A Saturday Night's Chat.

Thames Star, Volume XXX, Issue 9112, 5 July 1898, Page 2

A Saturday Night's Chat.

(T# the Editor.)

Sir, —Kindly allow me a small space in your paper to insert a chat with an old friend (Mr B. Johnson) whom I met at the Corner on Saturday night. *

P: Well, Bill, how pre you? B: Oh, fairly well, Pat; how's yourself? I ace things are pretty dull here atpresent? P: Yes, they are dull; but I'm still holding on till things take a turn for the better, and I am satisfied that won't be long. We shall wake up some fine morning and find that a good patch has been struck during the night

B : Yes, Pat, that's all right, but you appear to hare such a loc of in* capable men to manage your local affairs now, that if allowed to continue, they will succeed in driring every well thinking man and his family out of the place. Instead of assisting the mining industry they are putting a spoke in its wheel. In fact, Pat, during my absence the last 4 or 5 years, I have closely followed the doings of your Borough Council, and hate noted their cheese-paring policy, and think it is high time that the ratepayers of the district turn them all out from top to bottom.

P: But Bill, to what do you particularly refer that you would be inclined to make such a clean sweep. B: Well you must have noticed that they: refused to contribute to the support of the drainage of the goldfield and the like was never known on the Thames before. Further you must hare noted that they converted traffic bridges into foot bridges and then wanted the County Council to contribute to reconvert them into traffic bridges, although the bridge referred to is nearly in the centre of the Borough.

, P : Yes. I noticed these things, and the idea struck me at the time that the better plan would be for til* Borough to out off that portion of the riding at Tararu—say from the school to Bwky Point—and hand it over to the County Council, and let them fit the whole of the bridges for the ratepayers. B: But, Pat, that is not *1L I always look upon these men as beiag placed in a position of trust by the ratepayers to enhance the ratepayers' interest; and yet look at their aotion with regard to meat and milk inspection. This man who has done and is doing a great amount of good to the ratepayers as a whole asked for an allowance of 5s per week from the Borough Council at their meeting to assist m keeping his horse, which is a necessity for him if he does his work thoroughly. This paltry sum of £18 a year was refused, and yet by a very little calculation it may he seen that Hd per year from the 3000 ratepayers would cover the sum, and the members of the committee of ™Qfr and meat were sitting at the table and declined to vote on the subject—such a strong* hearted lot of oommitteemen they be. P: That's all right Bill, but lam not a new chum. I know them all and they are the laughing stock of the country at large. But what can yon expect when you begin to sample them. For instanoe there's the Tararu lawyer, Monai Smith, and Tom*a-Fly. If yon put these three back to back against a lamp post and send for Fred to examine their heads, he would declare that they were cot capable of upholding. an opposition in the Council of Burkes establishment.

B: 1 thought at the time the Bbro' could not have expended 5s to better advantage, so far as the ratepayers getting value for their money was concerned.

P: Never mind Bill, we will pat the hat round at the end of the month for the extra crown, and as you intend to settle down now for good, having as you say confidence in the future of the field, we must make it our business to get a few level-headed and sound business men to take an interest in the administration of local attain and local funds. So good-night Bill arid I Will meet you here next Saturday and havo another chat on this and similar subjects. —I am, etc., . Douoh Boy.