laid it flat.atv its back. David never looked so n-?M« after he had , slung a stone anil hit Goliath on the smeller. Of course tl« Durietown residents were enthusiastic over their valorous neighbor. A meeting was held, the scrap-iron merchant, physician to "hankruptu, selfmade architect, retired pewter-pot vendor and carpet sower, attended, and it was decided that a presentation should be made. For Some, reason the thing hung fire, perhaps because being canny Scots they .preferred talking to putting their ihands m their pockets. All this valorous tulip got was a present m the way of an addition to his family ; so he packed up his family tent and struck it alongside the seat of learning, and if he is asked what he thinks about them up on the hill, ".Blithering idiots" is the reply. I ,' -.' alwars thought chucking bullocks about like bits, of firewood belonged to th« cls_n Campbell. -•■';, .