AM OCCASIONAL LETTER.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 104, 31 October 1918, Page 3

AM OCCASIONAL LETTER.

One day last week —a day which promised to be very quiet (our subscribers bad all paid) we were surprised to hear the rattle and rumble of many vehicles passing the front office. Later we were imformed (strictly confidential) that a man had arrived in town possessed of an absolute bank balance of £5,000. “Trebla” resolved to respect the confidence, but left the girl in charge of the office; for a thought had smote him hard —and quickly (we almost forgot that it is generally quickly) that it would not leave much of a mortgage if the stranger purchased the newspaper business. He* had been tempted to Matamata to invest — we nor the farmers did not know what in. The crowd at the post office was tremendous; men fought, women’s tresses came down and little children cried to see the phenomenon. “ Trebla ” opened his private postal office box and heard enough from the morse instrument to satisfy him that the stranger had sent a wire to back Steel Bell for the trots in Auckland. Later we put our proposition to him, but without committing himself one way or the other, he said he knew Matamata, but did not know it possessed a rag-shop. “Trebla” needed a pick-me-up. Many others saw him, and he apparently knew more about them. We went to see him off by the 5.18 p.m. train, and he then confided in us, that his deposit was not enough to buy a farm in Matamata, but he had bought a section—in the cemetery. He had lived in Matamata previously —some years ago. The above incident will probably convince you that it is now praticallv impossible to get a Matamata farm for a five pound note, but, thereby hangs a story. Some twelve years ago “ Trebla ” had a great friend, who possessed £5. We were then poor and like all poor men went to races. So did the friend. He put his five pounds on a horse called Donart, which, as some of you will remember, duly put its extended nostrils and legs in front of the judge before the other horses. The man collected heavy and good, but he was our friend no longer—we were still poor. With stout heart, and holes in our pocket, we entered upon a journalistic career, eventually swooping down on Matamata, where we became very rich. (No, we do not lend money.) Imagine our surprise when one day at the springs we met our fellow punter. He had grown prosperous and rich, having, with his hard earned winnings, purchased a farm at Matamata. We were then still poor, and he saw it. He generously told a boy he had working for him to do all he could for us, and, although this is really outside the story, our circulation reached (I have for the moment forgotten how many thousands) in three weeks. The question is : —“ Is it possible to buy a farm out of five pounds ? ” “ Trebla ” will not try it. We have £4 16s for a good proposition which will insure a regular income for us in our old age, but are inclined to believe we shall have to go to the Winterless North, “where the mud is always deep.” Colonel Ballen Ell will help us there.