Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, September, 1, 1874

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 251, 1 September 1874, Page 4

Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, September, 1, 1874

At last, there seems every probability that a final settlement will be made of the question—What is to become of Block IX.? How long the Council might have deferred a settlement of it, it is impossible to say ; for ever, we are inclined to think, they would willingly have done so. Bub Mr John Marsh, in a forcible, if uncourteous, manner, has brought the question under their consideration, and in such a way that a decision must be come to in the matter : the thing cannot be shirked or temporised with any longer. Mr Marsh's motive in writing to the Government has a leaven of personal interest in it: this much he acknowledges in a letter he sends us for in-, sertion, which is printed elsewhere. Such things are not generally done in a spirit of patriotism. But no matter what his motive, his action cannot be looked upon otherwise than as a benefit. The non-set-tlement of the question has for the last three years beena standing grievance with the citizens. No Mayor or Councillor has been elected in all that time who has not promised to do his utmost towards settling it. And if Mr Marsh wrote to the Government, and overlooked the Council, because he thought an application to the Council useless, the history of the past three years fully justified him in so thinking. And the Council, when the Government take them to task in the matter, vent their wrath on Mr Marsh, and cry out that he has insulted them ! A number of the citizens, in the full belief that nothing now remains but that a final settlement of the question must now be come to, attend a meeting of the Council, and are rewarded with—what? Nothing, simply. We certainly cannot compliment the Council upon the exhibition of any wish to enter upon consideration of the subject. We want some knowledge of the grievance, say they. Just as if every one of them did not know it thoroughly, and some of them only too well for their own peace of mind. What the Government would have said if the motion to send back their letter had been carried, it is not hard to guess. Very little would they have said perhaps, but they certainly would not have hesitated long to do something. The motion was a most foolish one, although certainly the two Councillors who supported it had some shadow of reason on their side, for they were the only two who could lay claim to the title of new members ; and therefore may have felt aggrieved that no opportunity was afforded them of making a name for themselves by moving in the matter. Mr Marsh has " cut them out," and as we have said, if his motives will not bear strict investigation from a public-spirit point of view, he at least must be awarded the credit in the future of brintrins: the matter to a crisis.

The matter is one which excites a good deal of interest in the town. A number of persons, as is well known, have built on this Block IX., some with and some without the permission of the Council. In the letter which the Government have sent to the Council, it is stated that." it may become the duty of the Superintendent" to remove all buildings on it, and this, being a step which " would be both oppressive and expensive" to the citizens, the Superintendent hopes he will not be forced into doing. But at the same time, the Council

are.adyised that. this very, step it is their * d"ty..t'Q take, and are urged to take it Where, then, is the difference in theji expense and oppression to the citizens between such a step on the part of one and of the other—the Superintendent and the Council ? The letter, however, is rather contradictory. Having first advised,and urged such a step, and then bewailed the - expense and oppression of it, it says the. Superintendent "trusts the. Council will make such arrangements as will avoid its necessity." . Here, therefore, is. the question : What arrangements that the Council, may make will'be the most satisfactory to the greatest number of the citizens ? For it is surely evident from the words we have quoted, that steps are open to the Council other than a wholesale removal. Doubtless, if the history of the whole affair is studied, the truth will be found to be. that the buildings on Block IX. are there illegally. But owing to a combination of. circumstances, the buildings are there, and the best must now be made of the matter. Referring again to the letter, the Government say that on the occasion of Messrs Turnbull and Bastimgs' visit,." if reference is made to the public prints, it will be seen that in language as plain as possible the then Town Council were told that the; parties encroaching on Block IX. and on the street were doing an illegal act, and. that the Council not only had a right to remove them, bub that it was their duty to do so." , Now, a reference to the public prints discloses nothing of the kind. In the report published in this journal of the conference held in the Town-hall with the above-named gentlemen, the following is the summary of what was said on that occasion in relation to this question :

