The Chronicle, PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER, 14, 1911 FOXTON'S NINE MUSES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 September 1911, Page 2

The Chronicle, PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER, 14, 1911 FOXTON'S NINE MUSES.

I Sidki.ichts upon Foxton's stagnation | darini'. the period of forty or fifty j years tlmt =!:ns ensued since that dis- • frict was first settled wore shod for j those who could see them during | recent discussion in. the Foxton : ii;ir<niyell Council concerning the advisabloncss of getting a Im'jh-pres-sire water supply for the joint use of Shannon and Foxton. Details the (lis-iission appeared in our yesterday's !.ss;io. Foxton, as everybody kivows. is a sc.nds'.vopt,-droiigih-ty town, in which the- chronic ini .'-ufficiency of the average summer j ■ i 11 fnl 1 is made greater through S the failure of the average F'fixlonian | house-owners to supply their tenants I v. ith sufficient tank's for the conser- | ration of t6e lain that does fall. | Foxton, in short, is the somnolent borough of let things wait ; the town i of grudge a penny; the home of j municipal ineffectiveness. A new ; public ha'll has been built there this I year—for the accommodation of i travelling companies of entertainers | —but an immeasurably more importpint need— that of getting for till*? town an effective water .supply--has been postponed indefinitely. "Why not? the councillors ask. There is lots of water in the river: and if ifc is muddy and. brackish and flax shiiii-o-d that is 110 "re.:it matter, apparently. Beside*, it may rain more than usual in the ■appro-aclring summer season! In n.nv event, the fact remains that the proposed K-hannon-F'.ixton water sup plv scheme, of which much has been .said an'l written during the Inst six iuo.nfbs or so ha.-, been postponed iV.r further consideration until twelve months' time or was it twelve years!'- by the vacillating hor ! ough council of Foxton. The scheme was entered upon .so vigorously in its early stages, and the detail was considered so mutually satisfactory as it was being worked up from stage to stage, that Shannon folk 'began to congratulate themselves upon the seeming fact that their troubles and Foxton's concerning water shortages were at an end. But now that theproposal has rea bed >a stage whereat .some-tiling definite needs to be -done —some step to be taken that will commit the Foxton "Borough Council to .something concrete, instead of maintaining a nebulous proposition— that more 'or less sapient body— Jiko the. municipal periwinkle that it is—recoils into its shell of impervious nature and exclaims "Avaunt" to the -Shannon delegates. Wo can sympathise with .Shannon Here in Levin the- citizens had a. like experience with the Foxtonian council. Miat coquettish body minced and tripped around, the Levin BorOugh Council for six or eight weeks about a year ago. In the end, Levin made ti'em a .very fair offer in regard to tapping this town's high-pressure water supply with' a main for Foxton. It was at this point that the practical stage w.a,s reached; s'o- the Foxton Borough Council at this stage felt that it must "break off-negoti-ations. Nino months later the Foxton Borough Council had got venturesome again, and so -a coquettish expedition of water seekers set out for Shannon. Quite a number of estimable Shannon citizens then were induced to mount fiery steeds and venture up semi-impassable ravines and down dangerous declivities. in pain of -body and danger of limb, to prove the inexhaustible nature of the available water supplies. The Foxtail visitors were reported to he charmed. Probably they would have continued so had Shannon been willing to let the scheme remain one for fulfilment in some shadow \ future. As, however, Shannon's executive displayed a reasonable degree of haste, Foxton--became alarmed, and this weak- it was resolved that Foxton Borough Council give -Shannon twelve months' notice of intention to hold the next meeting I If Shannon folk are well advised they will put small trust in effectiveness as an alleged helper, and perfect stome smaller and less expensive water supply scheme , nhich the\ themsehes nil]

to pay Cor and. maintai. Foxton, wo are afraid, will not get its liighpressuro water supply until tho Health Department steps in and instals it willy nilly; but wo fully expect to hear tlio Fox ton Borough Council nmkiru!, watery ventures in 191.3 t-ORomoot.hcr town of sufficient altitude and scenery to j.pve reasonable, grounds lor approach on tlio subject-