The Evening Star. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3735, 11 February 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1875.

There can be no doubt tbat the supply of gus to the City should be in the han.ds of the Corporation. It is one ot those specialties that takes it out of the list of articles that can be most cheaply obtained by private enterprise. Mr Reeves’s motion is well timed, if, as he said, there is a rumor that the Gasworks will be purchased by a private company, for it is well that before men invest in speculations of that sort they should be made aware of the extent of the risk likely to be incurred. Since last the gas question was prominently before the public, the circumstances of the C&fy have materially changed : population has vpiy much increased, streets have been built up, and townships created, We believe, to meet ti fci consequent demand for gas, extensive additions have been made to the works themselves ; but it is not at all likely that they will long continue to meet grtims wants of Jtanttifc* wfcite

through recent improvements gas can now be manufactured at a very reduced cost. In fact, it has become questionable whether it is not more profitable for large consumers to manufacture their own gas rather than obtain supplies from the public Gasworks, While, therefore, in introducing a new system of supply to the town, no unfair advantage should be taken of existing proprietaries, the public interests should not be allowed to be tampered with as they were by the “ shrewd business men ” who conducted the affairs of the Waterworks Company, and who contrived to squeeze three or four pounds a share out of the City more than they originally bargained for. Luckily the Corporation had a lesson then which the City is not likely to forget in a hurry. We are by no means sure that our civic ways of going about municipal work is the best. It is very fair and very straightforward to have their discussions open to the world, although in matters of purchase and sale the advantage is always on the side of the sellers where they are the buyers. It is like a game of dummy at whist : though all see the open hand, dummy’s partner alone knows how to play his cards to suit himself. This is not exactly the plan followed by the Government at Home when they want to bu} r . True, they have a broker, who is known as their agent, but he is broker to scores as well, and when he buys in the stock market he has himself to blame if he declares his principal before his bargains are completed; while, sometimes, in delicate operations, he is able to keep himself altogether out of sighf. We have many times heard it said, “ If I had known it had been for the Government, I would not have sold at the price,” when the actual purchaser was made known. But by our system no such business tact is possible. The matter must be made public, the way of going about the work defined, the price discussed, the principles on which the Corporation is to act laid down. It is not possible for the Mayor, in reply to a question, to satisfy Councillor So-and-so by saying “ it is not for the interests of the City that the information sought should be given.” That would not suit the Councillor’s dignity nor that of his constituents. They would immediately begin to fume and fidget, and desire to know what on earth was the reason that in a free country, where everybody paid rates, they should not have a voice in what was going on. “ Are we not as wise as our neighbors'?” would be their indignant reply ; and “ why should we be kept in the dark ? We do not approve of hole-and-corner proceedings.” Exactly so; and therefore, everybody must be taxed to all time for the straightforward openmouthedness of the City Council. In the case of the Gasworks, however, the proprietor will have to state his price, and although his position differs from that in which the “shrewd business” directors of the Waterworks were placed, who contrived to get the Corporation to fix the increasing value of their shares, or from dealers who know they have to compete with others in their contracts for supplies, he yet has to face the fact that the Corporation may decide upon the construction of new works, including the most economical and perfect appliances, and that they have not the monopoly clauses to contend against, with which the Waterworks Company was armed. Although six years ago, two competing manufacturers of gas would have been more than was needed, and one of them would in all probability have had to close his works, so rapid has been the increase of the inhabited parts of Dunedin that it is questionable whether the present works are sufficient to supply its needs. But if it be necessary to construct new works, the Corporation will have to look forward to future requirements. Dunedin is a well-grown infant city—very large for between twenty and thirty years of age, but very small compared with what it must- shortly be, in consequence of the concentration of trade through harbor improvement, central Provincial rail way stations, and the trades that necessarily cluster round them. That we are paying clearly for our gas, the quotations given last night prove ; that we cannot at present help ourselves is manifest ; but that it is the interest of the proprietor of the Gasworks to make the most of his present opportunity by making fair terms with the Corporation is equally plain, and we have no doubt he will see his way to do it.

