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Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 534, 17 June 1880, Page 3

Bekk is a solemn subject to joke about. 11 Paddy Murphy, ” in the Saturday Advertiser, represents the Colonial Treasurer as erupting into poetry, thus : Come all ye bold pathriot-frinds o’ the nation, Ye swipers and gripers, jist lind me an ear ; I’ve hit on a beautiful bit o’ taxnshun, I've tapp’d afresh hogshead o’ Ballanco’s Beer. The flavour's improved since the brewer first dhrew it, I give ye my word, boys, the liquor will stand ; Sure I am the barman that knows how to do it, I’ve stuck our own label on Ballance’s brand.

A Hawera Settler, Mr. F. Ostcrling says: “ Tlie poor man is going to be robbed of his beer by the very men who, two years ago, said they would sec Grey and his party in JerichobcPore they would consent to theirperpetrating a similar robbery.” lie say “They (the Minstry) want money, for without it they cannot buy branch railways nor expensive pebbles for their friends to cast into the sea at Taraniki and other places.” The hardship is that the money for these purposes, and for keeping up the heavy military expenditure now going on, is obtained “at the cost of poor man’s beer while the rich man’s wine silk, and jewellery have nothing to do with, it.

Ashburton boasts that it is the only town in the colony that was lit witli gas within five years of the town’s formation. Taranaki says—“ Not so ; New Plymouth was lighted within four years of the Company being started,” Indeed ; but is that quite the same thing ? Ashburton is not five years old, and is lit with gas. . Taranaki thinks it smart work to have lit New Plymouth within four years after forming a Gas Company ; and it thinks that is equivalent to lighting that much illuminated town within five years from the town’s formation. Poor Taranaki ! We give up the attempt to enlighten New Plymouth on this or any other subject.