My Note Book.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4236, 29 July 1882, Page 2

My Note Book.

(By a Ceitioai. Chabactes.) It lias been said-that every man has bis price, and the saying has* an example in the meeting of the Parawai Highway Board. ' They appear other than a happy family in this suburban district—equal to, if not in advance of, their more pretentious friends in Ponsonby, a large suburb of Auckland, this body /having arrived at a stage in their career that our Parawai magnates would do well to follow,, and not allow the public to think that at least two gentlemen who took a prominent part at the meeting are to be influenced by the promise of a road to a certain mill.

The Hazlitt case has called forth several letters in sympathy with the culprit. The writers appear to be influenced more by the horrors of the punishment than a belief in the prisoner's innocence; and some must have Written without'consider* ing the evidence fairly. The character of witnesses for the prosecution has little to do with it if their evidence remains unshaken. Even a prostitute, in law, is entitled to credence if her testimony cannot be upset. A jury, on the evidence, found ttie prisoner guilty, expressing a doubt of the more serious 'offence; with the nature or extent of the punishment they had nothing to do. ~ Are these writers prepared to say the child was not abused, and if abused who was guilty? The same statementsas to the veracity of the witnesses for' the defence- might be used, but not being required it would be improper to use them. Crime of this character exhibits symptoms of becoming pore frequent, and for the common weal ,it appears to have become a necessity to inflict severe punishment. Of course our humanity abhors the idea of the lash, and considers it degrading, but would it not be more degrading if such crimes were to be overlooked or punished slightly. The age of the man in this case calls forth our sympathy, but legally intensifies the gailt.

The management of our harbor appears to have fallen into the hands of incapable men. Anything more silly or childish than their action during the last few months could not well be conceived, and the gentleman who acts as their engineer is the silliest of the lot. Plan follows report, and condemnation follows both as regularly as the rainy weather. The Board have no right to fool away their small means drawn from the public in charges and dues. In common decency they should throw up their position or the engineer. And now they go"further to bring a man who may understand machinery and such things, but where his marine experience was gained is not known. Why not confer with a few of the practical men who have been trading here for years ? Their experience must be valuable to any body of men who wish to serve thebest interest of the Thames.

The clear fact of excellent gold bearing stone coming to the surface from the 600 feet level of-the Queen of Beauty mine' should be an encouragement to mining speculators. We havo been told byexperts and even working miners that the gold, on the Thames was on the surface and did not go down. Now we Hare a refutation of this theory under our very noses. This fact is of immense benefit to our district, and stamps this as one of the richest goldfields in the world. Companies that previously were doubtful and afraid to risk an expenditure in sinking may now take heart. Let us hope that the Thames Goldfield may be fully prospected and worked with vigour so that the wealth at our feet may be utilized and turned into a blessing for the multitude.

The engineer for the Waiotahi aqueduct appears to have arranged his plans badly, as a set of legs stand right in the centre of Owen street. Perhaps the Borough Council will see to thisV

Common sense is described as the power of seeing at a glance, what is ; practicable and what is impracticable. The majority of the people on the Thames are content to let the construction of our railway go by default, depending upon-4fc#3ftion taken, or to be taken, by the Borough authorities; and, unless the whole populace bestir themselves, there is sufficient influence already at Wellington bestirring themselves to secure as close a connection as possible with Te Aroha and Auckland via the Waikato railway, that the Thames will find themselves retarded in progress for another decade. I hare used strong language over this matter in a previous issue, and I now tell the Thames people the die is cast, and unless very extreme measures are used there will be no line between the Thames and Te Aroha. If the business people and the working classes, and all sorts of men,'are content to allow this injustice to be committed, then they don't deserve to succeed, and to remain as hewers of wood and drawers of water to the Auckland people is the proper place for such a community. Greater wealth and extended power have everywhere since the world began been trying to monopolise and swallow up all the smaller and less firm communities, making them adjuncts to their .already great prosperity. Let the Thames people be alive to the great injustice in course of completion.