The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1882. DIRECT TRADE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1024, 31 October 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1882. DIRECT TRADE.

Artemub Ward once said that the hen is the most discreet and sensible of all animals, because it never blows about what it is going to do, but first does it and then blows about it. The Timaru Herald seems to us to exhibit characteristics similar to the hen. It never suggests the advisability of starting any local enterprise, nor does it lend its assistance to anything that is being started, but when any enterprise is once in working order, and quite able to get on without its help, the Timaru tierald comes out splendidly, and gushes over it. Daring the time that the Steam Collier Company was being floated in Timaru the Herald was mute, but when the Company was forme:!, and its advocacy no longer necessary, the Herald sang its pjeon of joy, A short time ago some body wrote a letter to the editor of the Herald, pointing out the advantages of establishing direct trade between Timaru and London, and asking the editor to "put his pen in motion " to urge upon the New Zealand Shipping Company to run a line of vessels between Timaru and London direct. The editor did not " put his pen in motion," but some one of an inferior grade did, and the way he went about it was comical. He began by raking up the disasters which had taken place, then stated that the Harbor Board had effected no improvements, with the exception of purchasing a tug, and then lashed out into complaint of the dilatoriness of shipping agents, merchants, etc., in loading and unloading vessels. In other words the Herald said everything that was calculated to deter ressels from coming to Timaru; but the worst of it was that what ii said was totally incorrect. The Captain of the vessel Zeus next day contradicted the article, and said he was so satisfied with the way he had been treated that he would willingly come again. But the letter to the editor, if it did not move the editorial pen of the Herald, set others to work, and the result has been that the New Zealand Shipping Company has resolved to put im the vessels asked for. Two vessels are already advertised to sail direct for London, and others are announced to follow. The Herald comes out with a Hurrah ! over this ; it cackles over it just as loudly as the hen does when her woik is done. There is a difference between the two cacklings, however. The hen cackles over work clone by herself, the Herald cackles over work done by other people. The story of the Dutchman and the bear would express the Herald's position better. The Dutchman hid' himself away until the bear was killed, then he cune forth very valiantly, kicked the carcase of the defunct animal, and said "we killed that." That is exactly the position of the Herald. It never bothers about a thing until it is done, and then it comes out with its song of joy, just when people could get on as well without its aid, It is a great misfortune to Timaru that its principal paper treats local enterprises as beneath notice, The fact that a simple letter to the editor, written indifferently, has resulted in arousing the New Zealand Shipping Company to the necessity of establishing direct trade between Timaru and London, shows that a great deal might be done by the i ierald if it only tried to push things ahcid, but it never does, and to this may be attributed to a great extent the lack of enterprise m Timaru. Business people have enough to do to look after tlu-ir own affairs, but if they are reminded by newspapers that such things might be carried on with advantage to the district, the chances are that thpy wiirtake the matter up.whereas if the subject is never brought under their notice they will never think of it. It is the duty of newspapers to study the requirements of the district in which they circulate. They have great facilities for doing so through being able to learn from exchanges what is doing elsewhere, and the paper that does not keep this object in view on all occasions, neglects the best interests of its patrons. The Timaru Herald has never bothered about t'.iis, it is totally given up to politics, it is politics mad, and the result of all the politics it teaches is, that it never yet supported a candidate for Parliament who was not beaten, This shows that it does not teach the politics the people appreciate, that even as a political organ it is useless, and, if

so, the question arises, What is it good for ? It is not much good for Timaru, at any rate; in fact, it is a drawback to it, because it is filling the place of a paper that might do good. Mr Stout recently said that newspapei'3 which were antagonistic to the popular view ought to be ' boycotted.' It any paper were, the Timaru Herald ought to be, for certainly it is quite useless so far as the interests of the district are concerned. We are very glad though that henceforth vessels are |to trade direct between Timaru and England, and we sincerely trust that the merchants of j South Canterbury will do their best to establish the trade on a firm basis by giving it all their support.

THE RESIDENT MAGISTRATE AGAIN.

We should like to know very much how long the people of this district will put up with the way they are being treated by the Resident Magistrate. The frequency with which we have had to refer to the subject in the past renders it unnecessary for us to dwell on the subject now. We need only say that yesterday was the Resident Magistrate's regular day in Temuka, that lawyers from Timaru and Geraldine with their clients were present, and that he neither came nor sent word he was not coming, About an hour after the time the Court usually opens the Clerk telegraphed to the Resident Magistrate to ascertain whether he was coming or not, but he received no reply, ani litigants and their lawyers had to go away without having their cases heard. When Waimate was taken off Mr Beswick we expected that he would at least give us one day a fortnight, but it has made no improvement. It if time the people took action in this matter.

THE PAPER MILL.

Our article on the prospect of starting a paper mill in Milton, Otago, has been read by a Punedin gentleman who is totally unknown to up, and who has written to us stating that tlwre is very little probability of the project being carried out. His letter is a private one but we do not think we can be guilty of any great breach of confidence in referring to it. He believes that Temuka is the most suitable district in New Zealand for such an enterprise, as there is plenty of raw material in it, and winds up by saying that there is a fortune to !>« undo out of it. He is a gentleman who thoroughly understands the process of paper-making as he has had long experience of the business in England, and would willingly come to Temuka if he saw any prospect of the industry being started here. We do not think we would bo justified in inviting him to Temuka at present, although wc have every hope that the paper will yet be started. We have, however, placed ourselves in communication with him, and wo feel surs that he will supply us with information relative to the matter. There is one tiling in his letter which pleases us above all, and it is that the Milton people have abandoned the paper mill, as this may possibly leave the field open for us in this district until such time as we are ready to start.