The Dunstan Times. CLYDE FRIDAY, JULY 13 1883.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1106, 13 July 1883, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

CLYDE FRIDAY, JULY 13 1883.

Beneath the ru'.o of men entirely juB k The pen is mightier thur. the sword.

So long bock as April, 1875, Mr Thomas Fergus, then District Road Fngineer, but now M.H.R. for the Takes District, visited the Waikaia Budi for the purpose of reporting to the Government on its worth and the piMCtio bdity of making a road to it from Bald Mill Flat. We have not the report before us, but from what we can remember, Mr Fergus reported in the most glowing terras of the. value of the bush, and with regard to the road he said the only difficulty to he met with tens on the top oj the range, which is ot a swamp// character, a>id that a road could be constructed along the eastern slope of the Old Man Range for at least £2oo'• Mr Fergus will doubtless remember the whole of the circumstances of his visit, and if appealed to, to assist the District member, Mr Pyke, in obtaining a vote for the work this session, we have ho doubt he will readily do so.

At the time Mr Fergus was mo-t favourable to the opening up of the bush from this side of the range, ami fully alive to the great benefits tint would accrue to the Dunstan District from it, and as nothing can possibly have intervened to cause him to alter his opinion, his advocacy, and assistance, rhould go a long way in carrying the vote From the position he hold, traversing the district from end to end, ana being in daily intercourse with the people, none could possibly have known their lequirements better than he. and fully believing in the sincerity of his report, we bold that his advocacy would bo of great worth and maintain that it should be sought During the many years we have known Mr Feiious, he was ever a man of his word What he said to day, he would swear to to-morrow, ami ns in this instance he won d be bound to have records of his trip, his testimo y should be most valuable. It may l>e urged against the work, the report being made eight year , that since then circumstances may have altced the case. We admit tin y have, and most materially, as in the interval it has been demonstrated beyond the question of a doubt, and wr.ioh was very questionable then, that payable r efs abound on the east slope, also ou the summit ot the Old Man Range, and which only need timber on the ground at a reasonable rate for them to be opened out and to employ a large numb r of men ; and moreover L has been proved that the Farnscleugh Plain only requires tickling for it to produce ceieals of a quality equal to, if not better, than any grown in the Clutha Yalley. Already there are nine or ten settlers on thisplain ; and on the ranges there are five gold mining leases, but in consequence of the heavy impost laid on them for what is a necessity in both farming and raining, they are struggling, whereas if timber could be obtained within a reasonable distance, the position of things with them would be far different; instead of struggling they would be forging their way ahead, and carrying with them the district. It resolves itself into the one question-Is the district to retrograde i as retrograde it surely will, unless the advantages we claim are afforded it We unhesitatingly say no ; and urge everyone who has a stake in the district, either by petition or otherwise, to strengthen the hands of the District Member in his appeal for the insignificant sum required.