ROADS IN THE TAMAHERE DISTRICT.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1425, 20 August 1881, Page 3

ROADS IN THE TAMAHERE DISTRICT.

TO THE EDITOR. Slit, — It is an old saying that "new brooms Bweep clean ;" but it seems that the 'new blood introduced into the Tamahere Road Board has not done much in the cleaning line ; ' the road from the Eureka gate to the junction of the Central Road, and up the latter for about half a mile being a standing, or rather a sinking proof to the contrary. These portions of the roads in the Tamahere Road District are a disgrace to any Road Board, and the sooner they are looked to the better for the ciedifc of the Board and the safety of travellers. — Yours, &c, "One Who Has Been Stuck."

Success in farming, as in other business, requires the use of brains. The only way to find what a soil wants is to study it by careful observation and experiments. Sheep -kot is exceedingly prevalent in some districts of Northumberland. Four consecutive wet seasons have been very injurious te the hardy half-bred sheep on the English border. St Gothabd Tunnel.— The St Gothard Tunnel — chiefly due to German enterprise — is now completed, and threatens to diminish the large share that France has had in the international communication and traffic of the countries lying north and south of the Alps. International traffic through France has been injured Vciriouflly — by centralisation at the commencement of the railway era towards Paris ; by the German war, which lmd the effect; of diverting the channel of English traffic that ran through France to Antwerp and Ostend. At present, it appears cheaper to forward good.s from the north of France, and from England and Belgium through the St Gothard Tunnel than through the Mont Cenis Tunnel. It is therefore now proposed to pierce the Alps at either the Siinplon or Mont Blanc, to establish a direct route from Calais to Marbeilles, to improve harbour arrangments, and diminish the fiscal obstacles of trade generally, and oblige the railway companies to guarantee facilities of transport that shall not be bahind those of England, Belgium, or even Germany. A Visit to Hanlax :— An Australian who visited Toronto in May last called on the chiinpinn sculler Hunlan. Writing to n friend in Sydney, states the Echo, he says :—": — " I found Hanlan at his island home. I baw a young Iribh-looking man, about five feet eight inches, ordinary build, with a physique more suggestive of activity than strength, and as I looked at him could not refrain' from "wondering how such a little fellow could beat men like Tricket and Laycock. Informed him I was an Australian. He received me very hospitably, and appears to be a very decent, respectable fellow. He showed me the boats in which he pulled Tricket t and the others, and spoke of Trickett several times as being a arentleinan. He also said Trickett pulled very well in the first part of the race, but suddenly gave in, 'and that he pulled away from Laycock' at the Btart. He said TrioKett was much underrated in America, and that if he came over they would find' but their mistake. Hanlan said that he learnt all his rowing on the lake, and that they had never had any one in Toronto of any note before hisitimo. ! ' Thi& increases the diffiof understanding how he acquired his skill. Toronto iR a village even compared with Sydney, and is l several hundreds of miles inland, and distant from the large oeapoxfc towns whore * rowing is i » ictised. It is the a'ame as if aiinanfrom Lake George, in Gddburu distriot, should suddenly come forth und astonish the world, with the exception that at Lake George he could practise all the year round, at Tcoontb'JheidaJce/^fFQzeft dgrifitf part of the year. Hanlan has only been six years pulling in outriggers, and he said that when ho went to the States to try what ho oould do bis neighbours laughed at him, but he won} all his races one after, the,,ofch,er,- .H^eepp. an Hotel, <fji tjiej Island— a large wooden place, with sixty roomst-Ta.g»ft toiling ifxqm h,is : admiring countrymen,, It in only open during season from the end, of jsay to September. I looked in vain f to find :the extraordinary, length of arm he is said to possess. ' There i w nothing, of the sort."

It is announced that a working dairy in t» bo added to the attractions of the Bath and West of England Show at Tunbridge, next June. /Themoye is, a. wise one, for in these day's of butterine; oleomargarine, and •' JBJrenph, boxen,',' it is , desirable s that the public sh'6uld see itow ''resT butter is made and prepared for the market. An Innocent Abroad. — The other day the police at the Union depot noticed a feeble4doking old man wandering in and out to kill time' until the train should depart, nnd as he seroral times displayed a roll of bills, he was cautioned to look out for pick- pockets and confidence xden. " Wouldn't anybody rob an old man like me, wbuld they f"' he*"" innocently asked. I The warning was repeated, but he jogged arotitad as before, arid after a time was seen in close consultation with two strangers^ w,ho ~had * walked ; him around to the wharf. An officer got him away fromjjhem,, and., angrily, said : " Didn't warn "you ' agaFhst; ' 'strangers ? Those fellows are after your money?" "But | how can they get it, when I have it in ray pocket, and my hand on jit all the time?" "Well, you look out.*' "Yes, I'll look out ; but I don't want to be uncivil, When anybody talks to me, I like to talk back." The strangers soon had him on the string again, and' in about a quarter of an hour they loft him in a hurried manner, and 1 he sauntered into a depot with his wallet in his hand. " There f You've Jo jem beaj you,! 1 ' exclaimed the officer. " How'niuch did you let them have ?" , " Well, they wanted 20 dollars," 'he < slowly' replied. "And you handed it over, of course ?" "I give 'em a 50 dollar bill and 30 dollars back." " Well, you'il never see the bill again." !'I kinder hope not," he chuckled, as he drew down his eye. '1 tt was a counterfeit, which my bon found in Troy, and bein' us I'm very old and innocent, and not up to the tricks of the wickei world, 1 guess I'll get into the cars before somebody robs me of my boots ! If anyone should come around looking for me, please say I'm not at home." 'Detroit Free Presi.