The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1880.

Dunstan Times, Issue 965, 15 October 1880, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1880.

Beneaihtherule of men entirely jvurth PEN is MIGHTIER than tiI fSWOED

The more we consider tlie proposed official changes in this district, the more cause do we see to he dissatisfied. They seem to have originated in the most profound ignorance ot geographical circumstances, and to have been resolved upon with culpable disregard of the necessities and requirements of the pu'dic, such as, we venture to say, was never before displayed by any Government- - Provincial or General—in New Zealand. It is hard to beiieve that .Ministers are acting upon advice tendered by local officials ; and we must therefore regard public rumour as a common liar No Minister can know so well as the officials on the spot, how any district can be best worked, and our officials must know that this district cannot bo worked satisfactorily in the manner proposed. We therefore will assume that, in this ca«e, Government is taking its own course, irrespective ot, or in opposition to advice. Let ns again place the matter plainly before the public. The proposal is that the Courts at Alexandra and Clyde shall be attended to by a clerk resident at Cromwell, who will visit these townships on Court days ; and that the Court at Blacks shall he attended to by a clerk from Naseby whose attendance will be of the same perfunctoiy character. The three townships are to be left without a clerk residing in either one of them. The routine business is to be transacted—no one knows how. But the routine business is the most important of any. It is of small consequence where the Warden- M agistrate resides, so long as he attends punctually at the various courts. It is of immense importance that the clerk should be a resident officer. His functions are not bounded or circumscribed by the mere bench-work of court-days. His services are in constant requirement for the receipt of applications; for taking payment of rents on agricultural leases and deferred payment land.--; for the issue of summonses and warrants; for the registration of eb ctors, and an infinite variety of other necessary business. It is then a manifest absurdity to suppose that one half the entire district can be worked properly without a resident clerk. If it suits j the Wardens to have the district cut | up as is designed, it certainly will not | suit the people, who will be sufferers thereby. Take the Land business, which is very important now, and is becoming more so, day by day, at this end of the district. We say, and wo challenge reply to demonstrate the contrary, that it cannot be conducted so as to give even a moderate amount of satisfaction unless a clerk ' is retained at i lyde. All the records are here ; I the District Survey Office is here;and, i whoever sits at Blacks, reference must bo made to that office and those re--1 cotds. If Mr Warden Robinson is to

do duty at Opbir, still is it most im-! portaut that the clerk at Clyde should, bo to speak, gather for . him, and place before him the info.imat ion necessary for him to deal with the cases and applications whereupon he will have to adjudicate In this direction we opine the people should move without delay, and before it has become too late to wove. If the forelock of Time is not now seized, it will be unavailing to complain hereafter. The whole arrangement in this matter of land-purchase is bad. Why should the people at Mount Barker and Pembroke have to visit Arrow town to transact their business, as at present. That portion of the Lake district should beattaclu’d toCromwell; and if it were, the clerk there would tind his hands sufficiently full of work, besides which the public convenience would be gi-eatly facilitated. Now would seem to be a favourable opportunity for moving in that direction, seeing that the clerk and bailiff at Arrowtowu are to be dispensed with ; and we hope to see onr Cromwell neighbours bestir themselves to secure this change The police, quest inn has already been taken in hand, with what result remains to be seen. The removal of the clerk toseems us to he of equal —if not of more importance. And unless Clyde, Alexandra and Blacks artcontent to be altogether wiped out of existence, their inhabitants will take some action to ward off the disasters which now threaten them. We will remind them, in the words of a wellknown poet : “ If 'twere done, T’were well it were done quickly.” Thu Cromwell Argus is remarkably quiet this week. There is Just a soupfon of the usual bluster, but it is so mild as to be almost pardonable, considering that our contemporary is evidently smarting from the effects of the castigation we had occasion to administer to him. We did not “spare the rod,” and the effect is obvious. Moreover it is satisfactory to find that our contemporary does occasionally have a lucid interval. But perhaps he cannot help it ; for ho seems to be influenced by some higher power, as was Balaam, the son of Beor, who went forth to curse the enemies of Balak, and behold ho altogether blessed them. One of the strong points made by us last week iu discussing the proposed official changes, was that it would be better to retain Blacks and cut off Roxhu'gh. And our contemporary in his last leader, after beating about the bush to no purpose, unwillingly and ungraciously at last expresses his concurrence with our views. To show that this is as we represent, we icpi int, si le by side, our own remarks and those of the Cromwell Argus.

Extract from the Extract from the Dunstan Tim s, Oct. Cromwell Arcus, Oct, Sih, ISBO. 12th, 1880.

A more sensible ar- The only alteration rangement than that that could well be pr oposed would have nr ado is to retain the been to cut off Rox- Blacks district withburgb, with which in the Dunstan juristhis nistnet has liter- diction and annex ally no connection, Roxburgh to Tuaand to retain Blacks, peka, and we have which is an integral no doubt the wi»dom portion of the dis- of this step will be trict. pointed out by the