NOTES FROM NELSON.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 263, 6 March 1886, Page 2

NOTES FROM NELSON.

♦- (FROM OUU OWN CORRESPONDENT.) THii NILE STREET DISASTER.

The judicial enquiry into the death of the unfortunate viciini to amateur engineering was lengthy hut conclusive; find the verdict, although slightly indefinite as to the precise cause, was sufficiently indicative of the opinions of the jury: Faulty design, and inefficient supervision. Endeavours were made to east blame on the workmanship ; but to anyone having auy knowledge of these works it is evident that any slop work is in such cases directly attributable to the Inspector or Clerk of works, whose sole duty it is to interfere and stop the work should any attempt be made on the contractor's part to do anything otherwise than in a workmanlike manner. To compare small things with great; had such a casualty happened on a Government contract (if such a thing could be possible) the result would have been the instant suspension of the Inspector pending an enquiry; the contractor would not have been taken into consideration at all: However, the first act of the play is over and the ratepayers are now impatient for the curtain to lift for the second. Speculation is rife as to the action the city council take. To my mind they have a plain defined path be ore them. They at present stand in the position of a beaten ministry, who, having conceived a borrowing policy, distasteful to a section of the public, hastily and without due consideration or forethought proceeded to cany out certain crude schemes ot an extravagant character, and have, before a tithe ot their loan has been spent, ingloriously come to grief. Then, instead of honestly facing the position, they have taken shelter for the time being behind their defences. Now, if they have confidence in the rectitude of their policy, as they claim they have, why not, when there is so much unfavorable criticism, resign in a body and come before the ratepayers for re-election so as to see whether tliev have their confidence f t or whether the public desire a change. This would be a manly course to pursue, and would give an opportunity to individual councillors to express their particular views on many matters of interest, for it is known that our city fathers are by no means unanimous on many important questions, but it is impossible to know exactly to what extent, for as I haye once or twice hinted before, our local journals are not by any meaus a guide as to what is going on among us. Auother course the council have before them, is to go on in their old fashioned, take-things-easy style, be led by his worship the mayor and staff of officials and levy anothor special rate to pay the cost ot the culvert fi;iSQO. This course will not be popular, but then the councillors console themselves with the truism that there are always a lot of discontented growlers in every community, who would not be satisfied even if the Angel Gabriel came down to minister to their wants.

THIS WAIMEA STREET SEWER.

From indications, viz., some stacks of bricks at the lower end of the street, I feel safe in assuming that this job will be started coeval with the commencement of tlwi winter rains. This is to be another triumph in brick work; and before it is commenced I will at once predict that it will not answer the anticipations of the council any better than the old sewer. I do not make this statement, disparaging though it may seem, without some grounds. In any drainage scheme it is absolutely necessary to have certain data to work from, and without which no drainage Engineer would formulate a design. Firstly a block plan of the city shewing the level above high water mark of each intersection of the streets, and the permanent, present, or intended future levels of the crowns of the streets. Secondly a map shewing the catchment area of the various water sheds which discharge their drainage into the proposed sewers, and thirdly the greatest rainfall to be provided against. If Sir John Coode, or Mr Napier Bell, or any other great authority were employed by the city to design a drainage scheme, he would at once ask for these maps, plaus and figures, and if told they did not possess such needful adjuncts to a Borough, he would probably remark, "Well gentlemen, you had better provide them, and after a year or two when you have them ready, I will then undertake to provode you with what you require. In the meantime I wish you every success. Good morning, gentleman," and with a polite bow ho would take his de-

[Continuation of News, see 4tli Fage.]

partur , having gained a new experience in pupnc bo., its 111 ilie colony. In ilu eve of this sewer the quasi Engineer is pohg to work 111 conip ete ignorance of titis necessary knowledge, and the council Bee n to think that as they had Mr BlackeJts' opinion on the matter that tliey are quite sale in going on with it. 13 it Mr Blackett only gave an opinion on the fill ipe of the dr.iin, not as to its capacity for the work req rired of it, and as there is onlv 10 inches of fall from Hardy street to the end of the work I don't see how a bigger sewer is goinj to c ire the evil com >'a ne I of, which i> mainly the conversion of the Toi Toi valley fl it into a lake in flood time.