Despite the new Licensing Act three new public houses were opened in Westport on Yew Year’s Day. We believe that the return cricket match. 'lhion v. ‘Bruce Herald’ Clubs, will be -ilayed her' on the 20th inst. A son of the we I known Professor Jacobs is performing with considerable success at ' uckland as a c nj iror a d ventril quiet The fire InH ran« for some mi - ntea at about one o’clock to-day, but the conflarra t’on proved to be only ju th» chimney of a house in, Deorge street, occupied by Mr i ear as a boot shop. The v o th Dunedin Harmonic Society nv't for practice 1-st night They hav*> m’disuch good progress in singing that ve believe it is proposed to give a public ounce- 1 :n r week. The Sydney cricketers after seeming a vic» tory against the Victorian eleven, hj • i tintables turned upon thetp by the Ballarat players, who were slighdy handicapped. The scores were : Pallant Fifteen 131 mi l 90; I th Wales levon, 108 and #0 The match was decided by the first innings a t Hokitika a few days s*nce, a HttV b fant was very nearly carried out to sea. It had n 1 ft on a log on the beach, and a roller convng up the child w*as being carried away, when a boy of about t°n v p ars of age, the son of Mr Parker, fcootrpiker, hashed into the yraitox and jwtwd

The Artillery Band were inspected last, night by Adjutant Atkinson who, after vhe parade, presented the New Zealand war medal lo Gunn- r Greenfield. A presentation of a purse of a hundred .mineas h.s Ren made to Hie Rev. A. R. F tchett, of \ucklaud “in recognition of die able services rendered by him as euitor of the ‘ New Zeal nd Wesleyan.’ ” A private telegram received in Christchurch fiom the Hon. «C B-wen stats that the visit of bis Exc dleuey the Governor to that Province will have to be postponed, as he is compd ed t> go Nonh. efforts wi I fie made to induce hj s Excellency to arrant a matteis so that he will be able to attend the Ghristchurch Autumn I!ace .vie. ting. The Melbourne 'Herald’ learns that Signor Orlandiui, the splendid baritone of the Agatha States troupe, is reported to have gone mad in San Francisco. The death of uis wife, Madame .States, to whom he had been married after a divorce, from her former husband, William States, who had drank, himself into insanity, is stated to be the cause. This morning as a little boy, aged six years, son of Mrs Cosgrove, of Walker street, was p’aying in Messrs Guthrie and Laruach’s yard, he got jammed amonust some of the timber. His ones soon attracted attention, and he was extricated, but it was tound that bis leg was broken. Sergeant \nd. rsou got a mattrass for the little fellow, and he was taken to the Hospital to be attended to. The latest report from the manager of the Kameri Lake Water-race Company is dated ihe Ist inst , ami Air Creber states vhat the varum- works on the race are progressing satisfactorily. By the end of the present mouth the race is expected io be compile ’■o the Hau ban. The contract for section--20 and 21 was expected to bo completed wi hm a week from the date of the report, and a second contract by the 15th ,nst ugg stoma are made that the <n.i or -hould be instructed to survey a line of race down through the big paddock toward th, -own, as there is a probability of the grounn being taken up along the lead in front of the end of the race, and that twenty acres of land at the lake should be purcha-ed. A meeting of the Victodan Rifle Association was recently held in Melbourne, at which a Etter was read from Captain -St John Mildmay, Secr-1 ary of the national r>ifle Association of England, in repL to emsent by the Victorian Rifle Assocra-km relative to sending a team of Australians to the next meeting at Wimbledon. He expressed the satisfaction that would be felt at receiving a Colonial team in England. As in the case of the Canadians, w m bad now been present at Wimbledon uu iug tbr. e meetings, camp accommodation would b< provided for them, which would greatly mediate matters lor them, and save them some expens •. He was in hopes of being able to announce that thirty Snider riflewould be sent put on loan in order that the Australian nfl men might practice wi ii them, so as to place them on a level in large bore matches with the riflemen in England who were armed with that weapon. 1■ e also promised that if a Colonial team visited England, they would be allowed to make post entries for the various matches. It was decid d that a copy of the letter should be sent to the New ' outh Wales i-ifle Association, and i s consideration be deferred until a reply bad been received from them.

