A SHARP NOSED CONTEMPORARY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2125, 15 December 1880, Page 2

A SHARP NOSED CONTEMPORARY.

A gentleman who has chosen the euphonious nom-de-plume of j “ Putrefaction” has written to our morning contemporary, the “ Lyttelton Times,” with a very singular object. Unfortunately “ Putrefaction” is not acquainted with the Chairman of the Board of Health—whom, by the way, he seems to have a great respect for, calling him the “ august Chairman” —but be seems to wish for an introduction through the medium of our contemporary. The one desire of “ Putrefaction’s” heart is that the Chairman should walk half a dozen times—just before luncheon if possible—up and down the asphalted footpath on the West side of Manchester street, between Gloucester and Armagh streets. To show there is no sinister object in view, the Chairman is asked to bring disinfectants with him, and presumably “Putrefaction” is prepared to meet him there and bear him company in what would otherwise be a somewhat lonely vigil All this is very friendly, and we feel confident that the charm of “ Putrefaction’s” manner and conversation will make the interview pass off most agreeably. But then our contemporary itself steps on to the stage and in a footnote to the letter in question states that it has of late noticed a terrible increase in what may be termed the “ bouquets ” pervading the streets of Christchurch and that such increase dated from the time when the City Council took over the management of sanitary matters in the city from the Board of Health. Wo have always noticed that the olfactory nerves of our contemporary are very highly strung. In scenting out the supposed misdeeds of the present Government, they are brought into use with the greatest regularity and vigour, and have apparently been sharpened rather than blunted by the exercise. So that when our contemporary states that, at a particular juncture, a perceptible increase in miasmic atoms was observable, nobody can bo astonished. The only singular part of the business is that the powers of the Board of Health have not yet been transferred to the City Council, owing to some hitch in the negociations. The interesting question will, therefore, arise whether the supposition that the City Council had the powers, led our contemporary to fancy that “ street nuisances had increased enormously,” or whether an absolute increase in such nuisances led it to imagine that the City Council was in possession of the said powers. In either case it will he noticed that the perfervid imagination of the “ Lyttelton Times,” which has heretofore created bottomless swamps. Native conspiracies and other trifles out of pure moonshine, is still well to the front.