The Gisborne Standard AND Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Thursday, October 3, 1889. HARD TIMES.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 359, 3 October 1889, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Thursday, October 3, 1889. HARD TIMES.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

The depression which has been, and is now being, felt by us is by no means local. Not a town in New Zealand has escaped. The cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, was perceived long since ; it was foreseen that we should have a severe time of it, but it was hoped that certain unknown quantities would be in our favor. So far, they remain x still.

Some hoped that the oil would spout those very sanguine persons are now reduced to almost no one. Some expected success and prosperity, which they could neither describe nor explain, would attend the harbor works. Their blind credulity must been rudely shaken by the repeated paying of Harbor Tax, without the slightest gain. Some insisted that a new Native Lands Act, and a session o the Native Land Court, would work the required miracle. We think that illusion is dispelled ; and there was at least one clever, energetic, goodhearted, sanguinary —no, sanguine, lawyer who hoped, believed, stated, and intended that his trip to England would effect all that was required to regenerate the district. Alas ! bow all the hopes of these various dreamers of dreams remain unfulfilled. Here we are still staggering along—no oil to grease our way and light our souls to glory. No harbor in which to bring our storm-tossed bodies to anchor; but the river almost dammed, —yes, you can put in the n if you like. The Native Land Acts and Native Land Court still to be experimented with. And our volatile enthusiast back again without either the people or the money ; but, Lord love him, as cheery as ever.

There is but one really solid encouragement within our grasp—the freezing works. These are a fact ; they are visible and tangible, and will keep may thousands of pounds in the place by sending many millions of pounds away. And there seems to be a chance of getting the Makauri Block subdivided and the owners of shares in it a good title to their properties, which would greatly enhance the value of 3000 acres of the very best land in the heart of the Bay. Shall we be tempted to let our thoughts revert even for a moment to that will-’o-the-wisp—the oil ? Well, just long enough for us to say that a few months ago we deemed it our duty to speak out plainly of the working Manager, and what we said was not very palatable. We are glad now to be able to relate that Mr Weaver has successfully raised and reinserted the pipes, and if he will but continue his new-found energy we shall be only too happy to chronicle his success. But we really dare not trust ourselves to again expect anything like aid from the oil. No, life is too short to expect any finality in that direction. There is no indication of fortuitous prosperity,—that has vanished—but there remains the certainty that economy and hard work will reap the same, and perhaps a slightly better, reward here than in other parts of the colony. No one will make his fortune by a turn of the wrist. No one will, by engaging in business, become suddenly rich ; indeed, we doubt very much if there be a business in Gisborne doing more than paying expenses, and some not even that. We must send no more money out of the place by foreign theatrical companies or peripatetic minstrels. We must we content to produce our own amusements, and quite good enough they are for us.

We have been inflated with too large ideas, in fact we have been too big for our boots, and they are now pinching us. We have been riding in cabs when we could not afford to pay the cabhire. We have been wantonly extravagant and we are now, having wasted our substance, fain to fill ourselves with the husks the swine did eat, and nary a fatted calf, nor anyone to kill it, in view.

We would commend the statement of the Masonic takings to the thoughtful con sideration of our readers. Compare the bar takings with those of the dining table and you must feel constrained to cry. “ What! all this intolerable amount of sack to this poor pennyworth of bread ?' We copld not afford to feed ourselves, but we-guzzled instead, and gracious knows where the money went. For the next twelve months we must be prepared either to lead very different lives to the past twelve months : to work hard, to fare hard, and to lie hard—we mean, of course, without feathers (some of us do it with feathers now)—-or we shall have to submit to the obloquy of being unable to pay our debts because of our faults and extravagances. With frugality and foresight we, shall tide over this depression-—those without them will go to the wall. The fittest only wilt survive.