EVERY-DAY OBSERVATIONS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1336, 31 July 1883, Page 2

EVERY-DAY OBSERVATIONS.

[to the editor.J Some six months ago a correspondent writ, ing from this place to a Dunedin paper drew attention to the scandalous waste of public money that was going on in connection with what was said to be a gravelling contract, but which he described as destroying what was already a passable street by *spreadin£ thereon a quantity of river mud, thereby* A rendering them almost impassable. No sooner had the Dunedin paper arrived in Gisborne than a “ caucas ” was held in the Argyll Hotel, the result of which was that a column leader (save the murk I) was immediately hatched and inserted in the< Evening “ Handbill,” that sublime specimen of colonial journalism, the various editors of which continually “ wait on Providence to see which way the cat jumps,” wherein the author of the correspondence was denounced as a traitor of the worst typo, a bird which fouled its own nest, and so on, and winding up with the pathetic query, “What will Mr Oxonham say in reply to this ?” Like a man of common sense, Mr Oxcnham judiciously held his peace, as there was no justifiable reply to make. On Saturday the “ Handbill” came out as follows on the gravel topic : “This so-called metal, which is little more than clay under cohfl gealation, will in the course of a few weekv under the destroying influence of rain, ar mosphoric exposure, and dray traffic, sink beneath the sand and become little better than a sea of mud, slush, and puddle. And so some ten or fifteen thousand pounds, for which the ratepayers are answerable, have been wasted. ” And so those illiterate literary prostitutes treat their readers night after night to a dry hash composed principally pf pot-house twaddle, imagining at the sat 4& time that such trash will be taken for Gospel truth. It is gratifying to find that the public of Poverty Bay are fast severing their connection with the “heathen Chinee" clique which has so long held them in subjection, and are throwing in their lot with those who sail under the Standard of honor and justice. About the same time the correspondent above referred to asked for an explanation why the tramway to Ormond had not been made a permanent one, and was told that such a thing would be utterly - impossible, the “Handbill Co.” chiming in| with the chorus, “ That is so.” Now it. , says in effect that “ wo wanted the permanent line put down, but the Councils would have none of it.” Then comes the whole soul of the article and the reason for its appearance. “ There is now in New Zealand the managing partner of a railway plant and engineering company, who would bo willing to construct a tramway from Gisborne to Ormond, or to any other part of the Bay, at an agreed price per mile, finding rails, carriages, ana tho necessary requisites.” A bait to catch any s;nall fish the gentleman may have in his basket. Of course, the next thing wo may expect will be ; “At our suggestion it is intended to construct," &c. People must indeed have but an iufinitcssinal modicum of respect, either for themselves or their follows, who can complacently swallow such bunkum as is nightly doled out to them ftt a penny a packet. Had a permanent line been put down in the first J place it would have been well and good, but it would be the height of folly to think of such a thing as a speculation at the present time. Gisborne people would do well to dispose of some of the irons they hava already in the fire before putting any others in. M

Winter will soon be over, and Spring, with its attendant fevers and ailments will arrive before we are aware of it. lam led to suppose, from a perusal of the Borough balance sheet, that there is in connection with so enlightened and important a place as this an officer called an inspector of Nuisances, and yet one would almost doubt the fact if he took a casual glance at some of the back premises adjacent to the main street. There in all the hideousness belonging thereto may bo seen heaps of stable manure which have apparently lain there from time immemoriajh| pools of stagnant water, rubbish and filth all descriptions. Of course a man cannot expected to see theso things while he is fol lowing tho ordinary business of a nor can the ratepayers afford to pay a man/ £lOO per annum for taking an occasional ride round the town after his day’s work is done. From its low-lying situation, Gisborne is sufficiently liable to epidemics without assisting iu their development by preserving such accumulations as those spoken of. fl there is an official to see after the abatement of nuisances, it is the duty of the Council to see that he does his duty. At present ths burgesses do not get value for their money; and what is more, they are put to heavy expense in the way of doctors' bills, a great part of which could be avoided if proper attention was paid to the cleansing of premises,

Whose duty Is ft to prevent the footpaths being destroyed ? Day after day, every day, and at all hours of tne day, horsemen may be seen riding ou the footpaths, apd drivers of vehicles cross them without the slightest compunction or any attempt on the part of the borough officials to prevent their so doing. On a recent wet and dark night I was hurrying down Gladstone road when great was my surprise to find myself jambed in between two horses, which with vehicl«| attached had been drawn up on the under the verandah fronting a butcher’s shop, out of the rain. This is not as it should be. I observe also that when the ranger does capture a few stray quadrupeds they also are driven across the sidewalk on their way to the place of incarceration. This may be necessary from the peculiar situation of the present pound, but if so steps should be at once taken with a view to remedy, as from Everyday Observation I can state that the lives and limbs of school children are often endangered by the existing practice.

With the rapid strides Gisborne is making in the way of buildings, something in the shape of laws to regulate the erection of edifices is becoming absolutely necessary. Cr. Lewis allowed himself to be “ bluffed ” out of his proposition re the height of shops, a motion which might have been made of some service, despite the sneers of the mighty Snyder. various ratnshackles are being carted up in to the main street, added to, and with the assistance of paint, transformed into tolerably decent looking shops. The Council should at least insist upon I brick partitions being built between such * places, as in the case of fire, with the want of proper appliances, the whole town would be in danger of destruction. Red Hazard.