TAURANGA JOTTINGS.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 141, 26 May 1883, Page 154

TAURANGA JOTTINGS.

Who is to be the next Bankrupt ? Samivel has returned, and looks blooming. I hope the band meeting last week will result in a revival in that quarter. The Tauranga team to play against Auckland next month will include a remarkable number of colts. Several members of the Hon. Jno.Bligh's team have been through here to the Lakes within the last few weeks. Is the Salvation Army going to leave us in the cold ? We have souls to save, and, a after a taste of Beath, long for salvation. Send 'em along. One of the purchasers at the late land sale was bidding spiritedly against himself for some time before he discovered the fact. Humour says G-eorge Arnold was looking for your correspondent with a pair of six-shooters after perusing the account of the calico ball. Thanks, I pass. " And if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, again " would appear to be Loueh's motto. Success crowned his efforts on his third attempt to secure a seat at the Municipal Council Board. A moon-faced virago called on one of the lady teachers of the District School last week, and informed her that if she sent her son up to be beaten again she would "hit her a wipe across the mouth." "Who says colonial parents don't take an interest in the education of their children ? The police have broken up the abode of bliss. That feind of institution doesn't thrive here. The first one was kept by an individual who had to leave the district and become an honoured and prominent M.H.R. for a Southern constituency before he could recuperate his losses. The County and Borough authorities did well to treat the attack on them with the contempt it deserved. One cannot touch pitch withont being defiled, neither would one care to engage in combat with a sweep, and besides this particular tar-brush can only blacken them in the eyes of the district's enemies, who should be their enemies anyway. "Wholesome criticism is always welcome, but this was not wholesome criticism. " Never prophesy unless you know," and " never criticise unless you understand," are truisms which whoever concocts the wonderful productions known as " Buster leaders " would do well to take to heart. Of late, this individual appears to have swallowed an arithmetic, and in his efforts to obtain relief the figures have got mixed. The palpable results are two " editorials " on the Borough and County accounts. Now, I don't possess any special knowledge of these matters, but as an old settler of many years standing, 1 naturally take an interest in all matters connected with the welfare of the district, and I have therefore paid some attention to the published balance sheets of the local governing bodies. Whatever opinion may bo held as to the indebtedness— and it was certainly incurred in useful work — there is but ono opinion amongst those who know anything of the matter of the trustees' stricture on the accounts, and that is that they were wholly uncalled for. About the first statement of our heaven-born financier in his article on the County accounts is that the expenses on " management, salariies, and travelling expenses " exceed the ordinary revenue by £48. Here there is an evident and malicious attempt to mislead, as he includes in his " management, salaries, and travelling expenses " an item of £524 expended on | "repairs and improvements," or, in other words, " formation and construction " of roads, but lie doesn't say so. Again, he say» that £155, " returned deposits," is down twice— a plain charge of defalcation— once under its own head, and again in £551, " miscellaneous expenditure." The balance sheet he was criticising, that for the yeat ending March. 1883, is a condensation and combination of the two six-monthly balances, ending 30th Sept. and 31st March respectively. He has evidently never seen that for the first six months, else he would have known what the £551 consists of. In some mysterious manner, patent only to himself, he concludes that the County owes the bank £8000, whereas the overdraft is only £4000. If that is the case, I reckon the County Treasurer deserves kudos for his finance. But to return to my critic. ' The remarks on the statement of assets and liabilities are simply beneath criticism. But the best thing of all is the lengthy tirade of abuse he launches against the head of the County Treasurer for not keeping separate bank accounts for each special vote, when, as a matter of fact, separate accounts have always been kept, as the plethoric bundle of pass-books produced at each meeting eloquently testifies. Our critic appears to forget four things: first — that the accounts are regularly, audited by a competent accountant (Mr W. M. Commons) ; second — that they were exhaustively analysed and reaudited by Mr Duncan ; third — that they were well gone into by Mr Brabant 11. M., who bused an award to the Borough on them ; and lastly— that the balance sheets and accounts are in the form proscribed by Government return. The criticism of the Borough accounts (to use the critic's own words) is not " less bad than that of the County," but space will not permit of my criticising his mis-statements and mis-repre-sentations in detail.

! _ £ome of the hotel-keepers, who are good judges of. femnle "points," have made their selections from the single women immigrants just arrived, '"■•.■■• id the bs-rs are now stocked with " winter ■ ._-:'■- ?ltii!s." ■jv'fv'. ■ T ?-.!uben Smith, of this city, is en route to Inir^ . ! .. lls the iivab local lieutenant in the Salj ration^;'-. "', i" order to undergo at head-quarters i his ijroliv '-' - ; ? drill. He was formerly a tuxtobei ■ i» ■ '-. •■!-atreet. It is to be hoped that ht; will not eiK'"4sg£r°ugfc> or raate a , "hash" of his mission.. E^F'tes that ho has no intention of ruirang ranlte < J > larrikins.- ..Those '.who inow'Beube- »." r nstable a?- wateiythqu shaltottbt excel" ~^:..-- v '^ -Baubon. ' ■■.:•"••