THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1872.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 171, 14 June 1872, Page 4

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1872.

woeks !!! We hear so much at the present time about reproductive works that it . would be worth.while to enquire what ; worksare. likely-to be reproductive. Those works alone can, in our opinion, be conai-. dered to be of a reproductive nature which confer a benefit upon the public, by encouraging industry, stimulating energies, nnd .eventually recoup, the country for the outlay, by bringing increased revenue into the Treasury chest. "We all know well enough that' when loans are contracted, whether by private individuals or by Governments, the principal sum has some day or other to be repaid, as also a current account for interest. To meet these demands, which must necessarily follow the raising of the loans, prospective as well as retrospective, excessive caution should be exercised to see that works constructed out of loans. or public revenue shall be'alike permanent and reproductive. Looking at ! many of the works which have been construcred in this Province, we find I ' inbt one of them turning out suitable for the purpose for which it was designed, and some of ti.eoa nothing more nor less than .a useless, and .shameful squandering ' of' public funds. We might allude i:o the whited sepulchre (Post Office), since converted into an "University; the Exhibition Building, since converted into an Hospital: the Provincial Government "Buildings, since converted into Post and Telegraph Offices; the High School, so altered as to be very much changed from its original appearance. We might also speak of the tens of thousands of pounds which have been wastefullyand wilfully thrown into the harbor under the pretence of dredging, when the result" has been injury rather than benefit to the harbor itself. In fact, the dredging system has had to be discontinued, lest.the "harbor should silt at a more rapid rate than it has already done. We might allude, also, to the doings at Oamaru' and the . Kakanui, where thousands of pounds have been thrown into the sea; leaving not a trace of' the purpose for which the useless expenditure was incurred.. So. much for the past Provincial Government mismanagement of their revenue, and then has not the cases mentioned by us formed a tithe of those we- might have cited. .They will, however, f-uf-fice. as instances of the non-reproduc-tive character of the works which our wise legislators and Governments, have from time to time' undertaken at the. expense of the public, Turn we now. to the taken.by the General -Goyernmecj!w>th regard, to the expenditure of tneir present loans upon railways. .No doubt. some, of the lines will turn out', to'be-.wise undertakings, and likelv to. be reproductive. Still, there are other lines contemplated which are looked . upon by;those who know the country through which they are intended to pass as utterly valueless and unnecessary,■' and never'likely to pay even working expenses, let alone being reproductive, Indeed, there are not*wanting some who assert that some of these lines have been decided upon'with no other | view than to catch vote?, by which the Eox-cuin-Yogel Government may.be kept in the enjoyruent of place and power. . .

Notwithstanding, however, the faulliness" of many of the railway projects of the General Government,; we are glad to find that they are turning their attention to matters which cannot fail

to be of the most reproductive character. . We allude to an increased "Water Supply on this and, we believe, on other Groldfields of the Colony, and if , other fields offer the, same advantages as does'Moun*-- Ida, no money could be expended in a more legitimate mariner 3 and with a perfect certainty of its being reproductive. An able engineer has been on this place for some weeks past, instructed to report upon the * practicability of a workable Sludge Channel being constructed to the Taieri, and the bringing, in : of the Kyeburn River tor the purposes of flushing. We have also been informed that when Mr. Simpson has finished i his present surveys, he will proceed to the Manuberikia for the purpose of surveying a race from that river to this field, and the possibility of bringing it in at a cost which the Grovernment would have in their power or at their command to expend. That" the result of such an enteprise would be. a success, at whatever cost, nobody who knows this f district will" for a moment doubt. The entire country between the town and the Taieri River has been prospected and proved to be payably auriferous ; and if the channel be constructed, and a larger ana cheaper supply of water be brought -in, we hesitate not to say. that, in a short time, the population would be quadrupled, as would also. the revenue derivable alike from special-mining and ordinary taxation. .We have, on more than one occasion, expressed our opinion on the' question of cheaper watery and we see no reason for .changing. As we have said, we should like to see justice done to.all interests;—injury or injustice to none. • If-the Gloyernment really desire to find reproductive works for .the expenditure of. their.loans, they would do well to turn their, attention to increased Water. Supply for the Grold fields. A man of Mr. liaugh ton's ability and knowledge of mustknow full well the. trut;< "of:what we now assert.