The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1882. THE PAPER MILL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1014, 7 October 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1882. THE PAPER MILL.

The Paper Mill Oomprny is dead. It does not matter much where w« got that information from. It was killed, strangled in its infancy, and stifled before the inflation of its lungs, and the public know how it died, and by whom it was thus brought to such an untimely end. This was before our time, and the information we have on the subject therefore is what wo can gather from what everybody says, and there is an old adage to the effect that what everybody says is true. Well, then, everybody says that great interest was felt in the Paper Mill business in this district at one time, till a certain individual took it into his head to place impediments in its way by criticising it in the usual way, and in fact throw dust in its eyes in every possible manner. The report goes that th's individual, together with raising quibbles at the meetings and hindering progress in every way, used to say to outsiders who had not attended meetings, and who asked his ad rice on the subject of taking shares in the company, " Oh, I don't know. I can't advise you. Please yourself," and so and so, and would wind up with some profound suggestion which if not adopted would ruin it all. Thus cold water was at ©nee thrown on the whole thing, and the uninitiated, of course, could have no faith in it. The meetings held in reference to the matter were for the most part held in private, and so far as we can learn proper publicity was not given to the thing and thus it was killed by mismanagement as well as by the unkindly references made to it in the aforesaid way. Then three gentlemen were appointed a sub-Committee to try to push it ahead in the harvest time, but instead of doing so they made no effort whatever ; they never met—one of them informed us that he never knew that he was on the sub-Committee —and when the harvest came round, two of them—we do not suppose they consulted the gentleman who did not know that he was on the Committee —called a meeting, and recommended to wind up the Company. The meeting was held privately; they gave no intimation to the Press about it, but we learn that the grounds they gave for their action was " want of enterprise in the people of the district," There are some people to be met with in this district who think they hold a monopoly of the wisdom of the world ; they believe they can think and act for everyone else, and here is the result of it. These gentlemen were appointed by a public meeting of shareholders to arrange for placing the matter before farmers in the harvest time, when money was flush, but instead of performing tne functions for which they were appointed, they came back witli their fingers in their mot.ths, with the cry cf " it is no use." Wbj did they not try ? Had they not

the authority of the shareholders to do so ? Or why did they accept the responsibility if they were not ready to carry out the behests ef those who confided in them ? How did they know what farmers would have done in the harvest time when they did not try them as directed ? The thing had been muddled in the beginning, and they were appointed a sub-Committee to place it in a more business-like way before the public, and why did they come and slnnder the district with throwing in its face that it lacked" enterprise, when they did not give it a fair trial f We are of opinion that the reason was that some of them did not want the Paper Mill to start, and more of ttam felt very little interest in whether it did or not, At any rate the Paper Mill was destroyed, and one of the grandest industries, and one of the greatest sources of wealth that could be imagined, has been lost to this district. To the farmers alone it wouli be worth about £20,000 a year, without considering what it would be to the town. We have hitherto entertained hopes that as soon as the butter and cheese, and linseed industries were fairly under weigh wo would resuscitated the Paper Mill again, and try to carry it through, but we lire afraid i that we shall be too late. The Oamaru Mail of a recent date say« : For some time past the establishment of a woollen factory at Milton has been mooted by the people of that place. The idea may, however, we learn, probably be abandoned in favor of a paper factory. The proposal is to establish, a company for the purpose of manufacturing paper for newspapers as well as of the ordinary wrapping kindi. The promoters expect to stcure the co-operation of a number of Dunedin capitalists in the carrying out of their project, which is certainly a plucky one. Several attempts have been made in other and reputably more wealthy centres to establish the same industry, but without success. But Miltonites had the courage to embark in potterv works at a time when there was but little scope for tlit pottery industry in tlies* parts, and we w»uld not be a bit surprised if their effort should be crowned with the success they so well deserve.

It is very probable that they will, and then we shall be too late in this district, for we do not think there is sufficient scope in the colony at present for two large Paper Mills. Beside?, the assistance which we were to get from Dunedin will, no doubt, be thrown in with Milton now, and thus the difficulty ot starting another Paper Mill in this district will be increased. At u..y rate the starting of a Paper Mill at Milton r.annot be otherwise than detriment*l to our prospects in that direction, and though we wish our Miltonian neighbors every succes in life, we candidly admit that it will be with no small degree of jealousy that we shall hear of their success in this direction. THE TEMLTKA SCHOOL. According to the report in the Timaru Herald the Secretary told the Educa Board at its last meeting that the Temuka School Committee had taken steps to sell the old school buildings without consulting the Board. If the report in the Herald is correct it is nothing short of consummate assurance for the Secretary to say such a thing, The matter of selling the school for the last couple of yeavs has boen under consideration, and very recently a letter was received from the Secretary stating that the Committee could sell the school buildings at a certain sum. This letter was sent in accordance with a resolution passed by the Board at its previous meeting agreeing to th« sale of the school. What was all this about if it did not give authority to the Committee to sell ? The Education Board is remarkable for its muddling ways, and if the information given to them by their officials in all cases is as misleading as this, it is no wonder that they muddle things. The Chairman was instructed to take charge of the but surely he cannot say that the Committc exceeded their powers when he sees the letter authorising them to sell.