THE SUNDOWNER'S SWAG.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 106, 24 July 1877, Page 3

THE SUNDOWNER'S SWAG.

" Give you a light '—Certainly 1"

" Buttering Parsnips." An Allbqory. I am a sceptic ; a thorough unbeliever j in the genuineness of " promises made" by J "allin authority over us." I have an idea that the -'promises made " by those representing departments of the government, are merely given as evasions to get rid of troublesome and pertinacious suitors. Holding, as I do, these peculiar notions, is it • strange that I should doubt the sincerity of the Hon. G, McLean, on the question of the lighthouse for Akaroa ? I do not like the tone of that letter—which caused a dissension between myself and tlie Editor. I do not mean that "the tone" of the letter caused a difference between " kindred hearts," but I do mean that you-—----never mind, Sir. I dislike the expressions, in Mr. McLean's letter, of " early date," " as soon," " will be ;" they are all in the wrong tense to be thoroughly satisfactory to my sceptical mind. More than doubts harass me as to the "road from the lauding place" being " pegged out." Altogether, I fancy the work of preparing for the building of the lighthouse is no further advanced, except upon paper, than it was months since ;. a state of affairs certainly anything but satisfactory, and one about which, I trust, Mr. Montgomery will at once see the necessity of bringing personal pressure to bear upon the Minister, and department, whose business it is to have this much required work done,. instead of evasively procrastinating over it from month to month. v Why lose the time in lingering debate ? "Why sit and talk over that v.-'jich must be done ? • * Why doubtful pause and still procrasti- .., . nate, ' 'Whlfe still the earth revolves around the '* gun, And 'soon the chain of life will be outrun?" " Every dog has his day," they say.. The -rotation of the wheel of time bring some to the top that were at the bottom, and ■vice versa. Some live years since, a colonial shipowner sent a vessel home for repairs, on the completion of which, she was laid oh the berth to sail for a colonial port. No sooner was this done, than a home firm, trading to, and wishing to monopolise the trade of that particular port, laid on a aliip of theirs, for the same destination, reduced the frieghts, and otherwise prevented the colonial owned ship from getting dispatch, or a paying cargo. Weeks elapsed, after the English ship left, before the Colonial one conld get away, and even then with but a poor and far from full <;argo. " Nenesis," however, " another Richmond" takes the field. This little performance of the " dog in the manger" fable, indirectly aided towards the establishment of a Colonial Ship Owning Company, in the foundation of which our ship-owner had a considerable share and interest, besides lending valuable aid towards making it a profitable success. Recently, the Colonial, had a new ship built at home, laid her on the , berth under the new company's auspices; she filled up rapidly with an excellent paying cargo, made a good, run out, got quick discharge, and has sailed again for England with a 1,200 ton 'cargo. Our British friends tried -the. Whole, game unsuccessfully; ships Which arrived before the colonial owned one, are still not full, and——-'' sarves 'em right," growls a matelot acquaintance of mine. That English firm . might have studied, with profit to themselves, the motto of " Kve and let live." "Cangold cairn passion, or make reason ifchine? Can we.dig peace or wißdorn from the mine ? ■ Wisdom to gold prefer; for 'tis much i loss' I To make our fortune, than our happiness." I have an intense dislike to practical jokes, more especially when they are played upon myself. Now; I consider I have been "played upon," rough and ugly. My bump of credulity has got considerably damaged ; my " orphaned condition" has been rudely assailed ; my respect for printed words and figures considerably shaken; my sensibilities cuffed, and my belief in Borough Council economies toppled from the lofty pedestal on which I had enthroned it Am I.not to be pitied ? Did I not dona armour, mount my rosinante, and blow a blast of praise to the time of £18 5s 4d ? Did I not lose myself in vague generalisms of approval, atod prophesy what must have been the case if a course had been followed opposite to that, which I, in my election, thought had been followed 7 Oh,' the feeling of horror, the cold shiver Melt,,when I read "Cuff, land selection, £26," exactly " a quarter of a century," Wonder what " to follow." 1 am ashamed of myself ; ash»med that I should be so easily gulled ; ashamed that I should ha-ue been caught napping, and yet sober enough to liberally bespatter praise wrongly. Why, the deuce, was I not in a cynical humor. I am now, and feel anxious to know what that item of £18 5s 4d jnrag expended for; what more has to be paid Mr. Cuff, and v how many

more expenses will,have to be added be" fore that endowment is conveyed and made Borough property ? "dive me the avow'd, the erect, the manly '. f° G > Bold I can meet, —perhaps may turn his blow; But of all plagues, good heaven, thy wrath can send, Save, save, oh! save me from the candid friend." Hare is. a deadlock, and a deadstop, upow the carter's business.—" The Council resolved that all traffic of horses and carts be put a stop to under the Act." In the name of common sense what Act can stop " all traffic of horses and carts ?" I am certain that no .Council can mean such a resolution to be read and understood literally ; then why not plainly explain what they wish the public to understand ? I am but a pariah, a Sundowner, yet I am not entirely void of feeling, and that keenly, such hurtfulJy wounding specimens of ambiguously worded paragraphs,' as are credited to tlie quid nuncs of the Akaroa Borough Council. Some wiseacre has observed that "speech is given us to hide our thoughts, meanings, and intentions, it may be so, doubtless it is so, for I read eleewhere— the Domain Reserve was (sic) handed over to the Council, the Council would not be justified in expending public f undp in the matter." What matter, I wonder? . Why public funds instead of the borough funds? Why not say we do not feel justified in giving money from the borough funds, to be expended upon the domain, by a Board over whose actions the Council has no control. It is ridiculous to call the Domain Board, as they were called) an "irresponsible" body, they must be, and are, responsible to the power which constitdted them a Board, and that power is the Government. lam just about played out. I. should write more, in fact v "I would if I could, if I couldn't, how could I? I couldn't without I could, could I, could you?" Adieu.