The next matter brought forward was what is commonly known as the Block IX. question. The Mayor explained the action which had been taken by the Council, and asked whether the proposal to narrow the street to a uniform width ot fifty-seven feet would be legalised by the Government. Mr Colclough produced the town map, and further explained the business. Mr Bastings said it was entirely a matter for the Corporation to deal with : if they wished to remove the people who had taken possession of part of the street, they certainly had the power to do so, although, if the residents in Melmore-terrace were all agreeable, they also had the power, he thought, to allow the encroaching buildings to remain. His opinion. was that any one who owned land on the north side of Melmore-terrace could, with good reason, object to part of the street on the south side being squatted upon. Crs. Grant and Shanly supported the.proposal to narrow the street to the width of fifty seven 'feet, and Cr. Grant said a memorial was lying on • the table in support of it. Cr. Jolly said it was numerously signed, and that few objections had been made.to with the request tained in it ; hut the reason for this was that .those who had objections thought the thing would never be carried out, or sanctioned by the Government, and so had given themselves very little trouble about it. Mr Bastings said the recreation reserve, called Block IX., would be vested in the Corporation when the Crown grant for it was procured, but the Corporation and the townspeople would require to settle the street question themselves.

Surely this report does not bear out the statement made in the letter. It will be seen that the Government on that occasion rather encouraged the idea that the matter would be .left entirely in the hands of the Council, to act with regard to it as •seemed to them best. So that the Council, judging by the wording of the letter, are ' not by any means tied down to a certain course of action, and that alone. They are at perfect liberty, we think, to take the step which may be advisable in the eyes of a majority of the citizens. What that step shall be is the question, therefore. And really it seems to us that the most sensible thing the Council could do is to arrange with the Government that the block may be sold. So far as we know, there can be no great objection to this course; while certainly much may be said in favour of it, if only the argument of " expense and oppression" is used. True, the lessening of the width of the main street is an evil. But the street, even if it be narrowed, will suit the re-quh-ements of all traffic in Cromwell for', years to come, and in years to come who knows where the main street may be ? Not, in all likelihood, in its present locality. The petition published elsewhere to some extent represents public feeling on the matter, and if the Council see their way to endorse its prayer before presentation to' the Superintendent, we are of opinion t'ley will do wisely. But whatever action may be eventually taken in the matter, the great object—a final settlement—will be achieved, and looking at it from this point of view, Mr Marsh's letter to the Government must be considered, not a calamity, but a blessing.

Council, but Or. Grmpt was not able to be present. -By courtesy, a' reporter from this,gaper was; allowed to be present, although not with the intention of publishing a report of what took place. But we may be allowed to givg a kind of resume of the arguments used by the speakers on that occasion, and to comment on the conclusions arrived at, or rather the conclusion as to the source of for this was the main point of .their deliberation. By almost a unanimity of opinion, Firewood Creek, we are happy to say, was agretd upon. It is needless to explain-why we are glad of this! result \ All who have read this journal for the last four years,—since its birth, in fact, —can understand that. And we believe we are correct in saying that the great majority of the citizens will be also well pleased; The only real opponent to the scheme was Cr Taylor, and there is no doubt he can be credited with a thoroughly conscientious opposition. His main argument against Firewood Creek being chosen was that in summer there is an insufficiency of supply. This is an argument that has frequently been brought forward, and as frequently laughed to storn by those who have known the creek for years. The Major and Crs. Shanly and Hayes, who have been particularly well acquainted , with the creek for some tea or eleven years, gave ample testimony thtt this scant-sup-ply idea was a false one, and completely overwhelmed the evidence of Cr. Taylor. This argument satisfactorily disposed of, really there is no other against the Firewood Creek scheme that cau hold good for a moment. The supply is proved to exist, the purity is now known, the pressure to be obtained is not disputed, and the cost can easily be calculated to te nothing out of the way. As the Mayor sad, for £2OOO a supply of water can be circuited throughout the town beyond the Coirt-house, and this will fulfil all requirement for at least the next ten years. When -*ve have" Outgrown this arrangement, an extension at

any time is a matter of no cost Jeyond that of the piping. . Cr. Taylor, wh« did all the pleading on behalf of the scheme of supply from Mount Pisa, said he was prepared to enter into figures to shew thtt such a scheme wonld at least have the merit of cheapness, while no one ever doubted the sufficiency of it He did not enter into particulars, for indeed to do so was useless, after the arguments advanced by Cr. Hayes against any scheme from the westward.