In its report of the recent accident at the Rangitata, the litnaru ‘Herald’ states '-hat Wragge, after fetching out of the wat»r the 1 fcless body of Airs Hunt, re turned to the assistance of her bnsoand.’who was standing just below whee the biu_y capsized, up to hi, knees iu the water, Mr Hunt said to him, “ You ve drowned my wde ; drown me.” Wragge endeavored t... get him to a s it which was on the north side of t'>e stream, a few yaids hwm, but Mr Hunt struggled wi hj bun, got away ,rom his grasp, and floated away out of his sight. ,vlrs Cunningham, ttie ferryman says, disappeared fro u his sight short y after the buggy turned over. The funeral took place on Sunday. It was attended by the members of the &t. Johns (E (J.) and Caledonian (S.C.) Masonic Lodges, of the former of which Mr Hunt was a in mber, and a con coarse of not less than 1 200 persons. Regarding the viatims of this sad accident, ihe • Herald ’ says “ \ir Hunt was belo ed by all the school children, and he was also highly respected by the rown up pinion f hs corn uun ty tor his abi ity and high character. 'ocially, both he and Airs Hun* were warm y regarded by a large circle of friends, who deeply feel the loss they have sustained.”

It will be remembered that in recent Eng lish telegrams it was stated that a farewell dinner had been given to a Sergeant Major of Hussars, who was go ng out to New Zealand as instructor to the Cavalry the Govern meai were about raising. The annouuc ment . reated some litCe surprise in the obmy. U appears, however, to have been correct ex;ept as r gards the intention of our tio ve ument to raise a new defence force. Bi ihe viichael o, at 'elson (remarks the * Boat,') there arrived in ih-. Colony notone but six drill-instructors all nou-C'immis*ioneO officers m tlie Imperial service, whose tim ; hid exp ri d, or who have obtai ed leave until they become entitled io ischarge. Tw of these mm were u the Gavalry, two m die Royal Artillery, and two in ihe ifl ■ Brigade. On arriving at AtLou tiny were sent to Wellingto n and several of them have since received st.ff situa’ions as drill sergeants. Color--ergeant Bell, of the Hide Biigade, succeeds e*-geant Carey as Stalfrtergeant to Colonel ; oader hero, and the other Rifle-instructor has been sent to Uunediu. One of the Cavalry sergeants has gone to Wanganui, and one of the Artillery instructors to .Napier. The two remaining Artillery and Cavalry sergeants are still in Wellington, thtir destinations not having been decided upon. A meeting of the Union of Otago Temple Lodge, 1.0. G.T., will bo held at the Temperance Hall, to-morrow (Friday) evening, at eight o’clock. A meeting of those interested in the formation of a Court of the A.O.F. at Caversham will take place in the school-house, to morrow evening, at 7.30. An adjourned meeting of the Star of Free dom Lodge, No. 5, 1.0. G.T., was held in the school-house, Linden, on Wednesday Rut. ’ihere was a fair attendance of members, and the following brothers and sisters were duly installed as officers for the next three month* by L.D. Bro. Morris:—Kro. J. Cunningham, jam, W C.T. ; Bro. Joseph Scanlan, > ,V.T • Bro. Colin Taylor, WS. aud W.K.S.; Bro J. Cunningham, W.T. ; Bro. J. Hirrell, W.M. ; Bro. George Lindsay, W.O. ; Bro G. S. \ eish, W.I.G. ; Bro. |A. Biggar, W.O.G. ; Sis. Ami Duff, R.H.S,; Sis. F. E. Kcslezlio, L.H.S. A correspondent wishes to know if there is no way of remedying the disgusting practice of the fishermen leaving the offal of their fish exposed on the wator’ij edge $t the end of the Rattray street jetty. He says : “Yesterday I had occasion to proceed to the end of the whaif, and the stench there was fearful. On examination 1 found upwards of thirty gropers’ heads lying about in Various stages of decomposition. In ndilition to that, there was the offal of several boat loads of fish, aud, bearing in mind the heat of the sun yesterday, the effluvium arising therefrom may be more easily imagin- d than described. This is a mds noe which s-iould be speedily abated, as, apart from the inconvenience suffered by the large number of men working on the wharf, it is highly