Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNDSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1875. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 431, 3 February 1875, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNDSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1875. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

A case of typhoid fever having happened in Dunedin, and Cromwell having been again threatened with it, there is admonition to us here in Tuapeka to enquire into our liabilities, or otherwise to a like visitation. We are far from satisfied that all the measures have been taken to ward it off that ought to have been adopted. We should like to see active measures taken to do away with the cesspool closets, and to introduce earth closets in their stead. We feel persuaded that this would tend greatly to improve the public health, and ward off those zymotic diseases which imperfect sanitary arrangements invite to settle on our population. To remove all the causes of such, the Inspector of Nuisances should be instructed to make a-house-to-house-visitation, and x-equire the removal of all that is offensive to the eye and the olfactory nerves. In this way the sanitary condition of the town would be greatly improved. But this arrangement will not be complete unless a soil cart be employed to remove night soil and corrupting vegetable and animal matter. We are not sure but this might be rendered in part remunerative. Such soil would be valuable as manure, and our settlers might be .disposed either to remove it without cost, or offer such price for it as would be fair remuneration for its removal to their fields in the neighborhood of the town. An attempt at least might be made to render it remunerative ; but even if it cannot be made remunerative in this sense, it ought to be considered soif itis the means of introducing a better sanitary condition to the township. In recommending this, we are only urging what is being done in. other places ; and the people of Lawrence in submitting'to it would only be acquiescing in common with others with what is for the general good. Some time ago, we met with thereport of the Inspector of Nuisances for Sydney, who states that he and his co-adjutovs had visited 8,940 houses in Sydney during the ) ear, which ended in November last. Of the effect of these visits, as continued from time to time, he reports as follows : — " Although there are many places which are still in a disgustingly filthy state, I have been much gratified in observing the great improvements which have taken place in many parts of the city. Many places which 'came under my observation last-year as being very filthy, are now in a state of cleanliness scarce to be surpassed ; while at the same time nearly every other portion of the city is surely, though slowly, progressing towards that very desirable condition. The water closets are now kept so much cleaner than formerly that precautions on this account are rare. The backyards of seme of the houses visited, I found to be patterns of cleanliness, and the premises generally have improved in a manner exceeding: my most sanguine expectations." We need scarcely 'say thsE there they have the soil cart in very active use, and there can be no doubt that by its means a vast amount, of offensive and corrupting matter is removed. For the year ending as above stated, the following returns have been given :— Of street sweepings, there have been i^emoved 42,514 loads; of house lubbish, 21,772 loads ; of market sweepings, 1,586 loads ; of gully soil, 5,282 loads ; of earth closet soil, 1,796 loads ;— -in all, 72,949 loads. In addition to the above, there have teen removed2o,737 deadfowls and other"animals, besides quantities of fish condemned as unfit for market. We feel persuaded that the sanitary condition of our town will not be satisfactory until a soil cart is appointed. If one were only engaged for a d;\y each week, it would be an immense boon to the people of Lawrence. As it now is, those who would have ca r th olosets have no means of disposing of the soil ; and so long as this continues, we are' loading the air with the conditions of the , pestilence. And it adds to the evil that the offensive matter fermenting in the sun in the open gutters, instead of being promptly removed, is frequently turned off to the nearest

vacant place, where its offensiveness still continues. We are glad to see that steps are being taken to have the water course in Whiten aven-street cleared oxtt. Another dressing in autumn would render that tolerably sweet during the whole of the year.