This gentleman,, who," as is. well known,. has held interests in water. raceatfeam,the Lowburn direction for years', completely turned any wavering of opinion there may have been. " Buy a water right from the Lowburn," he said, " and there will be no end to the expense. Pipes will have to laid the whole distance to the source if any regularity of supply is wished, and of

course this is not to be thought of. But, if this is not done, the Corporation will have to employ, a man to do nothing else but watch for breakages and make repairs? And even with this attendance, which vill

entail an expense of £3 or £i a week, no security can be felt that at any time the race will not break away, and the Corpora tion not only be called upon to make good the damage, but deprived of any supply for perhaps three months at a spell." ''Ah," said one Councillor, "such a thing may not happen for a hundred years." " True," replied Cr. Hayes, " but it may happet with equal probability to-morrow night." This, to use a forcible expression, was a ditcher. Of course, the expense of laying pijes to the Lowburn could not be thouglt of. And any scheme which necessitate! the carrying of the water in an open ra;e for any distance across the Cromwell flai, cau certainly not meet with the sympathies of a public who have had such a terrible experience as we have of the effects of in pure water. So that we think we can safety congratulate the Council upon having dtcided upon a scheme which will accord wLh the

views of nine-tenths of the ratepayers. All that now remains,—Cromwell laving been more lucky than its sister tovnship in having had a Waterworks Bill oassed through the Assembly,—is for the Council to use a quick despatch in carrying cut the scheme,.and this they are apparency determined to do. The report of th« Committee will be brought up at next Council meeting, when our readers will be able to see in detail the recommendations nade in connection with the subject.

It will be noticed that a public meeting is called for the purpose of forming a lire Brigade in Cromwell. The Mayor, Mr D. A. Jolly, has received a reply to a lettej sent by him to Mr Job Watn, captain of the Dunedin Fire Brigade, which contains much valuable and handy information as to the anirant and cost of plant necessary to a Brigade suitable to the requirements of a small ilace like Cromwell. The cost of a really serviceable plant is very much less than would be imagined, arid there need exist not the slightest

reason why a very efficient body sheuld not be raißed in Cromwell. The subject is one, we are aware, which is liable to be treated with apathy, but it is one of these subjects regarding which apathy is liable to bring its own punishment. It is very hard to say, if a fire broke out in our main street, where the destruction might end, and we have not the remotest provision for in any way arresting the progress of a conflagration. Those who attend the meeting to-morrow night, and hear the letter read, will be surprised on learning the small amount of monev necessary to buy the plant for a Brigade. It is a matter in which every-householder should take the warmest interest, and we hope to see a spirited attempt made to form a body of Ihe kind.

On our third page will be found some matter of interest in connection with the Block IX. question, including a copy of the petition to the Superintendent on the subject.

Wonder is frequently expressed as to when the Police are to take possession of the new camp buildings. They have been to all appearance completely finished for some two months or more, but there is not the slightest indication of any move towards their occupation. What possible use they may be standing idle it is impossible to say, and any impartial observer will bear us out in the opinion that they are certainly no great ornament.

It will be noticed in another column, Mr T. Fergus, our District Engineer, has consented to deliver a lecture in aid of the funds of the Cromwell school. We are sure a treat may be expected.

