Stratford News

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 58, 26 July 1912, Page 3

Stratford News

I'i'om rur Kcporter, THE WAY TO WHANGA'. "SADDLE" TKJiKORS FADE.

[ The jounipy to Whangamomona has been robbed of its terrors; likewise the trip "outside." It seems but a few months since to make a visit to Wlia'ngamomona meant spending several | days in the slush, and one expected the j traveller to return well plastered with igood old Whangamomona mud. This :mud has achieved notoriety, almost , fame. It is of the sort that slicketh j closer than a brother. Like the tender I maiden it has a very clinging nature. It clings to everything', the wheels of a gig or the weather-boards of a house; to one's boots and clothes. It clings to the heel of your boot, and if it isn't well fastened, good-bye to the heel. Three or four feet of this stuff, and. miies upon miles, and miles upon miles of it; defying coach-horses to drag their burden through it; swallowing up packhorses and bullocks, and breaking traces and gigs and waggons; this was the storied road to "Whanga'"—blessed be the name of the man who fashioned this abbreviation— and this was the road which scores of women in the backblocks hesitated to traverse. One trip "out" in a year was enough. Some did not see the outside -world for five times as long. It was the road that helped to keep them poor, for when it was bad the terrible freight charges made the cost of living a ' burden well nigh insupportable. Bv.t the story of the backblocks hardships, and struggles, and dojprivations, and, mark it well, heroism, ;f fully told would make a thrilling anil closely-written story as long as the roafl itself. Its terrors have departed. The party who Vjent' to .Whangamomona. oil Tuesday flight inigh't easily have done the trip,pi ilrcjss suits and dancing shoes, and .still ■aj-rived.'.with clothing immacif late. They travelled right through -to the about a milefrom Whanga- : momona,ivr rail,- ani from there to thfc township walked along the Public 'Work's • tramline;, mostly, ballasted with clean gravel, and only a few short stretchy remaining to/ be ; ballasted. 'Thesie stretches are' all''good, clean walking,.the tramlines''h.-tfving "been laid on split limber on the road and railway formation. 1 - "•• ;; - ■'■ ' '■ .-,.:•

The ordinary passenger train runs tjo ' To Wera. •.'Alwutf at} hour's rest.-dnrin"'-Wvlm-h >!«.'/ FlyrihV ample dinner Ws ' ] promptly flesjWtcriCd, arid then the Public. Works ttWnleft for another stretch."' .This" isn't a'H express train, 'it'has'iio I really 'recognised' stopping-places', perhaps, l m t this do'e.sn't prevent the fro- ' ■ quency-'-of- them. The fare having been'' raised>"slii(* last trip;" the guard' was I 'questioned; 'ami lie" explained that the passengers- were (now to be s taken ; thrchiah-'-the Wliangamomona Murine] to ■ the'railhead, instead of onlv to the "3*l- | nule «dihg; ! Tliis meant a considerable I *W!R. of :: mw.euki;r effort, since >i ob- ' r for walking a-bopt | ■fjuw.ou fpar miles. x ear the" tunivl'l' fffipsA.4-be,re. was a delay, caused-bv'a • ,'lo^diavang-fallen from the top of'the 1 ■ J«,st';nianaged.to squeeze through. Men-1 . |fcioa, should have been made of the fact' | , pat the passenger 'cars had to be left') .9* ?M-si<Jing/' ; and we proceeded per'' : £ruck., _ The, :: trip. through the , tunnel, i .which «.;30,chains,long, was not takenat breakAeek speed, and there was ■ plenty of time ;: to,'study one another's-: ■■ faces in*he light of the tail-lamp- of the- , engin/i. .Thenpe, to,the railhead progress j was steady. The .walk into Whan "a- . niomorra was a pleasant change. Sitting • in a. truck on> tarpaulin on'a - cold day- •' is p.c/t conducive to. warm feet Tile- '. traniline.made excellent walking, A 6 toV ' was made to watch a handful of menworking a big windlass to draw a handful.of cargo up to the site of a bri«bt c .. by hicans of a sled.. Someone suggested' a e across the gully as-a time-. savw. In a few minutes the settlement '. came mto view. ' Glorious tramline. On either side of it was forbidding mudi. > it* 7 »A, K °, oJle attem Pted to tost I its-depth, thought Host Campbell made (' everybody welcome. "Bob" was im- I fe.gne : -to-see old familiaV'fac,. ' Ihe -hotel accommodation was found 1.0 be • first-das's, everything epotlewlV | clean, and the meals excellent ' The ' journey hadlost its terrors! .'' "!■'

