The Westport Times. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 467, 18 February 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1869.

Some months ago the proprietors of this journal had the honor of being invited to tender for the Government advertising and printing for twelve months. Upon the understanding and promise that the lowest tenderer should receive the liberal patronage and sole right of publishing for public information all Government notices—tenders, leases, grants, elections, courts, holidays, and such other official intimations as emanate from Government offices, —the local papers then in existence were induced to tender at very low rates, the sucessful caterer, The Times, having tendered at less than one third of the current rates. Shortly afterwards the contract was found to be not only an unprofitable one, but a positive loss, and much regretted by the recipients of the Government work, the disbursements for the composition of the Government advertisements exceeding the receipts from the same quarter. Circumstances ended th 9 contract, and another was verbally agreed upon, but finding, during the past four months, that the pruning knife has been exercised so vigilantly that the Government expenditure in advertising

and printing in this district is not likely to exceed £2O per annum, at the expiry of this month expires also the mighty contract. The total amount paid by both Governments for advertising and printing in "Westport since the month of September last amounts to £lO 9s 6d, which amount, if deducted from the cost of fourteen free copies of this paper supplied every issue to the various Government offices, leaves a handsome sum on the wrong side of the ledger to be debited to profit and loss account, as arising from the entries " Provincial and General Government patronage." Doubtless this is a matter of little interest to many of our readers, and we must apologise for bringing such a subject before them; but there are items in connection with the subject, of which the public have fully as good a right to complain as we have. In nearly every issue of the three Nelson newspapers appear notifications appertaining solely to the Nelson South-west Goldfields, of which the inhabitants in the localities re- j ferred to hear nothing. In the last Provincial Gazette, there appeared a notification that " Andrew Anderson and Company, of Westport, are authorised to construct a tramway commencing at the junction of Cobden and Eomilly streets, and continuing one mile along Eornilly street, and are protected in the occupation thereof for one year" under certain conditions. This is the first intimation the public have heard or seen of the said tramway. It has also been no unusual circumstance for one or two individuals to have accidentally observed written notices of " Tenders "Wanted " and " Protections Granted," of which the general public are allowed to remain in perfect ignorance. Even the date of the sittings of the District Court on the last occasion was unheard of, except by those who were made acquainted that His Honor Judge Clarke had arrived. Within the past two weeks, the Post Office and Telegraph Offices were closed for a day to the utter astonishment of the business and mining portion of the community, many of -whom to this hour know nought as to whose birthday or what anniversary caused the closing of the doors of public offices. Applications for registration on the Electoral Eoll closed, or gazetted, during this, next, or some other month, afterdelivery in a box said to have been provided for the purpose in the Court House, but when such are opened or closed, or where forms are to be procured, are matters left to public enquiry, and the generosity of any printer. This novel system of political economy has already been noticed by the Progress Committee here, and on so many occasions have the " powers that be " been dunned for information on public questions, that to save repetitions, and as a saving upon their own time, they have authorised three shillings to be expended to afford the public information. A portion of a leaf from the book of the Hokitika County Council, or a perusal of the Nelson papers, would show how differently these matters are managed elsewhere.