PASSING EVENT'S.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 115, 21 April 1870, Page 5

PASSING EVENT'S.

Following the good advice given by .one of our worthy Counqillors to his. brother Councillors— to take a, stroll 1 round the town, to ascertain its yaried^requirements, I bethought myself > that such a stroll might suggest a few lines, which, if- not interesting to your readers, might answer for the purpose of packing. Any stranger visiting Lawrence last week would- be inclined'to give greater prominence to its business position that it deserves. Crowds of men- paraded- Peel-street, to all-appear-ance in their. Sunday togs,; little groups here and there could be seen discussing with considerable warmth some matter or other which appeared- to be to them of great momentv Puch scenes are often witnessed in market towns, in the old country, in, bargain making, when the farmers meet periodically for the disposal of their grain, and 1 retire to the publichouse-, to close the bargain over a wee drap o' the mountain dew.. On enquiry, however, I found 'this was not a question of bargain making, but one of litigation. These crowds referredto were Blue Spur miners, many of whom have been idle for the last six weeks, pending the decision of His Honour Justice Grey. The Blue Spur lately has been expending all its golden .treasures in law, and the worst of it is there is no appearance of v an end to this litigation. Several- other cases are spoken of ; and in order to suit the convenience of the Blue Spur miners, who are daily in Court, the Government with a forethought worthy, of > all praise, - have intimated their intention of -removing the Court House to the Blue Spur,, where the business will be carried on with less loss of time and much greater convenience to all concerned. There are always, some croakers against any change, however beneficial that change may be for the public, and it is not- to be wondered^ at that the hotelkeepers of Lawrence,, should memorialise the Government against the removal of the building, their- plea being that if the Court House is removed* they might as well close their houses ; at all events, I hear if the Government carry out their purpose, a heavy compensation will be claimed by the publicans* The Courfc-House is a favourite resort of the Spur miners. I- am informed that the loss which this last case will entail in wages.alone for six weeks' lost work will amount to at least £500 •; and this loss must, affect to . some, considerable extent not only the Spur,' but the whole district. I have heard i some talk of • a Mining Board to settle those numerous disputes which arise ; but. l fear that Board would require to consist of such impartial; men as can hardly .be found within cooey. of the Spur. Arbitration in cases . similar to those lately before the Court might suit, but I fear a Mining Board- would not work very smoothly. By the bye, I. hear that Solicitor Copland made a splendid defence —in fact, quite turned public opinion in his favour. I was not in Court myßelf, but a friend of mine, who did not previously entertain a high opinion of our new lawyer's forensic ability, was telling me. He certainly required to do something to atone for what was considered by many ungentle-

manly treatment of his half-fledged brethren. White bell-toppers are now all the go in Tuapeka. They were first introduced by the haw-haws, but have now bepome so common that the leaders of- fashion have buffed the wh^te and substituted black. Such things as puggaries are now only to be seen on the heads of some upstart brats, of boys and. some individuals in indigent circumstances, who wear them all the year round, as a protection to th,eir delapidated, and greasy hats, 'A si a rule everybody is well . dressed ' and tidy in Lawrence. On Sunday especially the churches show a display of colours quite attractive. As a community, we are well supplied with all the adjuncts necessary for a healthy spiritual life.' J We have no fewer than five churches for- a population of somewhere, about 500 souls . We ought to be a good Christian people — and so we are. Nearly all our young men have got married, and the potent influence of the gentler sex has rounded the rough corners of what used to be a rude society. Men who seldom used to visit a place of worship m,ay now be seen at least once a week listening to the councils of the wise. One very favourable sign of the times was sho.wn at the Blue. Sp,ur on Friday last. I refer to the Oddfellows' soiree and ball. In celebrating their anniversary at the Spur in that manner, the Oddfellows have shown great wisdom. I supppse they have been reading Mr. Fox's teetotal, lectures. There can be no doubt the tea meeting is a great improvement upon the antiquated supper, where people meet to guzzle and drink themselves glorious, only to be followed by bilious attacks and some of those special ills to which drinking fljesh is heir to. I look upon the example set by the Blue Spur Oddfellows as worthy of imitation ; and the success which, attended their gathering shows they have hit upon the proper method of- celebrating their anniversary. There is no more appropriate way in which members, oij friendly societies can spend a few- pleasant hours with their wives and fajnilies and: brethren than that of- meeting together- over a, cup of' tea, and listening to good songs well sung, or. by taking part in the cheerful dance. Considerable amusement was elicited by one of the strait-laced- individuals at the Spur retiring from the room in high dudgeon on the, appearance of the Christy Minstrels, who had volunteered to contribute some innocent amusement to the entertainjnent. Poor thing ! why do you laugh at him,?' Is he not to be pitied ? The footpaths and roads in the municipality never looked better, and the Town Council must be praised for the work they have done w.itb the small means, at their disposal. Between Lawrenqe and Waitahuna, or dpwn-country, we shall have, in the course of a few weeks, as fine a road- as can be found in the province. But further on, the Riound IliH difficulty comes in the way. When shall our '.''No Works Executive " show any indication of making the road right through ? I should- like amazingly to see that two mile of road between Manuka Creek contract and Ha>velock : completed. When that is done I imagine we should very shortly afterwards haye a Thompson road' engine steaming along with a heavy freight. If that- small' piece of cutting were once performed, there would be no impediment to one of* these road engines running direct through from Dunedin to Tuapeka. I hear that Mr. Keen, one- of- our respected citizens, has, applied- for an auctioneer's license, and intends contesting the field with our, old-established" friend Mr. Hay. Lawrence is no exception to other goldfields in its spirit of competition. In almpat every department of trade and commerce it is overdone. I hope, however., Mr. Keen will receive that share of public patronage which Instability and perseverance deserve. More anon. Rambler.