PAEROA.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4214, 4 July 1882, Page 2

PAEROA.

(fbom an occasional cobbespondent.)

Paeboa, July 3,1882. The weather lately has put old Noah's business in the shade. We have had 50 days rain but no flood, that makes me think the drainage of Noah's back yard was defective, or he bad no County Council to make his roads do duty for water channels. Our roads are (88 Oscar Wilde would say) too utter, but not being aesthetic, ;I call them abominable. The carters have stopped their horse teams, as they could not get through to Owharoa. Mr N. Dickey engaged the services of an experienced " oxen conductor," and started a team of bullocks, but the "con* due tor " after having to lash a pole to his leader's horns with a piece of underlinen attached thereto by way of a flag, so as to be able to keep the run of them in the deep parts of the road, gave it up as a bad job, declaring it was " too utter."

Packing is now the order of the day to keep up the supply of tucker, and Taughfoot to the out districts. The weather being bad, the roads worse, people given to perambulating in pedestrian exercises gave up that sort of amusement, and stopped at home, causing a depression in trade that has been partly compensated for by the sitting of the Land Court here to complete the purchase of the Ohinemuri Goldfield.

A good deal of money has been paid to the natives this last month, who immediately invested in clothing, saddlery, horses, and, as the weather was cold, a good deal of their money went for Hennessy's Cough Mixture and Ehrenfried's Paregoric.

What might have been a serious accident occurred here the other night. A branch containing three kerosene lamps fell down in the dining-room of one of our local pubs. A gentleman present named Murrinen, better known as Te Hira, wrapped a cloth around the blazing lamps and attempted to run out into the street with them, but fell in the passage, the blazing kerosene going all orer him. He rushed out into the street, and here the paternal (or infernal) care of the Connty Council for our interests came in handy, as they bad at their own expense (?) provided a lagoon of mud opposite the door, in which some Maoris, with com* mendable presence of mind, immediately rolled the blazing pakeha, and "put him out" with the loss of his clothes, besides one of his hands being badly burned.

The local Licensing Committee, at their last meeting, granted tiro licenses—one to Mr J. Mahoney and the other to Mr C. Nash, both old publicans. Through some muddle in the Act, or those who are paid to administer it, when those gentlemen went to pay their £25 to the County Clerk that gentleman refused to take the money. " Oh, Hearings," said Brodie, when he heard the news, " £50 turned away when I wanted just that amount to make up my screw, and no show for a trip to Wellington. Hollis must be mad! I'll go for him!" And he went—as the vision of the corpulent bftggarman from the Waiolahi Creek was seen a few minutes atter, flying down Pollen street without either hat or wig, in the direction of the County Chambers, and the immediate receipt of a telegram here to send down the " sugar" at once, and the license would be made out, shows that he stirred up the clerk to some purpose. I hear the scene was awful, and that Hollis's hair is four shades whiter than it was before !

We had a visit from Capfc. J. Barry : he told us about swallowing-the whale, and crossing the Fiako Swamp in an open boat—(no, I'm wrong, Billy Eowe did that; but Billy is the best lecturer, and uses better English than the Captain)-— also the live Lords, and the Queen's letter. But I showed him as good a letter, only mine was headed "Victoria by the Grace of God," and contained an invitation to interview, not Her Majesty, bat one of her representatives. This is a Native district, aud we are natives—at least so some Constabulary jackass tells us. The two legged donkey must have been asleep, and just woke up, or he would not have let us go on breaking the law as we hare been doing by selling drink to the natives for years, for if, as he says, it is illegal to sell to natives, how it must have been equally so some months ago ? Besides, it is a fraud for Government to take money for a license, and not inform the party that he will not be allowed to sell to certain people. Some time ago a paragraph appeared in the Stab that one of our wants was about being supplied by Mr Porter providing us with a piece of ground for a " bone yard.' We have not heard any more about the gift, and as I never heard of any of Adam's people dying with enlargement of heart, I don't think we ever will.

Mr J. M. Eobson received a telegram from Capt. Morris, M.H.R., in answer to one sent by him asking that the river be snagged from present landing up to bridge, and be answers that the work will be done as soon as the punt now in the Waiho is available.

The only item of mining news worth re«

cording is Mr John Moore bringing down 2130zs gold from the Smile of Fortune, Owharoa, of which claim he is manager. The new find in the, Welcome is likely to be worth, 2ozs to the ton.