PASSING NOTES.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 30, 9 July 1892, Page 5

PASSING NOTES.

That " Advertiser" man will be the death of us, we know he will. " Fools," he says (and it is a subject lie should know something about), " Fools," he says, speaking feelingly, "rush in where angels fear to tread." Now, we never gave any cause for this statement. Nobody ever called us an angel before. However, we accept the compliment in the same kindlj spirit as it is given. V He then proceeds to rush in accordingly, first ungratefully calling us harmless country folk " bucolics." We submit that this is unfair and ungenerous. If the "Advertiser" man doe* have the privilege of residing in a j large such as Gra'hamstown, where: as is well known, the axis of this planet sticks out, he shouldn't throw it inour teeth in this manner. Beside, is it not sometimes our duty and privi-, lege to divest ourselves of our rugs and put on real trousers and visit the Thames, when we see the pretty shops and the gee-gees and the editor of the "Advertiser" ? This is in itself a liberal education. As you are strong, be | merciful, 0 dweller in the city of the \ mighty. la our mind's eye we perceive Tom Bradley—gentle, innocent, Thomas — hauling on to the leg of the pundit that runs the T.A. Can you not fancy Thomas saying, with that gorgeous smile of his, "Roads! my dear Mr Editor, roads ! Simply abominable." |Of course. All coach proprietors have, ! chat inestimable privilege of growling. At the Thames end they growl at the Ohinemuri roads, and at the Ohinmuri end at the Thames roads, but we assert <right now that considering the traffic the Ohinemuri roads are far, far better than those of the Thames. We prefer to see muddy roads with plenty of traffic than smooth highways on which the grass ie springing.

Mr Advertiser can't understand £4 to £8 per chain for making and metalling roads. We never expected he would. If, however, he would like to see come specimens we should be happy to show him over them. At the Komata, for instance, there is a mile and a quarter of road wrested from the swamp. There are from 9to 12 yards of metal to the chain over this, costing from 9s to 10s per yard, beside forming and maintenance. What about the Maekaytown-Karangahake road, too, and the Karanganake Gorge road, actually torn from the soM rook. Then there are the roads about Paeroa, which are said to have been made by the Thames County Council,' who, however, did nothing of the sort:." In Paeroa itself—while the! money obtained under "The Eoada and Bridges Construction Act" was being squandered -by the Thames j County Council in 3883 —in the presence of Mr O'Conor, Undersecretary for Public Works, a portion of the road was taken up, and it was clearly shown that while 6 inches of metal were specified and required and charged j for, there were only two inches spread. It was owing to facts such as these 'that Ohinemuri went for its autonomy, dDd got it. At this very xnocoent the ■County of Ohinemuri is saddled with the converted loan under the Act mentioned amounting to £1,348 9s 10d. How, then, can anyone say that the Thames County made the Paeroa roads? That body simply wasted money that we now have to repay. *** ! We hardly feel inclined to answer such rot as the statements made about the Hospital and Charitable Aid matters. The T.A. talks about the representative of Ohinemuri in the " Hospital and Charitable Aid Board" receiving £25 per annum in travelling expenses. The absurdity of this is shown when we state that there is no such Board in existence, burely a leader of opinion should have a few facts to work on before letting his limited vocabulary loose on matters of which it is patent he doesn't even know the rudiments. . '■ *■;■-,■■

The amount paid hy Ohinemuri, with the Government subsidy, for the support of the Thames Hospital and the Thames paupers is over £2000. Itt return for this we have have^ the - privilege of sending any local resident' to the Hospital who is kept there so long as he can pay (vide Mr Radford'e satement in re Mr Marrinan's case). Not one single person is receiving charitable aid in "this (Jounty, and ocly one Ohinemuri man is in the Refuge, : and he is scarcely to be termed a» Ohinemuri resident. V The whole argument of the T.Av man is weak and trivial and chaotic and void and absurd and idiotic and untrue. It savours of that class of ; Yankee journalism immortalised by ■'■; Dickens and Beaaut, and has all the absurdities without any of the humour of the '• Clearville Roarer" and the, " Arizona Kicker." So there! : V' ■ •; The early lips, for the Melbourne, Cup by "Phaeton" sum up the seven; that appear to stand ouc the most dangerous:— dreadnought, Stratamore, Zilinski, Correze, G'Naroo, Mcli, and Culloden. And the Caul-. field upper -six- in La Tosca, G'Naroo, , Paris, Antseus, Fortunatus, and Imr , pulse. At the last pay-day on the railway Mr Flaherty went down to interview a well-known Thames photographer. Mr Flaherty—" Oi want my i otygraf taken." • "' , Photographer-r-" Would you prefer a carte or cabinet ?" . Mr Flaherty—" A cart or cab ia it! Navther, sorr. Oi'm not a oarter. or cabman; but ay ye wud put in a bit o' railway thruck Oi wud be plazed, as Oi'm workin' at Paeroa on the loine.'' V 1 The " Herald " tells us in last Saturday's " Personal Items" that; Prince George of Wales has a much smaller, head than his father's. That is, of course, when they measure in the morning. But it'll grow, George, it'll grow.