UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN Auckland, May 24.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 372, 29 May 1889, Page 4

UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN Auckland, May 24.

Our readers will remember a letter in Wednesday's Star that stated that a volunteer officer in uniform had served a writ on Mr J. C. Firth. This naturally caused much surprise and considerable commont. One of our representatives had Borne conversation with Mr Firth on the subject and from a report of the interview it will be seen that our correspondent was perfectly correct in what he stated. '• Yes," said Mr Firth in reply to the reporter. "I have had a writ served on me under rather peculiar circumstances. It is one issued by the Loan and Mercantile Company — this time a seven days' writ, for the same debt as before, for the debt that is covered b}' the bill of sale over my stock and book debts." "It was served under rather poculiar circumstances ?" queried the reporter. " Well, when you have a writ served upon you you do not generally expect to be consulted as to the way in which it shall be served. The other side, of course, are only anxious to get it served, they do not care much how." " Can you give me any particulars about it ?" asked the importer. "No, not about the writ itself," Mr Firth replied, " That is, as it were, sub judice and will come out in due time. About the serving of it ? Certainly I have no objection to doing that. On Saturday afternoon week I quietly strolled home pissing on my way a party of volunteers liring on tho Mount Eden range. On arriving at home, of course I felt pleased that tho worry and the bother of the week was done. Whilst I was quietly looking over the newspapers, a servant girl came to tay that a gentleman wanted to see me. On going downstairs I found a volunteer in uniform. ' On seeing me he grounded aims and put himself in a position as if to salute. Instead of that, however, he presented me with an official looking envelope. Supposing it was a requost from the colonel or the officer commanding the firing party I had just passed, I leisurely opened it, and found, to my surprise, that it contained a writ. I have since learned that the volunteer was a lieutenant of some corps or other, I forget which. People seem to think that I ought to feel very angry for having been served with a writ in this manner. It is not everybody that has the honour of being served with a writ by a lieutenant of volunteers, you know, and I suppose Mr Lieutenant thought he was simply doing his duty. At any rate I do not see that I should be angry, as he was only an instrument in somebody else's hands. What I did object to, however, was being served with a writ on Saturday afternoon when it might as well have been served upon me on Monday, leaving me a quiet Sunday." 11 Not the best thing in the world to pass a quiet Sunday with, I should fancy ?" interjected the pressman. " WeU, no ; perhaps not. Still, though it was only the second writ I have ever had served upon me, it did not disturb me at all." "That seems odd." "No, not at all. By long practice, I have acquired the habit of ' switching oft ' a subject that I cannot possibly deal with until a future day, so that I did spend a quiet Sunday after all. I do not think the Loan and Mercantile or the lawyers thought much about my Sunday. They were probably anxious to get an unpleasant business over as quickly as possib'e, even though it had the effect of shortening my time for filing a defence by one or two days ; so I do not suppose that made them very unhappy, at any rate, it did not affect me. '■ Still it seems queer that a writ should be served by a volunteer officer in uniform." " W T eIl," said Mr Firth, "so it does, bub look at the honour of it, I suppose I ought to consider it a compliment." " I do not sec it was part of a volunteer officer's duty to serve you with a writ when in uniform," observed our representative. " True, but that question concerns the volunteers, not me," replied Mr Firth. "Is it true, Mr Firth, that it is through you the volunteers have been allowed to shoot on the present range for these twenty veai-3, or so ?" " Quite true." "But how can that be. I thought the range was a public reserve?" "It came about in this way. When I came into possession of the property twenty years ago the former proprietor had revoked his permission to tire there. Captain Derrom asked me on behalf of the volunteers to be allowed to Hre, and I willingly consented on condition that they were careful, and that no bullets came into my grounds, reserving the right to withdraw the permission at any time." "It must have been a great nuisance to you all these years seeing how it affected a certain Auckland lady living much further away than you," observed the reporter. "At first it annoyed me a good deal, but after a whilo I got used to it, and having been twenty years or so under (ire, as I may cay, it doe 3 not affect me now." "" Do you ever find any bullets in your grouj-ds ?" "Yes, occasionally a ball riccochets and comes along with an unpleasant ping. One of my workmen had his hat knocked oft' once but no one has been hurt. Of course thousand? of small splabches of lead come over on to my terraces, bub I fancy these are brought by the Mind and I suppose do not come with sufficient force to hurt anybody." " Nob very pleasant, anyway." " Well, no, nob very pleasant Imustsay bub then you see I think it very important thab the young men of the city should have a chance of getting a mouthful of fresh mountain air and should be able to practise rifle shooting with as little inconvenience to themselvesin the way of distance as possible. These are the reasons which influenced me at first and which influence me still, in holding the range for them against all opponents." "After all that, it seems rough that a volunteer officer should fire a writ into your front door." "I do nob mind thab much. I know I would rather have a writ than a rifle ball." "By-the-bye, Mr Firth," said the reporter, "what a terrible silence there is here in the mill — even I can nobice it." "Yes," the miller replied, "for a few l days after tho mill was stopped the silence was undoubtedly oppressive, for you know the old saying that " a miller never hears his mill running until it stops.' Bub I soon got used to it." " You must find ifc very dull with this deadly silence after the busy hum of the mill when working. " No, Ido nob. Having got my accounts in order I am busying myself with my new book." "Oh a new work, what is that ?" questioned the reporter. " Your last one I think was • Our Kin Across the Sea.' " "Yes, and I am now writing on 'Our Kin on This Side bhB Sea.' " "Have yon fixed on bhe tible ?" " Yes, the title will be " Nation Making, a story of New Zealand." j

