The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, AUGUST 9,1883.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1132, 9 August 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, AUGUST 9,1883.

! he people . of Terauka ought to feel indebted to 3Vj[r‘ Jotin Talbot for the very 1 IWely‘Jnferefit lie takes in their well-being.' •'Some time ago an exceed attended public meeting re«b’ml unanimously to bring the town under -the .provisions, of the Municipal Corporations .Act, despite the efforts Mr Talbot made to dissuade them to the the contrary. This resolution has since been backed up by more than the neces sary number of signatures having been affixed to a petition praying the Go-, vern.or to constitute the t'*wn a borough. When this petition was taken round for signatures only one or two insignificant oobodjes. whose thinkingfaculties wer.* concentrated wholly on themselves, refused to sign it ; never was there anything agreed to more unanimously, and never was a proposal received more willingly hy any community. But Mr Talbot thinks the whole community is wrong, and he wants to adjust their errors hy making, use of the position to which the people have elected him fort' o purpose of preventing the people from getting what they want. Why he should put himself to so much trouble about the m tier Is difficult to understand. At the Road Board meeting before last he moved for a" copy of the petition and plans of the proposed Borough to be supphel by the Colonial Secretary. The proposed borough committee gratified his curiosity in this direction, and the petition and plans were laid oiv the Boaid’s table at flic last meeting. Mr Talbot, or no doubt some ono by his direction, had put a cross in red pencil before every name on the petition which was not on the rator(ilV[flndi\w,ben;>hf hrpuglit the subject before the Board lib to‘ great trouble to show that if was ‘ ratepayers’ and not ‘ households s’ who. ..ought to have signed petition,. Mr Quinn characierised this proceeding as ridiculous and objected to nraking the Board a laughing stock. This was enough. We do not wish to add anything to this, not that we do not feel ah 'jriipnlhe tf ) do so, but because it is so seldom Mr Talbot does anything objectionable that we think it would be only fair to let him off ns mildly as we_ can this time. It was certainly-slightly-, out of : the range of common sense to tiy to prove that householders and ratepayers were synonymous terms, as

contemplated by the Municipal Corporntions Act,, an i if Mr Talbot bad not been trying to make something out of a very bad case, he would have been able to see the difference between the two won’s. But even in the Road Board, where he sits maximns in minimis , he found very few to sympathise with him, Only one member would aid him in any way, and before lie ccuU gat that gentleman’s assistance he had to modify his motion considerably. And failing in everything else, as a last resource he mad i an effort to extend the boundaries of the town to the river, so that the maintenance of the bridge would fall upon the Borough. He knows very well that if this were done the people of the town would not consent to proclaiming the Borough, and this is the roundabout way he lias taken to prevent the people from having their own way. Mr Quinn characterised this as narrowminded. We ha 11 not use any severer term. Would it not be a verv nice thing that a few hundred acres of land in tlie Borough of Temnka should maintain the Temnka bridge f. r the good of the whole district ? The question now is, Are the people as a whole to have what they want, or are they to be ruled according to Mr John Talbot’s ideas ? We cannot help admiring th<‘ courage (that is the polite name tor it) of one man setting himself up against a thoroughly united comraunitv, and trying to force them into compliance with his views. And still there is some 1 thing very irrational in the whole proceeding. One would think it impossible that a gentleman of Mr Talbot’s standing could be led away by the belief that the Governor would ignored the whole of Temuka and do whatever Mr Talbot suggests. The Governor will make the petitioners for the Borough take in a larger area than they want, on the representation of Mr Talbot, backed np, rather weakly, by one member of the Board. , Never. To do so would be downright despotism. But things have been done by a sidewind before now, and it would bo well, we think, for the Borough Committee to meet and represent matters in their true light in the proper quarter. They ought to point out (1) that in reality only one man is opposed to this proposal ; (2) that many names marked as not on the rate roll are those of people haying large interests in the town, whose names through some Inadvertency are not on the rate roll ; (8) that the motion carried at the Road Bo rd meeting was supported only* by the Chairman and one member, two other members declining to have any hand in it and one member voting against; it (4) people of the town are almost unanimous regards the proposed boundaries and'desirability of proclaiming the town a borough. If these facts are placed in the bands of our representative in Wellington, and laid before His Excellency, Mr Talbot’s resolution will have little "effect,.; if not the result is doubtful. Another-matter to which we wish to direct attention is, that Mr Talbot has caused the Over seer to make out a list of the works tf&fe’asary to be carried out, and that a Apposition to proceed with theiri was exhibited. We may be wrong,,but it looked very much like an effort 16 spend most of the money in of the v ßo«rd before the Borough, is proclaimed there will be very' 1 "little to divide. Of course this ' r is only a surmise, and we give it for what it is worth. The fact that only £IOO has been set down on this list for Temuka ought to make people open their eyes. We wish to bear testimony to the able and earnest manner in which Mr Quinn de fended the interests of the townspeople. Onlv for his effort the resolution would have been carried under circumstances which would have given it ; qinre weight, but the fact that only Mr Talbot and one other member supported it 'seems to us to render- v it | ai /jf'jj/ diqrmLss document - imbfed...;;The sting was taken out of it by Mr-Qninn, and unless it is backed by some <iiV<lu6 influence! it will never be taken into the reckoning.

TLMARU INDUSTRIES,

Mr K. Sando has at last settled down in Timaru, and, though he lias been there ouly a few weeks, his presence is beginning to be felt. His indomitable energy is-already exerting itself, and a very important industry is likely to be soon started through his instrumentality. The members of the .Industrial Association, recognising his usefulness, have appointed him their Secretary, and his exertions have already given shape to their proceedings. The conduct of that institution hitherto was most amusing. The members met, discussed the practicability of establishing certain industries, and when they had found that these industries would pay, they came to the conclusion that it was no business of the Assnc'ation to try to establish them, In fact their proceedings were delicious'.pieces of foolery. Mr Sando, however, stepped in, and pointed out that so long as they went on in that way nothing would be done The result is that a Fishing Company is to be started at onc°, and that Mr S mdo will have the flouting of it. We .learn that the prospectus will be issued in a few days, and that every effort will he used to start the company as soon as possiblo. This is good news for Timaru; it lias been languishing for the want of some industries to give employment to the population, and it is to be hoped, now that the ball has been set rolling it w ill not bo allowed to stop, until something substantial has been done. We feel confident that Mr Dando will use every means in his power to push mutters ahead, and that Timaru may well congratulate itself on so enegetic a man having settled do ivn in it. We understand that efforts will be mods to float a Refrigerating Company also. If the promoters are in earnest and want the Company to float they ought to pun loy Mr Sando as broker. He would float it for them if it can be floated.