PIAKO.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 793, 17 July 1877, Page 2

PIAKO.

July 16, 1877. It ia fortunate that the oeason tit i\»iiiug the wind for mending our ways (ht^h) U at band, as our roads are getting rather shaky ia soma places. Aa a sample, 1 may mention that I met a geutleinm a few days ag>, who lives on the Thames road, aud, on my asking him if thac road was very bad, he said, there were a few bad places, bub ou the whole it was not worse than the road between Hamilton and the Piako Store, where I met hiua. tie said he was coming from Hamilton che day before, with a. crap containing a number of young trees, and got stuck up, not by a highwayman, but, m the mud. Fortunately, it happened near a place wh«ra a number of inea ware to. be had to dig him out. I msan, the horse and trap stuck m the mud, and had to be dug out, not the man. His boi*3o was ao exhausted that he had to leave the trap on the roal, come on to the Fiako store, and next day borrow an additional horse, and return for his trap. I could mention other instances of parties having to leave their' dray m the mud for tha night, an I return next day with more horse pov/er to pull it out. The new road through Tahuroa, would have been opened before now, if Mr Uoates had completed his contract m the specified time, which he would have ■ lone, hud the sawyers out the timber m time to get it drawn during the dry weather. As -soon, however, as the timber, which has been cut for some time, cm be drawn, Mr Ooates will complete the remaining culverts. The drawiug of the timber for the bridge and culverts on this road has been a most formidable undertaking, performed by Messrs Oiiepmell and Gubbins, two members of the Waitoa road board, who fortunately had strong teams of bullocks fit for such work. If the ratepayers are not intending o present Moasrs Chepmell and Gubbis with dinner sets, or something of the sort for their trouble, I would beg to propose, SQeond, an.l carry unanimously, thac they treat them to a public dinner when the roai is opened, on which occasion we might haye — what shall I c*ll it 1 a bit of a spree, m commemoration of the opening of the road. I observe there is a difference of opinion regarding the correct, mode of electing new highway boards, aud fixing the rate. Io seems that even some of our Members of Parliament share m the general uuo rtaintsy. lam toll that s >tne of them have informed some parties m this district that, • The Rsaularioa of L »oal Eieciona Aot ' is iv force, and that new highway boards tnut be elected m accordauce witu the provisions of that Act, and not under the Highways Aufc, whioa is rep ale I ; aud fnrthtir, that no proxy voting will bt allowed at annual meetings. Sainu of us aw also pnzzld to know who have a r'glib to vote ao oar aanual meetiugs. I har* been asked by qevml piragua w^o

have properties io the distriofc, but. whose namos are not on the Valuation^ List whioh was nude out some monthi ago, if they were entitled to vote at the H T tmg# Aa l d 0 nofc P ret^d to smatliff a " s .r r - Bach questions, the smallest contribution m the shape of enlightenment will be thankfully re-

IK an article m the last number of the flew Zealand Reformer, advooatiujr the ocal Op^n Bill, m which can be easily traced r.he fineßoman hand of the Hon. ;«m? X> tho f( » Iov "og sentence ooours : -7 There are hundreds of districts i a ToU°n n ? U T' Whe^ if » workable jority of two-thirds *oujd drive tho Then th 9 idle loafers or grsedv bloodr.^ 8 u Wh ° k6Bp . thßBe don 9« a » KitiKsley calls them, would have to fiad other quarters m which to carry on their trade ■^JTS I^ 1 °v ;h w ™ e8 w °»'a receive the full earnings of the breadwinner to expeod O n the do aesti, partn*»hip of husband, wife, and children ; and would not have the pain of seeing .■the publican* wife riding ii a buggy, clothed m silk, while she, the workman's helpmeet, goes about oa foot, dressed m .little better Mian r ag 4. Hippy day for the working man and his young progeny when tne 'highly respectable licensed nctualL-r ' ia no longer licensed to sell that which ia the source of, ell domastio misery, and the ruin of thousands of homes. Mr Stafjtobd oh Local Option, m \ his speech, last week, at Titnaru, is re<* ported to have said ;— " With rngard to the Local Option Bill, this had exercised his mmd more than any other question which he had had to consider. It would not-be denied that the habit of excessive drinking had, m all English speaking communities, been the oaaue of much crime and disease, and the evil effects of it not only influenced the individual, but also those depend upon him. He did not believe that rmman" nature would be content to exist wiohout stimulants of some kind.. In all nations, whether savage or civilised, the use of stimulants of the neryea or brain power was common, and he did not think that they would ever be enabled to get rid of tim uso altogether. He would, however, say this much, that th* prinoiple of the Local Option Bill was one which deserved a trial. (Cneers ) He hal not made up his mind to oppose it, and he had nearyl made up his mind to support it (Cheers.) He had not seen Mr Stout's bill, but he knew that Mr Stout claimed for it that it was an improvement on tbd present law. If the publiohouae was badly conducted, it could be closed, butas he read Mr Stout's own definition of his bill, he took it that if it was decided that a house should reaeive a license, it could not be closed for three years. In this the present law was batter than that proposed by Mr Stout. There was one point m which it oertainly was an ad« vantage, and that was that it recognised the principle of representative constitutions having a voice instead of the Licensing Commissioners. He thought that this should be extended so that *<iult women should have a vote, because no one suffered more from the vice of intemperance than wives, mothers, and daughters, an Interesting Biogbaphy.— We are . indebted to the ' San tfruncisoo News Letter' for the following :— ' Will shortly be issued, and m active preparation, a volume entitled, 'The Last .dours of Methus9lah.' The writer is evidently c-mversant with his subject, and was m early days intimately connected with iMethuselah m business. Mr M. was jnst cutting his fourteenth set of teeth at the age of 968, when death snaked him m. It appears that he evince t no disposition to eater the hymeneal state until his 175 year, when he became enamoured of a young lady named SbeU, some 68 years his jnnior. The marriage was a yery happy one, and Mr and Mra Methuselah lived together for over 300 years very happily, having raised a family of 108 children. Their 0 ily sorrow consisted m the loss of some 107 and odd little ones, who fell vioiim* to measles, croop,and whoopiug cough during their infancy. On the d-ath of his Grst wife, Methuselah was so profoundly affected that he relnaina<l »mgle for 60 years. Ia the prime of his manhood his heart was agaiu touch d by the beauty of a yonn^j lalymmol Miriam. His second marriage was Very uphappy, an I ha only lived 114 y--*rs.with Mra Mtithusileii number two. when he obtained a divorce. He suosequtntly married eleven times, an 1 <he.< of a broken he irr, caused t»y the perßdy of his thirteenth wife. He was followed to the grave by 31,432 of his liueal descendants, the eldest of whom was only 300 years his jnr. It is the opiuiou of the author thut -Methuselah m s^ht still be living and goini^ round with the ifttfa had he not tak —n to hear so aerimisTy the bad conduct of his lasc and well* beloved spouse. It is not a pleasant thought for any woman that the want of fealty of one of their sex may po&sibly have deprived the world of one of its oldest and most experienced inhabitants.