The Evening Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2405, 16 December 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1870.

Ws were told one day by a man who sets up for a judge, that he could not find out what was meant by what we wrote in the Star. We told him wo would try to make it plain to him; and as the trial to do so will make it

i\s plain to every boy and every girl, we will use no hard words. We were talking about . railways and taking water to the goldfields. He could not make it out how to do that would be a profit to Otago. He said it would tax the people, and they could not afford to pay the taxes. Now what we want men and women to know is what is true, so that when anyone stands up to make a speech, they may know if he tells the truth. It is no more true that storing water enough to wash gold when the weather is dry is laying a tax on the people, than making a water tank is to store water enough to wash dirty clothes. Gold cannot be got without water to wash the dirt from it, and each man who gets his living by goldfinding will be glad to pay for the use of the water, just in the same way that Mrs Gamp pays for washing for the house. So that if a few thousand pounds are spent in making those large water stores, in a very short time the money will be paid back again out of the gold that is got. But it is better for the country than that. When Mrs Gamp pays Mrs Suns for washing, she does not get her money back again, but pays her to do the work that her clothes may be neat and tidy, and that she may “ cut a swell ” as she walks in the streets. She helps Mrs Suos to live, but she does not get her money back again ; so that Mr Gamp must work at something else to find money to pay for washing. These large water stores help to keep lots of men busy. Great wide plains and many gullies, where gold lies buried in the earth, can be made to keep many men and women and boys and girls for many years. The men wash the earth away, and find the gold, and they pay for what water they use, and they pay for the cost of eating and drinking and clothing of their wives and children, and for the teaching of them, and they can pay for their nobblers and treat their friends, and have some money in their pockets which they can buy other men’s work with, and thereby get richer, and in the end give up gold-washing and buy farms, and live like squires. Now when men talk about rich countries, they mean mostly the number of rich folks in them; and that means how many people can scrape together more good things than they can use. A man may be veiy rich without threepence in his pocket to buy a glass of beer at the Shamrock. He may have many lumps of gold in his pocket, but they have no stamp upon them, so that he has to take them to a bank to get money for them, or send them away Home or to Sydney to get them made up into little round coins with a Queen’s head upon them. These lumps of gold are all out of the earth, and in one way or other a man can with their help buy tables and chairs, and pots and kettles, and glass and china, and build a fine house, and keep a horse and a buggy, and pay a groom, and have a cook at fifty pounds a year, and buy French brandy, and Dunedin whisky and ale, and port and sherry, and champagne, and give good dinners to his friends, and something away to the poor. But if all this gold that is buried in the eaith is to be kept there, because Mr Keid and that queer “ tail ” of his stand in the way of making water stores, it does no good to anybody, and the land had just as good be left by Englishmen and Scotchmen, for they make no better use of it than the Maoris did. And what did Mr Reid and that queer “ tail ” of his stand in the way for ? He said many times he wanted to go on ; but how could that be when he put blocks in the road I Mr Macandrew tried to put the blocks out of the way, but Mr Reid said, “No, I have put them “ there, and my ‘ tail’ is strong enough “ to keep them there : they shall not “ be put out of the way till the men “ of Otago tell ns which is the best “man, Mr Macandrew or I.” And so Mr Reid’s “ tail ” said, “ Yes, wc “ are strong enough to stop the way, “ and not one water store shall be “ made till the men of Otago say “ which is the best man, Mr Maca.v- ---“ drew or yon.” Now the blocks Mr Reid put in the way are made up of faction, pride, self-seeking, and hatred of one man; and they are very hard to move, because though Air Reid was too wise to say he hated that man, some joints of his “ tail ” found out how to speak, and said it for him. Cut Mr Reid kept his tongue still on that point, and never told anybody that what lie was doing, and all the bad moves he had made in putting blocks in the way of selling land ami making railroads and water stores for the goldfields, and thus keeping work away from the poor man, and making rich men poor, was just to shew Mr Macandrew how strong he was, anti how strong his “ tail ” was. And the joints of his “ tail ” call themselves “ settlers,” and his “ tail ” is so long that it reaches to Mr Thomson’s house at the Clutha, and Mr Henderson’s and Mr Moselv’s, and follows Mr Shepherd round the goldfields—for he has no house; and it reaches Mr Hutcheson at his coal field, and Mr

J. L. Gillies at his farm, Mr Hay the goldfields, Mr J. 0. Brown at Lawrence ; and each joint wants men to think that it is wise when it says the blocks shall stand, and that they shall not be moved out of the way till Mr Reid crows over MuMagandrew. They knew Mr Mac and hew tried to get them moved, so that men who want work may have work to do, and that more men and women may find Otago a good place to live in, and may come and grow rich and happy ; but the “ tail ” would not let him move them, nor will they do it themselves. They dare not say so ; but they speak by their works, and say—“ You may see “ work to do, but you shall not do it “ till you have moved the blocks out “of the way by your votes.” Now it is a very queer thing that some men should think Mr Reid’s ways wise ways. We do not think many do who know all about it; and we are sure the working men know better. So we warn them—Do not be led away by silly words, nor put any trust in Mr Reid and his “ tail."