Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 357, 20 May 1874, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

The Dunedin Press, in dealing with the want of confidence motion of Mr. Bastings, has given greater prominence to the complaints of Mr. Turnbull as against Mr. Bastings than to Mr. Bastings' charges against Mr. Turnbull— the latter seems indeed to have escaped scot free of comment, and yet he is, to one much conversant, anything but clear from the fray. If he took so little interest in the public business -as not to exceed "the attendance of a common vestry man ;" if when his colleagues took the trouble to go to his office to consult him about some pressing business, he put it off in the spirit of red-tapeism, or perhaps of a regard to his own affairs, to " the next meeting of the Executive," then we certainly feel that Mr. Turnbull was not discharging the duties of his office with that fidelity the country had a right to expect at his hands ; and if his colleague when left to himself showed a zeal on behalf of the public service that out-ran the votes of the Council, he ought for that very reason to have given more of his time to the public service ; but he does not come out clear from this fracas. This much may be said in regard to Mr. Bastings' laches, that the country has got a benefit from them in the shape of Public Works accomplished ; but in regard to Mr. Turnbull's remissness to his duties, there is only the remembrance of his shortcomings. But we believe one main reason for the dissatisfaction with Mr. Bastings was hi 3 zeal on behalf of the goldfields. It is not without reason Mr. Bastings states it thus. We venture to say had the expenditure taken place around Dunedin or the Taieri, less would have been said about it. " The vice of provincial institutions in New Zealand is to absorb the lion's share of the public funds for the benefit of the provincial towns and their surroundings. The public buildings in Dunedin raised by provincial money, the public works around Dunedin, the making of splendid metalled roads to every settler's door on the Taieri, are all right enough, ; but if it comes to spending a thousand pounds or two more than the Estimates on the upconntry, there is a hue and cry about it as if Dunediu and the Taieri had been robbed, and we had got more than our share. So far from this being the case, there is a large balance still due to the goldfields. If Mr. Turnbull is sincere in challenging the transfer of a vote from the district of " Lawrence to the Teviot," to " Tokomairiro to Lawrence," because the former road is in a bad state, and the latter a good road, and with a railway in course of construction along side of it, then, to be consistent, he ought to devote the public money requested for the deepening of the Dunedin Harbor, to upcountry districts. At great public expense a railway and jetty has just been completed at Port Chalmers. ; and now a work is projected which will render the railway comparatively, and the jetty entirely, idle. The thousands to be expended in this direction ought to be devoted to up-country roads. Dunedin has had far more than its share. But we have something to say in regard to this transfer. It appears that a debt had been incurred by a previous Government without any provision of funds, and that this money was positively needed to discharge existing liabilities ; but this is not all. Money bestowed on the road between Dunedin and Tokomairiro is a benefit to Lawrence and other up-country towns, and it can hardly be said to be robbing the Teviot when the money was bestowed on a work iv which they, in common with others, have a benefit ; and we have no doubt had Mr. Bastings continued in office, he would have done what lie could in the coming estimates to advance the interests of the Teviot road.

The sanitary -condition of Cromwell, according to the deliverance of Dr. Coughtrey, before the Municipal Council of that town, is anything but a satisfactory one. If we never before had the picture of a filthy town depicted to us, we have it in that gentleman's description of the accumulation in and around Cromwell of everything that is calculated to generate diseases of the most dangerous type. The feeling experienced on reading Dr. Coughtrey's remarks is one of surprise ; not that an epidemic should have broken out in such a place, but rather that so many of the inhabitants should have escaped the ravages of the disease. But while considering the deplorable sanitary condition of Cromwell, it would be well if the people of Lawrence and other up-country towns would learnalesson from what has lately transpired in that town. Let us ask the question whether-a good many of Dr. Coughtrey's remarks are not applicable to Lawrence. It is only a few weeks since. Dr. Halley drew the attention of the Town Council to a few "stenches all well-defined and several stinks; " quite recognisable at times in walking along our streets. This state of things should not. be allowed to exist for a single day, situated so well as Lawrence is for the carrying out of an excellent system of drainage* We would, therefore, urge upon the Mayor and Councillors thb advisability of obtaining a skilled report as to the most practicable scheme to be adopted for the drainage of the town. Better pay an extra rate for borrowed money, than lose many valuable lives by an epidemic^