A letter in our Milton contemporary from "an esteemed correspondent," on the Tapanui postal service, had almost escaped our notice. The correspondent is none other than Captain F. W. MacKenzie who has taken up his pen to defend what has never been assailed, namely, the new postal service between Clinton and Tapanui. We have seldom seen so many inaccuracies or miss+atements crowded together, either wilfully or from want of knowledge, in such a small space. We are inclined to look upon them as wilful misatatements. First of all the Captain says, " The Tuateka Times has a leading article against the postal service Tapanui to Dunedin via Clinton." Now the Tuapeka Times had nothing of the sort. It certainly had an article agamßt the postal service between Tuapeka and Tapanui via Clinton, which is about as good for Tuapeka aa a service between Port Chalmers. and Melbourne via Auckland, would be for Dunedin. No ; instead of writing against the Clinton service, we congratulated the Tapanui people upon it. The next fact of the Captain's is like unto the first. He says, *' It is vain to expect a coach to run over the mountains to Lawrence." So much for his knowledge. Had he been better posted up in facts he would have known that a coach has been running " over the mountains " for some years past to Switzers, passing within a few miles of Tapanui. This fact could hardly have been unknown to Captain Mackenzie ; but then an apparently strong point in his letter would have been missed had he acknowledged such a fact. Then, again, Waipahee, according to him, is only ten miles from Tapanui, whereas in reality it is nearly double that distance. But we suppose the Captain looks upon Tapanui as centreing in his homestead, and all the world radiating from that point. So much for Captain Mackenzie's facts. Dressed up in such language as will tickle the fancy and amuse his readers, his facts have no more weight than had his funny speeches in the Provincial Council. We do wot for a moment refer to these misstatements for the purpose of showing that it was a mistake to lay on a mail between Tapanui and Clinton, but to prevent such a gross perversion of facts from having the damaging influence for which, it seems, they were intended. Our view of this Tapanui postal service is, by the same correspondent, said to be a selfish one ; but we merely took up the position of self-defence, and stated that as a trade of no small importance had sprung up between Tapanui and Lawrence, aud the up-country towns, it was a monstrous shame on the part of the postal authorities fcfstop our communication between these places in the way it was stopped. If there be any selfishness in the matter, it is altogether shown by those two or three individuals, who, in a hole and corner manner, used their influence for their own private ends, and got the route changed. Selfishness assumes the position of a virtue with some people, and ws think the captain and his squatter friends of Tapanui, who have secured lar<*o freeholds for a mere song, show a strong development of that virtue, when they do their utmost to enhance the value of the broad acres of their own district by endeavouring to do an injury to another. Departing from the subject in hand, the Captain writes in the following mysterious manner: "The political intrigues of a few," he says, " have for a long time been drawing into Lawrence the trade of a large extent of country." We are at a loss to know what trade Lawrence has obtained by any intrigues, political or otherwise. Referring, to the question in point, we can safely say that whatever Tapauui trade has been drawn into Lawrence, has been more for the good of Tapanui than of Lawrence, and had it not been that an enterprising Lawrence firm invested largely in the Tapanni timber trade some years ago, it is. possible that much of the timber which has been brought to Lawrence, or sent up-country from Tapanui, might have been obtained from other sources. As for " political intrigues," we fail to see the application of the term as used by the Captain : but one thing we know, and that is, that no class of men have done more by intrigues and all sorts of devices (vide transactions before the Waste Lands Board, which are fresh in the recollections of many) to stem the advancement of the country, than the class of which Captain Mackenzie is the champion. With regard to the question at issue, we can only say that to leave the postal communication between Lawrence and towns higher up-country, that have many commercial dealings with Tapanui, in the present unsatisfactory state, will be a gross injustice to a large portion of the community, and will injure no place more than it will Tapanui itself. The leading man of Tapanui (or as some have dubbed him, " The King of Tapauui,") not only acknowledges that there should be a mail service to Tapanui, but has made the postal authorities an offer, so we are informed, to convey a mail weekly between the two places. This, we have no doubt, was partly forced upon him by the dissatisfaction the present mail arrangements created^ not only at Lawrence but at Tapanui, amongst the mill proprietors and the business people generally, who have personally expressed to us their decided disapprobation of the discontinuance of the mail service via Tnapeka. We are in a position to state positively that two-thirds of the business correspondence with Tapanui — Dunedin letters excepted — are with the districts between Lawrence and Cromwell inclusive. Surely that should be a sufficient reason for having a postal service between Tapanui and Tuapeka direct, at least weekly. A word in answer to our Milton contemporary. We can only say that "an esteemed correspondent's " facts, as given in his letter, are quite in keeping with the generality of our contemporary's ; — but of the two, we would rather accept the Captain's wild statements. Onr contemporary's facts are immensely stranger than fiction, as some of his recent issues have given ample illustration. The rhubarb, fruit; tree, and gum tree facts are of a character more likely to establish our contemporary in the line he has been lately following as the Milton " Punch," than as the historian of that rising township. On this account, his remarks anent the Tapanui postal service, and especially anent Tuapeka, have no weight jphatever. It is, indeed, amusing to observe a newspaper which, hitherto, could not speak too laudatory of Tuapeka, changing its tune at once to suit its purpose* or to display a little silly writing,