South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 1880.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2130, 20 January 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 1880.

L\ orclbr /that,.the fullest- consideration m iglft ' lie" given - by tl ic ratepayers' 'of Timaru to the water supply question the poll of the citizens on the subject of the £GO,OOO loan has been deferred for a ■prrmuiiTay our' lbwffspeojile’'will be invited to record their approval or disapproval of t]m.. /Borough Council's proposal. We have already submitted- what wo conceive to be satisfactory reasons why those of our citizens who may bold but a doubtful opinion regarding the advantage of the -scheme- should assist in rendering the vote as nearly as possible ■ unanimous. . Tlis Worship 1 the 'Mayor has been an uncompromising op r ponent J df'fiie‘water-works, and the opponents ofjitholoan .-should Ayeigh well the attitude Captain Sutter has taken up before they: record: their votes. The water supply question, as we pointed out in pur former article, has ceased to be onq of utility or advantage ; it is a question of expediency. Judiciously or injudiciously the Borough Council has put its: hand to the plough and cannot /go: back. : Some of the Council-. I lore who originally voted for the scheme frankly- admit that their ■views respecting its immediate effects on the population and prosperity of Timaru have undergone a considerable .change. ! They are’ not despondent, but -they are by no means so sanguine as they wclrc ; and if they bad to reconsider the , scheme, it is ! very questionable if they [would approve of it. Tins diffidence on ’ the part of the promoters is not due to any lack of appreciation of the un(piestibhable'iidvantages which an abundant supply:,of pure water must confer. Of j the fact that a lasting benelit will be conferred omthe health and trade of the town, they are fully convinced, but, hating leisurely ’Weighed the inevitable ■taxation against the corresponding immediate advantages, it has occurred to

soiho of th'cnv that tlic .scheme, after all, may he premature—that the., .town,, in f short, .might have flourished under the influence <>f pump-wells, and thereby • escaped the special and water-rates for a fed- years longer. But to retrace their steps with honor is impossible., Whatever may he their fears or regrets the scheme must now ho carried out, and in proportion to the magnitude of the task should hcThc energy displayed. Courage is Essential to success, .and it is the duty of the 7 ratepayers at a juncture like the present to stand behind their Mayor and Councillors and encourage them—not with a half-hearted, reluctant support, hut with a unanimous vote.

It is to he regretted that there should be aliy attempt to throw dirty water in the faces of our civic representatives because they are anxious to introduce clean water, to the ratepayers. This is not gratitude, nor docs-it partake of that quality which Unions so ardently believe in—fair play. If the Borough Council in committing themselves to this scheme have made a slight error of judgment, who is to blame V Is if the representatives of the town, or the wise-acres who were silent Avhen the original scheme was under discussion, and who now shake their heads, and wouhl fain lock the stable after the steed has been stolen ? Can it he urged that any motives of an impure character actuated the members who voted for it? The fact that the Councillors are propertyholders, -and > iii various ways identified with Timaru is a complete answer to any imputation ; of the kind. They voted according to their lights in the interests of public polic} T , and for the benefit, as they believed, not of themselves but of the community; For these reasons, especially, we trust that on Thursday the ratepayers will rally loyally round them and support their proposition. 1 It is true that for the first year or two Timaru will have to pay dearly for its whistle; The fruits of the money invested in the water scheme will not be immediately apparent. But the work is a permanent one ; —it is an improvement for all time.. There. are few large undertakings that arc immediately reproductive. The tree must have time to grow before the fruit can be expected. Experience has taught us the desirability of moderating our expectations ; but without trespassing beyond the hounds of legitimate speculation avc venture to predict that in this Avater-scheme the people Timaru are laying one of the grandest foundations of their future prosperity. They may have to Avait a feAV years for the exemplification of , the practical results—but Aviththe unerring exactitude of time those results Avill come. In a decade hence, AvhoeA ? cr surviA-cs to see it, Timaru Avill probably have grown from a strong but struggling infant dependent chiefly on its fine agricultural hackcountry to a tolerably largo manufacturing city Avith its machinery driven chiefly by the Avatcr supply Avhich avc arc on the eve of establishing. It is true that a large capital has to be sunk, a heavy interest Avill have to he paid, and rates that many can ill afford Avill have to he struck but wc are simply sowing the seed Avhich in feAV years time Avill produce an abundant golden harvest.