Mr M'Eachen, photographer, advertises his intention of shortly visiting Clyde. An accident happened at the Reliance Company's mine, Bendigo, yesterday forenoon, by which a workman named Henry Daniels was severely hurt. He was engaged in cutting away some timber in the shaft, and cut too many of the girders, leaving insufficient support for the ladder on which he was standing. This therefore came down, and he with it, being precipitated to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of some thirty feet. The ladder no doubt aided in breaking his fall, and fortunately there was about two feet of water at the bottom, which also contributed to save him from more serious injury. As it was, however, he was very badly bruised. His agony while being brought to the surface is described as having been extremely heartrending and pitiful to witness. Messrs Hoare and Partridge, two of his fellow-workmen, brought him into Cromwell in a buggy, and took him to.Dr Stirling, who was some tune before he could determine to what extent the poor fellow •was injured. We believe no danger is apprehended of any fatal result. Dr Carr, the mesmerist, has been giving a series of his seances and lectures at Oaniaru, to densely crowded houses. Mr. George Fache sold Fenian and Boomerang, the property of the late Mr David Taggart, and both well-known horses in thisdis» trict, by auction on Friday last. Fenian was purchased by Mr T. Parsons, for £29, and Mr Hazlett bought Boomerang for £33. The Good Templars intend to hold a soiree and concert in Kidd'sHali in.&bout three weeks' time.. Their numbers are increasing rapidiy, and they now possess a roll in Cromwell of some sixty members. Lodges are to be formed shortly at Carrickton and at Clyde. Rather an important point of law was raised in the Warden's Court last Friday, during the hearing of the case, Maher v. Goodger. Mr Wilson's first question to Maher, in cross-exami-nation, elicited the information that he was not the possesser of a miner's right, and on this admission the Warden at once said he thought Maher had therefore no standing in the Warden's Court. Mr Cowan, Maher's solicitor, appeared nonplussed for a moment ; but on his request for the production of authority for such an opinion, it was discovered that the matter was by no means so clear as evidently both the Warden and Mr Wilson believed it was. Section lxxii. of the Goldfields Act, 1866, gives the Warden jurisdiction in cases such as the one under notice, but section exit., which defines the cases in which a person shall be held incapable to sue without being the holder of a miner's right, does not embrace the cases mentioned in section lxxii. The Warden said he was of the decided opinion that the intention of the Legislature w;is to prevent a person bringing a complaint in the Warden's Court unless he were the possessor of a miner's right, and he thought that liter Acts laid the point down more clearly ; bub reading section CXii. with lxxii., of the 1866 Act, no such intention could be held to be expressed. However, he would look the matter up, and give a decision en the point raised next Court day. By the courtesy of Inspector Moore, we are enabled to give the following statement of gold forwarded by Escort from Clyde to Dunedin yesterday:— ozs. dwts. Queenstown • - • 1324 2 Arrow .... 354 0 Cardrona .... 376 7 Cromwell • - - . 860 16 Clyde .... n ;i Alexandra - - . 337 0 Teviot .... 554 0 Total .... 3796 7 A laconic but sensible German ought to be sent out to lecture on temperance :—" I sail tell you how it vas. I drank mine lager ; den I put mine hand on mine head, and dere vosh vone pain. Den I put mine hand on mine body, and dere vosh auoder pain. Den I put mine hand in mine pocket, aud dere vas noting. So I jine mid de demperance. Now dere ish no pain more in mine head, and de pain in my body vas all gone avay. T put mine hand into mine pocket, and dere vas 20 dollars. So I stay mid de demperance."

The Duke of Hamilton is retiring from the turf. He has sold a portion of his stud in Paris for £6,156.

Mr P. W. Burwell, architect, has shown us a tastefully executed water colour view of the new Cromwell Episcopalian Church. If the building only looks half as well when completed as it does in this picture, the structure will be quite an ornament to that town.— Wakatip Mail. *' We hear that it is the intention of Mr James Hazlett shortly to offer the favourite racing mare, Brunette, for sale by public auction. The Dunstan Timta states that he has sold Atlas to a Mr White, of Southland. Both Houses were to combine in giving a farewell dinner to His Excellency on Friday night. He goes Home to take part in the activity of politics.