SCRAPS FROM NOTE BOOK.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 62, 17 April 1869, Page 5

SCRAPS FROM NOTE BOOK.

NaXXVsIir— HARD TIMES i

sl,,yirpnder5 I,,yirpnder if. the present ever was anything but bard; if men at any ..- .period of- the world's history' did^not look back on^the past, wiijh. regret /or the ''good bld^times." 'We have got bo 'wise' and l W ambitious in these days . are „go anuch employed '• in: jostling one another, and striving and - te^climl) ' on other' men's j .-..shoulders, that now and again we^fail for want of strength, -and sit and groan "Hard times."' But if this cry is at most times fals^ in fact, and.only ; tW "outburst of a man wearied with buffeting against the selfishness and Belf-sceking of the world, it is true .enough in this favoured land,. of ours. 1 In fact, we have been going the pace, * ': and have' stt'cceed^d'yri'b'uti g uTiriing r^he constable. . Every ammjgra^t, corned ' hither with the avowed intention of making a fortune, and the only chance of success lies in starting business folr ' -himself. ; The result- i3,:inore jjosaes than helps, more speculation than , c_apital, ; more." promises.to. pay.:' than ' actual currency. Such a state of rthinga would* have infallibly ended in general bankruptcy^ nad not some' inveßtite^genius dtscdvef ed the grand principle of " contraa.", , By . aid ..of this wonderful invention a man is able to carry on business; and earn profits to the amount .pf .thousattids,, and yet i never possess a wh' of e ten-pound note. 'He is certain- ttf be possessed, hdwever, of what our .American cousins would call a fine, stock of notions. Groceries, farm produce* firewood/ cheese, lignite, champagne, millstones, coffins, tobacco, dry gooda,\-t»et?g6Gds, Woft goods, hard goods, and more commodities than the uncommercial: .-mindcjever ' dreamt. ;of pour into his goffers, but silver or gold he has none. The matter is indeed BeriouSj for, as I hear Messrs. Holloway, Norton, and Old Parr along with Dr.- De Jongh (Knight of the Order of Leopold} &c M &c, &c.) intend visiting this province, the continuance of the present system threatens dire consequences' 1 td 'hdtelkeepers. Just "imagine hhostt t ofj d:he "Whi^ey. Brown vulture' taking out a weekjs! board.inciodlke'r; dil^iijcl&cacting th^ price of a bottle of Efo* 2 in hygeist. medicines) which; - h^Ve 'the**wonderful' power of making yoti-feel better and Jette*;theanofe jou'swdllow: (^;jß.— A great saving is, effectefd by buying! -the large-flized-boxes.) -It is "ill jest- ] ing with spjseripus ajtlbject, moreT » especially as received a ! nore.^romwa'b^lielor-frleiad. of mine, statnTgthat^B#^.be^i x compelled to . take put a hundred pounds biil-iii crinolines. , . is- another wQilderl. iul thing in QOttnection with these' same contras, namely,^ the admirable exactitude with Avhich they fit into one another: Thusy you present a, "b'iir of £19 19s. llfd., and 'ten, to one' if : it is not met with'an accountof £$Q Os. OH, leaving, you - ijl debt the .enormous amounj&jpf fd;,'and,so on,, until, after a day's ' collecting,' you return laden wi^h a sack of farthings and a bundle of- receipted accounts. , All this is the natural result of the overcrowding of •every' trade where ifoe profits are sup* posed to' be; large, and the prevention of all honest competition^by the f lack of capital, b'r downright impecuniosity of ppurr r merchant .princes. The same <evtl .drives'! a^ay: aE. highly-skilled labour after a .very brief experience. A man thoroughly^ convefsant with his businesses not likely to siibmtt' fqr,any length* of time' to a system of " orders," iirid |Lye ( boB " advances,", the .only mepnsfthe foolish starters of independent establishments on. credit have "of ? paying for his labour. A paterrial enlightened G-overnment : fill's up the blank caused,, by the exodus of by importing, ship loads [of .ignorantr.hinds i and' of a truth they -w&L'harfe their reward when Ofetgo ! coines ; td be governea by ignorarit'aind marroW-minded" mpiij who lack" ,shat delica^te sense of personal honour, .high culture alone can supply ; regrets' will be plentiful, -but toa late.. ;^et v^lf the^ grogshops,' grdtjeries,'' butcheries, jbakeries, xuidertekerie^e^erythingeries iuse of "conwas be punished by the cat, ; and ?png> credit-, rewarded bys^jjefial *emtudd to. both giver and ' receit^r ; . abdve^iall, let«ev^!TT ambitipu^;Ei|n undeifetakdthat the^be^ w.%^9 piHke ihis^fo^tune is to cjear oufefof Otago, I^hould' n#t be in. the least; gsi;oßasked£«rereTrspßtte day or btlie# r to in- with a sorer^n;- • *~ '„■';.[