BOROUGH BY-LAWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1043, 8 September 1883, Page 2

BOROUGH BY-LAWS.

To the Editor. Sir, —On Monday evening the aspirants to municipal honors, in response to the invitation of the burgesses, will be expected to display their views on matters of interest to the Borough. As I shall be unable to attend, I should like to hear an expression of their opinion on one at least of our by-laws. A week or two ago, a bucolic-looking gentleman, evidently from a land where obnoxious by-laws are unknown, was driving a small mob of cattle through the main street during prohibited hours, and the expression of honest indignation and surprise when the Sergeant “ swooped down” on him was something t® remember. Now Sir, I am quite aware that some of the old Councillors will view with horror any tampering with our by-laws. But this one especially is very damaging to the interests of the ratepayers directly and indirectly* It has already caused the important weekly sales to be held outside the Borough, and not a tenth part of the Longbeach and other Southern farmers who attend the Tinwald sales come into Ashburton for their wants ; this means a direct loss to Ashburton tradesmen. The same remarks apply to the saleyards by the cemetery in a lesser degree. How very few cattle are offered at auction by Mes r* Harrison and Thomas, owing to the difficulty of getting them there? Did not the same obnoxious by-law in Christchurch, drive the trade to Addington —our early city magnates, were too prone to copy one another, instead of considering what laws were best calculated to benefit the inhabitants. Take as a contrast the weekly cattle sales in England, there, as a rule (in fact, I do not know of an exception), the cattle markets are in the very centre of the towns and cities, and principal streets on market days are ofteu, blocked with cattle, passing to and fro. Timid women and children sometimes retreat into shops for safety—and that is the only inconvenience caused, then why should such a fuss be made here, and trade thus be driven away from us. Apologising for the length of letter.—lam, etc., Ratepayer. Ashburton, Bth September.