Oil and Patience.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 275, 19 March 1889, Page 2

Oil and Patience.

THE DAYS OF PR hSPERITY-AND SIMPLICITY.

Ir the shareholders ot the South Pacific Petroleum Oompany do not go to a better land then we cannot place much confidence in old proverb?. " Patience ia a virtue," is a saying which has always been regarded as the easenos of truth, and the shareholders of the South Pacific have tha' vir us in-tilled into them with such a wonderful effect that It ought to atone for all their weaknesses in other directions. Mr Weaver considers that the only alternative he now has " is to draw the pipes and replace the damaged portion with new ones. He does not anticipate any difficulty in the matter, and in his opinion the only drawback will ba a delay 0! two or three weeks." We quote from the leading artiols of a Gisborne paper, dated September 8, 1887:— STlttjCK OIL ! Is it and oan it be, that after thirteen years' of weary waiting, a decade of hope deferred, and continual disappointments when success seemed within grasp, that all is to end right, and a district flowing with oil be added to one flowing with milk and honey ? Surely it , must be land in sight this tims; it oannot prove to be a cloud, as it has so many before. Oan we realise the immensity of tiw consequences dependent on it proving to W the shore, and our reaching it after such a long, wearisome voyage ? Oan we appreciate the magnitude of the change that this district becoming an ollproduoing one involves f It is only elowly that it oan be at all taken in and grasped. The history of boring for oil in this district is really a wonderful record of fighting against difficulties of all kinds, accidents touching each other's heals, and courage, sacrifice, and peraiatanco atadom equalled in tha anterprisa and adventuripg of men, Thera haa bean spent in aaarohing tor oil in thia diatriot £70,000 ot hard money and thirteen years ot the best part ot the lives of a number ot men. The finding ot oil ie, to tha greeter part ot us, merely a fortunate accident, another enormoua advan. tage added to thoee we knew nature bad given the place. But to thoaa who had been directly concerned—who have striven in labor and the finding ot means for so many years—who have fought against enormous odflk—have led whet seamed to all others a forlorn hope through many weary yean—with them is the claim to reward and return tor their aaoriflee and endurance. And if they are ■ awarded by large tortuoes they will got what they deserve.

Sib,—Your contemporary has had the courage to speak out with more candor than ita readers have become accustomed to, but its reference to oil matters comes too late in the day to inspire that confidence which straightforwardness always does. Vet its article of last night will have the good effect ot showing which way the oat jumps. Mr Weaver has now a champion wbichwill no doubt follow him through fair report and bad report, for ever and ever, amen I May ho bo saved from such friends I Sir, I appeal to you that a publio journal should honestly represent the interests ot the public, and not make the latter subservient to the whims or whatever they may ba of individuals. It ought to be apparent to the most shall V brained that this oil business, as at present worked, is doing the place a great injury, because it keeps everything so unsettled, and makes people located in the dietriot say such hard things when conversed with on a particular subject. As another correspondent has already remarked through your columns, if the local shareholders have no consideration tor themselves or their pookete they should at least have some for more leasible fallow citizens. Why, Mr Editor, do you not get your contributor " Fancy " to work up the subject?—Yours, ita., Nor a Shabxeoldeb,

[Does our correspondent think oven " Fancy" could improve on the grim humor ot UM situation ?—Ed.]