AND QOLDFIELDS REPORTER & ADVERTISER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1873 "MEASURES. NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 1294, 18 September 1873, Page 4

AND QOLDFIELDS REPORTER & ADVERTISER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1873 "MEASURES. NOT MEN."

The negotiations for the borrowing of the sum of £2,000 by the Town Council of Lawrence, to be devoted to the erection of a town hall, have been completed. The undertaking was referred by the Council to one of its committees, namely, that of the Finance, who, after the arduous duties extending over a solid month, have brought the transaction to a satisfactory conclusion. For the information of the ratepayers, we shall give a concise histor}* of the transaction, which has provoked so much discussion. The Council some months ago decided upon borrowing the sum of £2,000 for the purpose of building a town hall. An advertisement appeared in this journal and also in the " Daily Times," inviting capitalists to invest the amount stated in Corporation debentures at 6 per cent. That advertisement did not call forth any reply ; but shortly afterwards, Mr. Jonas Harrop sent the Council an offer to negotiate the amount on their own terms. This offer was made on the 13th August, and the Finance Committee replied to it by stating that the offer would be recommended for acceptance at the next meeting of the Council. The Council met on the 18th, and empowered the Finance Committee to make the beat possible arrangements for obtaining the loan. On or about the 21st August, a difficulty arose with regard to who was to be responsible for the legal expenses in connection with the transaction, on which the Finance Committee wrote to Mr. Harrop stating that any legal expenses entailed would require to be paid by himself. This, as a matter of course, Mr. Harrop would not agree to do, as in all similar cases the borrower has to pay for the necessary mortgage deeds and legal expenses. On the 25th August, Mr. Copland wrote to the effect that the Municipal Act of 1865, states that " assignments shall be by deed under theseal and at the expense of the Corporation," and that, as solicitor tor the lender, he had no authority to waive the law on the subject above quoted. Mr. Copland was evidently not aware that the Council had previously had a similar transaction, and that they possessed an engraved deed which could be made suitable for any loan they might wish to bring into the market. But the Finance Committee seemed also to be quite oblivious to this fact, as they replied to Mr. Copland's letter by reiterating what they had said to Mr. Harrop, namely, that beyond the 1 per cent, commission they would not allow any legal expenses. This difficulty wasno sooner got overthan another of a more formidable character was raised. Mr. Copland asked the Council for their authority to borrow money, as he could not discover that the borrowing clause, No. 98 of the Municipal Corporations Ordinance of 1865, had been gazetted as applicable to the Lawrence Corporation. For the time being, this rather confounded our local senators, who very naturally reasoned thus: If the Corporation had power to issue debentures on a previous occasion, surely they must have power to do so again. At their meeting where Mi*. Copland's objection was seated, one or two of the Councillor's waxed wroth at the idea of that gentleman raising so many objections to complete the transaction, and as a proof of the state of feeling which existed in the Council, a resolution to the following effect was carried: — "That if Mr. Harrop declines to close with the Council for the loan within 48 hours, the negotiations with him shall be considered terminated." In the face of the grave objection raised by Mr. Copland this might have been considered rather hasty conduct on the part of the Council, but it luckily happened that the objection proved to be a mare's nest, as the Provincial Government "Gazette,'' of 20th June, 1866, distinctly empowered the Corporation to borrow any sum not exceeding £10,000. Thy^iscovery thoroughly satisfied !t fl^U^and and his client, and the Finance Committee at once closed the transaction.

A special telegram in the " Daily Times 1 /' of Friday last announced that the Government have promised to Mr. Bra&shaw to extend the telegraph to Tapanui and Switzers, and that very likely the line would go by Longford, This announce*

raent was read by us 'with a considerable degree of satisfaction, as we have kept the subject constantly before the public for some time past We are not in a position to say whether Longford is the most suitable route for a telegraph line ; but we imagine the route from the Beaumont to Tapanui, thence to Switzers, would be the shortest and cheapest of the two. So far as the convenience of the public is concerned, it will not greatly matter which line is adopted. But it must be remembered that all we have got towards it yet is one of the Government's promises, and these have been known too often to be of the piecrust description. It will thereforerest with the inhabitants of thedistricts mostly concerned not to let the matter drop until they see somedecisive action taken by the Government. The Miners' Association of Switzers has done good service in this direction, and we trust the apparent success which has attendedi its efforts, in common with our own, will be the means of increasing its. energy for the future.

Whatever may be the faults of thepresent Provincial Executive — and we have no doubt they have their faults — still they have many redeeming points. We desiTe at present to draw attention to one very important qualification they have exhibited during their short terra of office, and which will at all times cover a multitude of shortcomings. We refer to the system inaugurated by them of personally inspecting any lands required for settlement, and visiting the various districts, to \ ascertain for themselves the multifarious requirements of the province which they are expected to govern to the best of their ability. This system Mr. Macandrew recognised in his election programme years, ago ; but it was left for the present Executive to carry it into practise. On their recent visit to Lawrence, Dr. Webster, Mr. Shand and Mr. Bastings, accompanied by Mr. J. T. Thomson, made a personal inspection of the land on Bellamy and Smith's runs proposed to be opened, partly as a. hundred and partly on the deferred payment system. We believe they pronounced a considerable portion of the land surveyed by Mr. Conuell, under the Reid Government, as utterly unfit for agricultural settlement, and selected instead some of the fine, uudulating country on Mr. Smith's run. on the river side of the present agricultural lease holdings. The survey of this land, we are informed, will be let by contract ; and as soon as the boundaries are fixed upon, it will be declared open for occupation and sale. Had these gentlemen simply accepted the land previously surveyed, a large portion of the most broken part of Bellamy run would have been included in the hundred, and the run would have been in a great measure rendered unworkable. If the same inspection had been made by the Reid Government before they at-"' tempted to throw open the 17,000 acres, we have no doubt the great law suit which cost the Government so much money, and which is not yet settled, would have been avoided, and the land which is now to bo allocated as a hundred might by this, time have been all under occupation. The Reid Government entirely depended upon departmental reports, whereas the present Government see for themselves and act upon their own judgment. The two systems therefore, on being contrasted, show very favorably on the side of the present Government.