I ' : SPEEDINGTTP WANTED. . from the VJAit()iR , IH °. the point of vieiv' ?J% business people*; kit theory farmers of .the district ar'e tfij'pln ?C e -P r °S res s made bfr ,hp Jtibjic WorJ^Department .with the tram 4 decent ro,ad was U e Dcpartnjent.V heavy traffic., as is pointed out in the following resolution earned .I>l a meeting of Whangamomona dairy lactory suppliers last Sunday-r- ' Pro-posed by Mr, s. Jennings/seconded V Mr. W: A .Hodder. and ihat tins meeting 0 f factor sup ]k , r wou I,lrespeetfully bring unde/tbeltig of.- the Minister of Public Works the awful and dangerous state of the main. Ohura road.through the settlement arid point out that if the tramway is' n"t pushed 011 at o nce it will be impossible for the mUk suppliers to get their milk ■to the. factory by September 1 : and we would further point out that this ro*d oT'H.oNfn 1 0^ er , unt a the heavy traffic of the Public Works teams cut the metal out of sight, and if the suppliers cannot get iO i the. factory (ill kvemh,T .means bankruptcy to them " Messrs Gleeson and Hodder brought the matter under the notice of the County Council, on Wednesday .ffi ■ G , k Tf° n r ° ferrf ' d to tho da'Wrrms state, of ..the mam road, and Mid ths* 1 ; and the arrangement? being made for (he •co«eyanhoofn,e M ,p p , inVniUkbvUio _tiam, the factory would not be able to receive its supplies of milk. He was i i dined to think that if a fetalitv „ c . :™" cd ™ m Z to the state, of the'road .ether the Minister of Public Work,™' some of the councillors should be tried I for manslaughter. Mr Hodder said he had never seen the road m S uch a bad state as now. Pcok 'eouldnt rule, drive, or walk aim, Jit i beast" 8 <lLUlgPr ° US for both man'-aini The chairman said the deputation I unld know that this matter |J" j-used the council ; , greal deal of worrv | '-'bad approach,,! the engineer about jV !< »'l there was certainly commonson,,. i„ Ifiifin : ''" rs . I r " ~,y1h,,t ,;VPn if he *!>"'»' ~""," " nI " on ll "' ,n; " 1 the in.-n.v | vould be s,„,], out of sight. It was Pjfovlmmlo for t!„: that .j', j*l">".<l have be,,, sm-li l„ 4 ,vv traffic !i,", Imh-1, a wet season. ]j, lt the council hhd j 1 "'"" lowcrlc. Thev could have ,L I"!' » ami stopped the 1 ~ t | ll "'' 1 .;'•'">"-! have caused a cessation ! ( ,f | ■•radw.y w ,„-ks: or. thev had to :! n,jw , the traffic to ,r,> „„ ' V J Then followed a discussion upon ij l(; • ' .nil of carrying out the constructiU or '-lie tramlmc. J

. Cr. -TrCnt,,),.,), , ai ,i I]le Pll]) ,. i 7)<-part.,i,.„t ] m ,l acted i„ „ hijrl,.),.-,,,!,! ■/■■■■■<">■ declared as Government r„ils J inVon over fro.n the County Co„n,ii< Whilst nominally Ocvernn.ent road, t)>.- '"»>««- still w ,s H. s ,, f) „,iblo. ItJVrtmu, f , , nRk t ,, e D tmc]it , 1 • tram mo on to the dairy faetorv L. fi«r» September 1. It would be ,liX tron* ,f 11,0 dilatorinoss 0 f the iW'r- | ment mn.le it f or the far mis ■to supply milk to'the faeiory < Cr. Bacon moved that the Depart-

ment be asked, in view of the approaching milking season, to push on the tramway to the factory as expeditiously as possible, as otherwise the settlers will not be able to supply the factory. Seconded by Cr. MeCutchan and carried. The council also endorsed the resolution passed at the meeting of suppliers. STRAY PARAGRAPHS. Can one riding be rated for. a main road in another riding? was practically the query asked of Mr. Anderson, county solicitor, at the Whangamomona County Council on Wednesday. He replied in an unwavering negative. Cr. MeCutchau said that if tiiis interpretation were col'-' rect all county councils in the Dominion had been acting illegally for the past 2o years.

"If we are not to have any more loans to local bodies, we'll get no bridges, or anything. I don't know where we'll be." To which Cr. Bacon smiled a reply, "We'll be in the creek."

'•Any Tahora business';'' "I know of nothing," replied one of the riding niembers. "And 1 know of nothing. It's impossible to get out to hear anything."

COMMERCIAL. T. LAMASON'S REPORT. Mr. T. Larnason's reports that on last Saturday he held his usual weekly sale, when a very good entry of different lines came to hand. He miotes as follows.Hens, Is 3d to l.s 9d; pullets, 2s 3d to 3s; cockerels, Is (id to 2s'; roosters, 2s • fid to 4s; ducks, 3s Od to 3s 7d; geese, ' ■is 3d and 3s 9d; caulillower, up to 4s per dozen; cabbage, 2s 8d to 3s per doz.; , carrots, 3s per sack; onions, Is 7d peri 1 bag; furniture, etc., at usual au'etien rates, - • • *]

BERNARD'S PICTURES. A large audience was the order last' night at the popular amusement resort,' when the.programme submitted evoked' great comment, 'Tlaymates" being to) the fore as a most pathetic yet enthral-; ling drama. The seenaria is most true to liie, and is even more sensational* than the second star picture,'"The_BalletDancer." From all points of View—its? length,, the acting, and the extremelyi cleverly • -worked-out plot—"The Ballet' Dajicer" is unquestionably a star of ,the-' first magnitude. The story concerns the! iUdden rise of a' ballet dancer to the] position of leading lady in an 'important' ...dramatic . production and her love ■ for\ the .author of; the piece. The.man proves faitlilttss, becoming fascinated with a! 'baiikei'.'s wife'.' • His true love is befriends ed,.;by.liisfrk'nd, an artist-of rising for-) tunes... The erstwhile ballet-dancer apprises the banker of his wife's infidelity; wtoreon 'the enraged husban<rde'termines :both .his wife and ' her equally" unscrupulous lover. He lies in. --wa-iMor the pair, but, love triumphing over jealousy, the leading lady warns tier former lover just in time to save hi.s life. The banker's wife is less fortunate, beiii" shot by her unhappy husband. Lover No. 2 being no longer :a the land of the ! living, the phiy-wright resumes his at- | tentions to the ballet dancer, and his J Suit prospers until, by -an odd turn <in fate, the artist appears on the scene. I The sequel is at once apparent. The ' play is noteworthy for its terse dramatic ' situations and the excellent manner in I 'which it is staged. .