TEA MEETING.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1231, 24 November 1874, Page 4

TEA MEETING.

On Thursday the anniversary tea meeting in connection with tho United Free Methodist denomination was held in the church, Wallabi street. The attendance, considering tho unfavorable state of the weather, was numerous. After the good things so liberally provided had been discussed and the tables cleared away, His Worship the Mayor, who had kindly consented to preside, opened the proceedings by making a few wellchosen remarks on anniversaries. He then called on Mr R. C. Chambers, who followed up on the same subject. lie believed anniversaries to be of great utility to church congregations by being the means of bringing people into closer social relations. He said as milestones on a road served the purpose of computing distances, so anniversaries gave the observer op. porlunities for marking the flight of time, and reviewing the progress made by religion in the intervals. Mr K. Whyto did not agree with previous speakers in their throwing- the onus of making a long, speech on the next succeeding speaker. He would, however, look over it this time, and as the world wags let it pass. He proceeded to give a short address on the practical appliances used in spiritualism, but as he did not profess to know much about the spiritists themselves would not detain the meeting by making any lengthy remarks on the subject. After passing in review music, poetry, geology, botany, astronomy, and chemistry, he said the greatest living chemists professed to be entirely ignorant of tho way in which nature worked out some of her apparently simple changes. The speaker alluded to fermentation as instancing one of the many operations of every day life, still baffling the closest researches of chemists, aud stated that as there were now so many youth and maidens growing up around us it formed a favorable opportunity for the opening of classes for mutual improvement. The Key. J. Parkin of Charleston followed next with an address on the religion of Christ and its relation to the churches of the present day and made a stirring appeal on behalf of simplicity of worship over ritualistic forms and ceremonies. Mr Thomas Field was glad to sec so large an attendance and told several anecdotes of " Conversions" which seemed to meet with much approbation from the audience. The Rev. H. Taylor made some explanatory remark's on the present position of Church affairs, he regretted the fact that the oflice-s of the Church had not presented their annual report, but congratulated his hearers that • the half of the stipend fund hitherto provided from Home funds would not now be required, he thought the Church income would for tho future be sufficient to cover its own liabilities. He mentioned the pleasing fact that the Sunday School only some few weeks re-established had now on its roll nearly sixty pupils. In continuation of his address the lies-, gentleman entered pretty fully into the relations which should exist between a minister and his congregation and pointed out that it was not a good preacher that was alone required to give effect to the Word, good hearers were indispensable if good results were to follow. The proceedings were brought to a close bj r the Mayor returning thanks on behalf of those ladies aud gentlemen who had taken part in the labor of carrying out the business of tho tea meeting. During the course of tho evening, the juvenile choir, ably assisted by Mr B. Oakcs, sang several hymns in a highly creditable manner. Mrs R. Carne presided at the harmonium, aud with tho choir contributed much towards making the meeting a success. PUBLIC WORKS. A deputation consisting of his Worship the Mayor, and the members of the Municipal Council waited upon Mr Carruthers, Engineer iu-chief, of Public Works Department, at the Court House on Friday to consult with him on matters of interest to Westport residents. Mr Humphrey first referred to the need for increased wharf accommodation, and the desire of the Municipal Counc: 1 that it should be provided. Mr Carruthers said that knowing so little of the town under its present ' aspect, he hardly understood what the Council exactly required or proposed, I and would like his Worship to explain. '

