The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1884.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1279, 18 December 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1884.

TIMARU" WOOLLEN FACTORY. It is not generally known that a company for the purpose of establishing a woollen factory has been floated in Timaru ; that tenders have been called for the erection of buildings for it, and that Mr Herbert Clapham has gone to England to procure thb necessary plant. , These facts are next to being a dead secret owing to the indifference with which the matter has been treated by the local papers. It will be remembered that we have frequently accused the Timaru papers of neglecting their duty in the matter of advocating the necessity of developing the resources of the district, but if there was one instance more than another io which they showed a want of sympathy with the people in their very laudable efforts in this direction it was in respect of the'woollen factory. A brief history of this company cannot fail to prove interesting, for. the reason that it shows what patient and persevering effort can do. About eighteen months or two years ago, seeing that three companies had been successfully flnatel in this district, the people of Timaru were seized by a spirit of emu* lation, and they resolved to establish an industry of their own. So determined were they that one of them said that " if they had to wait until they had raised enough monoy by giving public entertainments, they would do so, but they would not let the matter drop until something was done." With this object in view a number of working men met and decided on a woollen factory. They set about collecting the necessary information, and as soon as ihings were ready they called a public meeting at which the matter was discussed, and a resolution was carried to canvass for subscriptions. The work was in the hands of the working men, and some of the moneyed class became envious of the progress they were making with it, and they set about starting a rival company. We pointed out this at the time, and called upon the local papers to interpose, and try to prevent the project being strangled by the splitting up into rival tactions of its supporters, but they disregarded the whole thing from beginning to end, and did not seem to care what became of it. At one time the Secretary forgot to advertise a meeting, in the Timaru Herald, and when he went to apologise for it, he was told that as he had not advertised the meeting would not be reported. The South Canterbury Times attacked the Committee because they were not advertising. It attributed the delay in floating the Company to proper publicity not having been given to it, and threw out hints as to the impropriety of not letting people know ffhat was going on. This was about the most impudent thing in connection with the whole affair. At that time we were publishing items of news for the promoters of the project. We were backing them up in our leading articles, and they have expressed to us their thankfulness. They would have been more than pleased if the South Canterbury Times had given publicity to their transactions, but it did not. It reported the advertised meetings in a half-hearted, milk-and-water manner, but never troubled about anything else. But, notwithstanding this, the promoters of the project kepi on working away. They appointed men to canvass for shareholders and they pushed the matter with all their might, with the result that they received sufficient support to warrant them in proceeding to business. They have done so, but they owe nothing of their success to the local papers, and the promoters are thoroughly disgusted with the pusillanimous spirit in which they behaved. And now, perhaps, the most important matter connected with the woollen factory is whether it will prove a success or not. Of course it is a speculation on which a great deal depends, but one thing is in favor of the presumption that it will be a success : and that is that every woollen factory in the colony is in a flourishing condition. The old established ones are paying splendidly, and, notwithstanding the extraordinary way in which it was at first mismanaged, the Oamaru factory has been worked successfully for some time past. From the last report of that institution we learn that since a change was made io the management it was going on successfully and yielding good profits, Now if this is the case as regards Oamaru thero is no reason why a factory in Timaru should not be equally successful. We {rust it will, and that.

the energy and perseverance which has succeeded in developing it bo far will meet with their reward.