THE COUNTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 3174, 23 April 1873, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

ARROWTOWN.~An inquiry into the circmn■stances attending the tire which occurred at half past-four a.m. on the 17th iust., whereby Mi Sutler's stacks were destroyed, and also the threshing machine of the Messrs lintel, termi--1111 ted this night about 9 o’clock. Mr \\ arden Stratford and thirteen jurors investigated the matter, and an open verdict was returned. There was, however one dissentient juror, who wished to procure a decision of wilful incendiarism against some person or persons unknown. Without venturing to dispute the justice of the decision of the jurors, it is worthy of remark that the witness Tel ton would appear to have prevaricated greatly in giving Ids evidence. This man had been employed in working the machine for about a fortnight, and when it was shifted on the Kith inst., to Butlers stacks, he was heard to say that ho would not work for Butler, but would leave and take away his swag. Some of tire other men who were in the employ of the owners of the machine proved that his swag had not been removed up to a late hour. Belton says that he removed Ids swag from the neighborhood of the stacks at about ( J o’clock p.m., when no other person was about, and took it to his residence, which is about 200 yards from the scene of the accident; that lie had no light burning in his place at any time during the night, but at daylight when the mm was shining lie heard the alarm of fire, looked out, and saw the flames. His description of the scene was correct ; but it was clearly proved that the fire occurred before daylight, and several wimesses testified to the fact of a light having been seen in Belton’s place at the time. Without wishing to fix suspicion upon anyone from these irreconcilable statements, I think that they deserve at any rate to lie remembered. So many fires have occurred this season that the strictest analysis of the evidence at inquests is demanded, and any leniency in dealing with unsatisfactory witnesses should be carefully meted out.—ln reference to the Kawaran bridge agitation, mentioned in my last letter, which, however, I regret to learn, was mislaid before it reached the Post Office, and is only forwarded by the same mail as this one, I can give your readers the other side of the question. Those favorable to the Franktown scheme say that it will! confer groat benefit upon stockowners in Southland in reaching the Queenstown market, via the Devil’s Staircase, and on the Cromwell and Clyde communities by giving direct passage for timber from the head of the Lake, That the advocates of the Franktown bridge are also favorable to the erection of one at Owen’s punt fact, as many bridges as can be got. But as it is unlikely that more that one bridge will be granted, at any rate for some time, that near Owen’s punt would certainly claim the preference in point of utility to the great proportion of the residents. At tire same time Messrs Hallcnsteiu and Robertson do not deserve all the blame which is attempted to lie thrown upon them. They have, by the judicious and liberal investment of large amounts of money in the timber trade of Lake Wakatip, in agricultural pursuits, and in buildings at Queenstown, and other industries, been to a great extent the means of bringing about the rapidly increasing importance of the city of the Lake and its neighborhood. Had Arrowtown been similarly favored it would hold a far different position from its present one. If the Arrow gets tire bridge, which it has a perfect right to demand, in place of a punt, it will not object to a bridge at Franktown; but it claims as a matter of good faith, that the traffic on present trunk lines of through communication, on the faith of which the lands have been purchased and capital invested, shall not be diverted, to the injury ami loss of the hulk o’ the district. It. is to be regretted that the Arrow and Queenstown divisions have so little sympathy for each other’s requirements or progress.