PITHY PARAGRAPHS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4304, 15 August 1921, Page 2

PITHY PARAGRAPHS.

FROM RIVERS COMMISSION.

“Our distinguished neutral friend who is representing the Crown,” was the term applied to Mr Clendon by another counsel.

“I fear the end is coming,” dolefully declared Mr Donaldson on Wednesday when being questioned by Mr Hanna as .to the prospects of goldmining in and near Waihi. And yet Mr Donaldson is considered the most glorious example of splendid optimism and egotism in the whole qf the Goldfields !

There were a few picturesque mixed metaphors flying . around. One counsel'alluded to ithe “unwritten constitution that was put into writing” ; another referred to the forcing of Waihi to contribute towards land reclamation on the Hauraki Tianis ss “taking .the eggs laid by. the golden calf.” ,

Poking fun at Mr Porritt on account of ,the numerous small parties the latter represented,. Mr Clendon- enumerated them, including the “ Tirohia Primrose League.” Rude! “I have been in Te Aroha district since childhood, and saw Coleman’s drain commenced,” said a witness. Counsel: “It must be an ancient drain I”

“Amounts of £45 to £6O have been received for .the Patetonga beat couu try, and the same would be received for the Tirphfa—Mangaiti swamp lands when drained.”—Mr Mace.

The clock stopped during the afternoon, upon which the counsel for the mining companies remarked that the clpck had stopped in sheer surprise at the s.tate of the mining industry. "I think it stopped during your speech,” naively remarked ■Commissioner Blow.

Concentrating their energies on securing restoration of hotel licenses was suggested by counsel as a remedy for “tightness of the chest” in connexion with Wailii’s municipal administration.

“It coagulates, coalesces and floculates into an incoherent mass of disintegrating material which takes / a long time to precipitate,” said a technical witness in reference to mining climes in a certain state. Our reporter’s fountain pen and. his stock of shorthand characters both became exhausted at this point. Mr Clendon observed that the tidal compartment between Kopu and Ngahina was of a capacity of £1,300,000,000 [one thousand three hundred million] cubic feet. Another gentleman said it was 24,000.000 cubic feet., Mr H. J. H. Blow, chairman, capped this by declaring that the capacity from Opani Point to Ngahina was 13,000,000,000 [thirteen hundred milllion] cubic feet. At this stage the “Gazette” man wired away for a Burrough’s adding machine. “What is the velocity of the experiment ?” asked Mr Hanna. The velocity was' evidently too great for witness to calculate..