WAIKATO NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 249, 9 April 1910, Page 5

WAIKATO NOTES.

Hamilton, Friday Night. "After storm comes a calm." And in sequence, therefore, after a succession of heavy blustering gales we are now enjoying a series of beautiful days. The mornings have that snap about them that makes one feel young and quite ready to perform the ordjflSvs' duties of life which fortune, or rather the lack of it, incurs. For my part I believe in work so long as a man is following an occupation in which he feels at home, and which is congenial. Nothing can become more irksome than having daily tasks to do which one feels are out of his ordinary sphere. For this reason I could never become a farmer, although I freely admit I would like the opportunity of trying that avocation. One learns by experience, and one way and another I appear, so far, to have paid very dearly for mine. Not that I should be any the richer had my first steps in life been less costly, but after all it is the to-rrorrow that really matters. There can be no good in revieing the past. I really sat down this evening to write of things in Waikato, but my notes on passing events are so very meagre that I find a straight forward catalogue of facts would be as brief as it would be uninteresting. There certainly was the polo tournament, but that merely possesses little interest, then I might write a few pages about the effects of the gale, but the damage was spasmodic only and most of it has been healed up since. Well, being generous, we won't open up old sores. -Again I might enthuse over the turnip blight, but, as I expected, the daily papers have forestalled me in proving that this, so far as Waikato is concerned, at any rate, has been more or less a myth. I have not heard who has grown the largest pumpkin of the season, nor do I think your readers would display any keen delight in the information, so I spare you it in a double sense. Huntly is splashing out indignation, ink and tears, anent the vagaries of the Main Trunk line express service. Personally my symbpathies are with the coalopolis of the Waikato. These people are only demanding, in view of what is done at their township, and especially in view of what is not done at other stopping places, their just right. Mr Millar at present is away in Australia. I have a most intimate knowledge of the Australian railways, and I do trust that our Minister will bring back with him some of the commonsense ideas of the Island Continent. While the railways of the Commonwealth may not be perfect, in some respects they can give us many points. Surely we are young enough to learn. The winter sports season is in the air with the early frosts which we are now experiencing. Time was when I could take, as keen a delight in the field as .the best of them, but, alas, Time is reminding me that age is making itself felt—in other.words, I fear that I am becoming a back number. The youth of New Zealand have never failed to pmuse me. I dearly love a manly boy —a boy who can take the kicks along with the ha'pence and looks pleasant all the time. But it is an open question a3 to whether our youngsters do not sacrifice too much to the world of sport. Let them play football, hockey, or whatever they will, but let them have an eye to their scholastic duties as well. The other day I overheard a conversation between several of the genius small boy. They told one another the name of every football hero. Mew Zealand has known. They went into details as to how many goals so and so kicked the season before last. They knew exactly how many trie 3 what's-his-name scored in the first match against the English fifteen, but they said "done ' for "did," and "was" for "were," and it made me think. Let it be understood that lam no pedant. There are doubtless manj rules of English grammar that lam not conversant with. I prefer to" know them not. I find that I manage very well and so long as I don't feel hot about the ears when I am speaking to, let us say, the village schoolmaster, I am quite satisfied. But I do detest liberties with verbs. What the remedy is I cannot say. -It seems to be the lot —one might almost say privilege, of the small boy to speak incorrectely. But, oh, the pity of it! Now, 1 think I have said my say for this week. There are many things I have left unsaid which might have -'been said, but feeling charitably disposed this evening, I have desisted. There are, indeed, one or two matters I should like to write about, but' as yet they are in the cnrysallis stage. I can assault no game smaller than a butterfly. Really with only a month's shooting this season one must not waste powder and shot. Small fry must be allowed to grow. Dear me, how delightful it is to feel charitsble!