SLY-GROG IN THE BACKBLOCKS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 140, 31 October 1912, Page 6

SLY-GROG IN THE BACKBLOCKS.

TWO PICTURES. "Truth-seeker" writes to the Editor: — Sir, in reading "lvohuratahi's" letter in reference to .sly-groggery, it brought to my mind some sights I have seen in the backblocks. of Taranaki, and I thought it might be of some interest to your

readers to give them the history of two visits paid to what is now a small township situated not a hundred mile 3 from Mokau. The first visit took place in January, 1870, before local option had , been thought of; the other in 1910, when no-license was in force ("farce") in this | particular district. j j First, picture to yourself a river not 10 large as the Mokau, hut quite as \ 1 pretty, wending its way between high

sandstone cliffs with here and there • along its hanks Jvautiful flats covered chiefly with manuka, karaka and flax, with'dumn? of cabbage -trees laden with berries. The day was'cloudless and the

sun's rays twinkled in thousands of little wavelets on the river; the lazy breakers rolled themselves upon the spotless sandy beach. Scores of pigeons flew from tree to tree so close to the earth that it would have been possible to kill them with a small stick; they were not afraid oi the lonely stranger. The patiki (flounder) lay in great numbers in the shallow water basking in the sun. The constant song of the tui cheered the

heart of the tired, footsore wanderer. A slight breeze rustled in the flax, and all Nature seemed to say, "Welcome to our .fyome." The scenery was perfect and pleasing to the eye, and ail the sounds of Nature were in harmony. And as 1 sat upon the very, apot .where 34 years afterwards flourished a : sly-grog shanty,

I thought to myself, hoW long will this state of Nature continue",, and how long before man- will step in and spoil the

Garden of Eden? . The. sun went down in golden cloud's and soon the stars twinkled above me, and' I sail? meditating with only Nature and its -God as companions, and even now I look, back upon that night as the most, pleasant,l have ever spent. Second, picture to yourself the same .river and riter'flats, minus manuka, karaka, flax and cabbage trees;; plus brown, sun-burnt grass, with a large, percentage of weeds; not a pigeon to he seen, and ■t ( he song of the tui for ever silent; the few patiki that venture-near the shallow waters scurry ,off at the first sight of man. In place of the beautiful scendry we have now; a scene of empty bottles, thousands' lipon' thousands of bottles that were Jolfc'e-.full,.'(hot of painkiller. Tmt or misery-producer); and these Ijott-les represent, a. ■ .vast amount of money, for their "purchase when full, and they also represent- r ar vast amount of tfnt'ft squandered-irom tho -effects of the emptying. In plncc-*)|rthe song-.of the tui. there .is now the of- cursing anii Wearing, in lliij presence of ladies, too. And men wantfer : about partly clad, unwashed, and onr thfc ("verge of insanity. One man been.placed inside a sack with a .ftpje cut in,the bottom to .allow his head to go "through. The'sack'was then drawn over his arms and tied at- the \Yai'st." *' This is : a backblocks straight-jaefee,ti ; ;ivnd;.jwas .placed on this man to preyent_him from injurj ing himself, or o.thers. . .He was then turned loose-to-go- wbere~he chose. ' Another man walked over the end of the wharf into'the Kver thiriking -'he-was going into the Terminus, which it nearly proved to:.be in ins case, : Xet; another got into his boat to row himself across the river,- but■ when h(* reached the middle ' of the stream he fell asleep, and, as the tide wife goihg''oiit, he "was soon on his'-way'to'the oceatt.'but a man -who iwas called- a "wowser," f ; beea\ise he refused to make a.pig .of himself, swam ia jaujd' rescued fJiis"poor .wvcefc of humanjtj% lii' thfe -few 1 spent at this jtownsliip on"'my'-setfond'Visit-1 saw more 'drunks than I had' ever seen before-—and jrqmetftber., ttys iH.jp-.a area, •with a police constable fiaMyi '{hough 'invisible at the. time of my visit. I saw little boys the jmjgt abiomittabteilangftftgQ :fn® drunken nierfj. and.,l. question, chances are'there in If.ayp'r of these •little ships 6n iffe's; 'sea''re'afehing ■port -in -a'soiirl&r'^ftWwerth^- I, condition jwhen there are so m»nsfid6roltcts,floating

{aimlessly about in their proximity ? ) Now,' Mr; :K4itpr,, fcam #ot .-a -pnjhibiItionist, but f came'away from'that town-

*sliip disgusted and-di,aappqijitpi} with the llaws of the couhtfy that allow this sort ,of thing -to exist." I know one case -where the 'Oiit T: "of-the hack idoor as the pmice entered the front,