Notes and Comments.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 108, 14 February 1901, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

Now that the Town Hall question is shelved, it is a nusing missing word (if not anything else) competition, to see the way in which its erstwhile opponents find the need for such a building. At the meeting of the Library Committee on Monday night, the Rev. McKenzie Gibson came out with a scheme to add two or three rooms to the new Library Building for the convenience of farmers, who, he had been assured, would stand the cost. It will ho remembered that die Town Hall scheme was inveighed against for one reason, because it depended on the country people to the extent of £25 per annum. Yet now we have several of the prominent opponents of the scheme agreeing without a murmur of disbelief to the farmers’ assurance for a sum of £SOO to build rooms. Mr Mann waxed quite eloquent, over the subject. "I believe,” he said, “that there is a necessity for a Town eh, such a building f" Ye Gods 1 Oh, for that missing word ! The man who, in bis small way, reviled most bitterly the Town Hall scheme—but mostly the Mayor. The man who characterised the scheme as rotten and hairbrained I Can it be that in his heart of hearts, Mr Mann knows the value of such an institution, and that all the twaddle ho has ? spoken lately has been inspired by stronger wills than his own ? SiiirOly Mr Mann had no idea of betraying his party, but rather that he missed the winks and nudges by which his actions were accustomed to be governed, and for once Mr Mann nearly said what he meant. People will easily see now from what the opposition to the town ball sprung. Mr Mann will doubtless supply us with the missing word, bul in the meantime our readers arc invited to send along their guesses.

la the North Otago Times of yesterday appeared the follow-

oamaru ing advertisement: H HUMOR, —“ The public of Oamaru and surrounding districts desire most humbly to return unbounded thanks to His "Worship the Mayor and the energetic and able committee for the most satisfactory bungle perpetrated on Thursday last. By £Ord«r. P.S.—Will the surplus funds be returned on application at the Mayor’s office; also, our share of the surplus sour beer ? ” This refurs to the bungle made over the late visit of the Imperial troops. Naturally the disappointed crowd o' sightseer's who waited patiently for th. troops while the men really were wailing at the station for their officers, have raised loud complaints, but this sort of humor is, to say the least, rather grim. After all, it seems to have been more the fault of the officers than the Mayor. In the same paper a correspondent writes with reference to the coming visit of the Indian troops. In this the Mayor is slated for not expending his salary (£IOO per year) on the entertaining of “distinguished visitors." Verily the life of a Mayor is not a bed of roses. The editor of the North Otago Times points out that the religious scruples of the Indian troops will not permit of them partaking of any food prepared by the inhabitants, so that Oamaru will apparently have the satisfaction, to some at any rate, of having a show without having to pay tiie piper.