36 YEARS AGO.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5446, 10 July 1929, Page 3

36 YEARS AGO.

(From the "Ohinemuri Gazette” of July 8, 1893.) OHINEMURI COUNTY COUNCIL. The above body met on Thursday last. Present: Crs. Edwards (chairman), Nash, Cassrels, Robson, Hollis, Bowler, and Chaiton. Foreman of Works’ Report. “It is needless for meto say that the continuous wet weather has made roads in a much worse condition than they were a month ago. “Paeroa-Hikutaia Road.—A sum of £4 4s has been spent on this road in filling ruts and holes with ti-tree and in keeping the ruts, where the road is metalled, filled in with metal, where it was at hand—and still it is in a very bad condition.. (It still is, July 10. 1929.) It would require one man constantly employed on this road to keep it anything like passable for traffic.

“Paeroa-Te .Aroha Road.—This road is also in very bad repair, although an extra amount has been spent on it. A large number of culverts and bridges require constant attention. One man constantly on this road would. I daresay, keep it passable.”

[Shades of 1893! Parts of the foregoing might almost have been written in 1929 !]

The Minister of Mines wrote saying that no alteration could be made in the terms offered for assistance to Karangahake Bridge. It was agreed that plans and specifications be at once drawn up for the expenditure of £3OO on widening and metalling the Karangahake Gorge road.'

WAIHI NOTES.

The cry of the unemployed is no longer heard, as the contractors for the shaft absorbed a certain percentage and the Waihi Company, with commendable promptitude, utilised the rest in the Martha portion of the mine. From all J learn, the management intends following in the footsteps of the present Government, viz., New Zealand for-New Zealanders, so it is to be Waihi for the Waihi-ites, who have . seen the dull times out without grumbling, so no Irish need apply.

PASSING NOTES.

The report of , Lieut.-Colonel Fox on the Defences of the Colony looks very blue-booky at sight, but upon being read it makes you sick “larfin.” It reminds one of Max O’Rell’s description of the inhabitants of America—chiefly Colonials. And the way these fine and large officers—and, indeed, the whole military travesty -are described makes you hold your sides till you come up with a jerk thinking of the cost. Here’s one slab of the report :— “Wairoa Rifles : One captain,-two lieutenants, 20 rank and file. Captain quite unacquainted with the manner an inspecting officer should be received • uniforms old, shabby and: dirty ; trousers filthy ; no new -uniforms for 10 years ; three men in the ranks with plain trousers ; one man with civilian bat*!” Just fancy this last unfortunate character, called, Cincinatus-like—all *of t a hurry, to drill, with nothing but’an old, bell- - topper, a ten-year-old tunic, and filthy trousers to meet an old militpry martinet born; at Sandhurst and bred in Woolwicfi. Arsenal I ' Great scott! his face must have been worse than his trousers, while his Jvat must have capped .it all. The Colonel goes on to report—generally : Arms dirty-?—covered with rust; officers scabbards dirty: neither officer in command nor subalterns able to give orders or see whether they were rightly executed—capita tion grant expended. on going about the country—and so on and so on. Taking into consideration even the evident biliousness of Mr Fox, Esquire, which is apparent in the way he speaks, for instance, of Captain , of the “A” battery, than whom a more popular and hard-working officer does not exist, it is quite evident that the whole childish game of playing at soldiers in this Colony is absurd, useless, expensive, and superfluous. There is now absolutely no fear of a native emeute, nor is thete an immediate likelihood of a civil war among the whites, unless the Liberal Association revolts; while the entire army, including the gent with the old wide-awake and nasty trousers ; the officer with the rusty scabbard ; and the combined big drums and trombones of all the bands (which, by the way, seem to be the raison d’etre of most of the corps) possess such chances against, say, . a Russian cruiser oft* Tiri, that on the news arriving that the said cruiser had got there we should at once call this family journal the “Ohinemuripoff Gazettesky” or “Upper Thames Wardenskow,” with a view of the Czar immediately creating us a J.P.