♦ Perhaps you can give me a few points about its scope and plot." 11 Well, 1 don'b know about that. It might take the newness of it off it I were to say much about it now." " You might give me a wrinkle or two,' persisted the pressman. "You have good examples to follow in English authors who often give a sort of preliminary sketch of their books. What is it about, the Maoris or Pakehas, or what is it about ?" "In that case I may say a little. Of course I cannot write a book about New Zealand without having somothing to say about the Maoiis. " •' Some people will tell you that there is | no need for much about them, that they are dying out." "That is the very reason why I think that tho stories of their humour, patriotism, and valour ought not to be allowed to pass into oblivion. The people who know much about them are rapidly passing away, and though tho Maoris have undoubtedly been a great trouble to tho people of Now Zealand, still, the time is coming when eveiy bit of their true history will be reckoned of great interest and importance. For in&tance, if anybody could have described our British ancestors when C.iisar invaded Britain, as a few people now li\ing in Now Zealand can describe the Maoris, what a deeply inteiesting story it would be to us." " You are going to tell us about their I humour, their valour, and I suppose you vtill touch on their other peculiarities jis well, tho extinct cannibalism for instance ?" said our representative. " Well, a story about the Maories without reference to cannabalism would naturally be incomplete. Though cannibalism is extinct among the Maoris now living. I must say something about it more especially as cannibalism though a lost art among the Maoiis, is by no means a lost art among English-speaking people." " What on earth do you mean ?" " Why, do you not know that iv accordance with the Darwinian theory of the survival of the fibtest, one portion of the English speaking people are trying to devour as many of the other portion as they can so lone as they do not break the laws in doing it." "That seems a strange statement to make. ' " Not at all, look at the sweating system in England and almost everywhere else. Look at the frightful long hours people work in Germany and in the United States. Thousands of manufacturers making their woikpeople work Sundays as well. What do you call that but cannibalism. Look at the rings, syndicates, and trusts ; what aro they doing V " If you are going into that sort of thing in your book," observed the reporter, "it will be rather racy reading. Whon do you intend to publish ?" " I think about September or October." "Where?" "In London of course." " Why don't you do it here ?" " You know 'a prophet hath no honour in his own country,' and besides you newspaper men give the public so much literature, good and bad, in your columns that people would nob have much time to read my little work." " Well, now about the writ," said the reporter. "You see 1 still harp on that. Can you tell me anything about it V "No, a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse. It is, as I said before, sub judice, and will all come out in good time." Mr Firth was not to be drawn any more, but before the reporter left he had the pleasure of listening to a couple of the old settler's stories about the Maoris.