M >BK TAXES. Politically, there is very little talked about. Sir Julius has lately been giving the Aucklanders a treat, and preaching Ea.-.t and West Coast Railway to them with some apparent success; and the Ministry are unanimous as to the necessity of an increased tariff, and another big loan, with the hope of increased population, so as to have more shoulders to bear our ever increasing burdens. In spite of all the specious arguments held forth, and the delusive pictures of future success, there is no hiding the fact that we are nearly at the end of our financial tether; and the recent further fall of a penny in wool is only another impulse in the direction of the end. How, or by what means, o in what fonn that end will come is a puzzle, for I dou't suppose the British creditor will care to come out the colony to ride on his bone-shaking railways or to be smothered in his dirty sludge channels, or to farm stoats and weasels on his rabbit infested runs. The first indication will probably be in the form of a general iuvitation to the numerous friends of B.N.Z. in the colony to a conversazione in the various parlors of that übiquitious institution, and a general stampede to Victoria or some other less debt-beridden country, where the juggling of figures is not dignified by the name of finance. Anyhow, from what I hear from correspondents in various parts of the colon}', there is more disposition to desert the sinking ship now than there has been before. Another ten million loan, such as is talked about, will have as good an effect on the colon) as our four thousand one has had on our city. A little more blundering, a certain increase of debt and taxation, and then a further exodus of the working population and producers.

A LOGICAL ASSESSOR. A week or two ago I commented upon the singular manner in which the property assessment was being taken here. It has now assumed another phase. The fame assessor is also borough valuer, and it appears that some property owners are not at all satisfied with his ideas as to their belongings, and they had the audacity to question his values in the assessment court the other day. In one case a bank was valued at 4-377 per annum, and Mr Rout said he arrived at that valuation on the basis ot 8 per cent, on the capital value. Then he went on to say that wooden buildings were not much value after 30 years. For the sake of argument I will allow all he said lo be quite correct and proper. But a few doors down the same street is another wooden building just 20 years old. According to the assessor's theory that building, at the present time, ought to be worth exactly one third of what it was when built* Strangely enough it has increased, by some unexplained process of his, in three years from £2OOO to £2150. How this ingenious gentleman is going to dovetail these two joint* together I can't see, but I think he has made a lot of unnecessary work for himself.

RACE MEETINGS. Most of our sporting population have been absent during the past week; some at the Marlborough races, others at Westport. The committee of the latter place have very indistinct notions of their duties I should say. For instance the right of games was sold by auction to a doodle-em buck man from Nelson, for i>ll. He nnd about half a score of artifts in the illegitimate game gathered together at the race meeting with a view of turning an honest penny by the many artless appliances which form their stock-in-trade, but as business was about to assume a brisk tone the police suddenly swooped upon them and prohibited their further proceedings as being unlawful. Now, as a matter of fact, most of these games are allowed on racecourses, and properly so, as they are an attraction to a number of people who are not much interested in the horses, and do not care to risk a whole sovereign at one pop on the totalisator, unless they have been put up to a good thing by a knowing friend ; besides, the sale of the privilege is a revenue to the Club, and the police never take action unless directed to do so by the Club secretary. The real reason was that the purchaser of the totalisator right had givm a big price, and reckoned he would have to pass all the loose coin on the field through his machine two or three times, deducting 10 per cent, at each assay to get square ; and a sympathising committee and compassionate police helped him to make a good thing out of it, whilst the unfortunate doodle-em-buckers had to be content to give their brazen lungs a rest, and get their money back from the Club. And the clerk of the scales there managed to spoil a good thing by weighing out a iock five pounds short. The best of the joke was that the totalisator paid out more quickly than usual, and before the deficient jock weighed in the holders of the first horse past the post had got their money, and the clever division were sold. KoRAn.