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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 264, 28 March 1874, Page 3

A very suitable champion was found at a late anniversary meeting of the Irish Australian Catholic Benefit Society in Dunedin, to say a word in defence of Municipal broils. Cr. Barnes was called upon to acknowledge the toast of the Council. He said—" In his opinion those jars that were objected to by some had a healthy sign about them, for as sure as the City Council were quarrelling among themselves, the citizens might rest satisfied it was for some specific end, and their rights were not neglected. He would much prefer to see each individual member stand up for the ward he represented, for when everything -went smooth and quietly they were like a parcel of old ladies at a tea-party—all scandal and no work. Mr. Keeves was somewhat after his own style, and did not believe in letting matters go easy, and that was the principal reason why he had given that gentleman what assistance he could towards entering the Provincial Council." A capital apology, as far as it goes, for no doubt, if heat represents zeal for constituents and not disappointed pique, Dunedin has reason to be proud of her Councillors. Culture might weaken this zeal—it would certainly add a little of that " sweetness of light" now talked about as the Hellenic essential of modern days. Vor our part, we are so uncultured as to prefer the fire and zeal of the old Hebrew Judges or Cromwell's Ironsides, as evincing integrity, to the highest types of pure Hellenism Mathew Arnold and his school can depict for the improvement of our age.

Theee is something very ugly in connection with the name of "typhoid fever." tLow-lyinp JDunedin, with its marshy harbor uncleansed by the through flow of any .N'ew Zealand Clyde—used, also, as the receptacle of sewerage from a large city—can hardly expect exemption from the traces of such a scourge, but a small up-country town has no business, humanly speaking, to invite attack. Cromwell, this last few weeks has been remarkably conspicuous for disease, and we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that JS'aseby and St. "Bathans held far too much sickness during the winter months to be altogether accounted for by ordinary average casualties. Probably when those in charge of houses throw the refuse from the wash-house and the scullery at their back gates—often, indeed, at the very house doors quite regardless where it may flow, they do not know they are helping to breed and disseminate fever atoms to their own or others' destruction. Naseby pays for an Inspector of Nuisances : so, we presume, does Cromwell. It is high time that those officers were directed to put a stop to all further foul collections of cesspool drainage at the back yards of the town houses. The street fronts are kept nicely painted and cleaned, while too often the backs are yawning abysces of death or, at least, disease. Should typhoid fever visit IS'aseby or St. Bathana, in the present crowded and dirty Rtate of those townships, we fear it would not be very speedily eradicated. Much can be done by careful inspection—much more by a little forethought on the part of householders. Till an increased water supply, sufficient to ecour down once'a day «i good,

system of surface drains, is obtainable, all danger, with even the greatest care, cannot, we fear, be avoided.