Mr Humphrey said the idea was to build a wharf for present use at the Henley street river frontage. Mr Carruthers : Any wharf erected there would have to be speedily removed. Mr Munro: The necessity for increased wharfage is forced upon us by the arrival of vessels discharging railway material, and which take up the greater portion of the wharf accommodation at Wakefield street, to the incon* venience of the general trade of the port. Temporary wharfage is required, and the erection further down the stream would be of very gre.it convenience. Mr Carruthers: Any wharf erection at the place proposed would bo but for a very short time. The section of railway to the quarries at Fairdown will be open in about 7 months at the outside, and then the stone protective works will be immediately commenced. It would be a great risk to anyone building a wharf as a speculation, for it might be subject to speedy removal, as any change in the river, arising from iiood encroachment, might make it necessary to begin the protective works just where the proposed wharf at Ifeuley street would be an obstruction. Mr Stitt explained that the object to be gained in the erection of a wharf any where below Wakefield street, in preference to above it, would be the greate depth of water alongside for shipping. Mr Munro: Could the Municipal Council grant permission or protection to parties for the erection of temporary wharfage, seeing that the demand for increased wharf accommodation is so great, on the understanding that it would not be permitted to interfere with the progress of the permanent protective works. Mr Carruthers : My opinion is that at a short and uncertain date any temporary erection would have to be removed, and I should so advise the Minister of Public Works if asked to supply information on this point. Mr Munro : Would you recommend the erection of temporary wharf for the accommodation of vessels drawing 13 and 14 feet of water, and bringing down railway material from Wellington. Such vessels can at all times cross the Buller bar with ease, but there is some difficulty in berthing them at the Wakefield street wharf, because the shingle spit forming in mid stream abreast of that wharf is gradually shoaling the water there. Mr Carruthers : I could hardly recommend the government to do so, as there is really not enough railway material to come down to Westport to warrant such expenditure for the short time the wharf would be needed. Another point must be considered, the erection of a wharf either by the Government or private hands would at once create interests enhancing the value of surrounding property, and it would be a pity to create such and then quickly disturb them. As to giving anyone permission to erect a wharf it could only be given under very stringent conditions as to instant removal, say within 12 or IS months at the outside. Mr Munro: Suppose the railway contractor takes sis months to finish his contract do you think any wharf accommodation would be made at the deep water off Brougham street. Mr Carruthers: (Looking at the map). There will probably be something made there within twelve months ; cither part of the permanent work or a temporary structure. But is not that street cutting away ? Much, as you know, depends on the floods in the river, which may cause material alteration in any present plans. Mr Monro: Perhaps wharfage at any particular point could be made to work in with the genera! scheme of river protection. Mr Carruthers: I think that doubtful. 1 hope tha> it will not be twelve months before the permanent work along the river bank is built clown as far as Brougham street, but it will be at least eighteen months before Henley street is reached. A'; I before re marked any wharf at Henley street must be a mere temporary structure, and as to the general work to be carried out 1 cannot at present furnish any precise details. Mr Munson : Do I understand, Mr Carruthers, thai you would not object to the erection of a temporary structure but without recommending any compensation to bo paid for removal. Mr Carruthers: Yes. If anyone builds a wharf it will be subject to a notice to clear away when needed without any further trouble or claim. I only speak now as an engineer and can give no reply as to how the erection of a wharf there would he affected in other respects. I should say, if asked for official information, that a temporary wharf at Henley street would not interfere with the protective works for eighteen months. Mr Humphrey : Can you tell us what quantity of land will be required on the Colliery Reserve for railway purposes ? Mr Carruthers : I cannot at present. The designs for the station arc not yet made, arid it must be remembered that designs of staUonvequiremcnts, sufficient for the present, may prove totally insufficient for the future. Mr Munson: It will place people occupying sections allotted to them on the reserve in an inconvenient position if this uncertainty continues. Mr Carruthers : Probably some definite arrangements will be made, but I cannot say anything on tho subject now. j Matters between the Government a id ' occupiers of the land I know nothing of. Mr Humphrey: Will you be good enough to inform us your opinion on

the subject of a line of rail to the Nine Mile, as a source whence a good supply of stone for protective works may be more expeditiously obtained than from the Pairdown quarries ? Mr Carruthers : The cost of a locomotive line in that direction from Westport has been much under-esti-mated by the Municipal Council. The present road there would not be of much use for such purpose, as it nearly follows the surface lino, and it would be just as cheap to form a locomotive lino alongside as to reduce the hillocks and fill up hollows on the present road. At the Orawaiti there is a gradient of 1 in 12, to avoid which would require heavy embanking, and a large bridge would be also re. quired. Another serious drawback would be found in the occurrence of gradients of 1 in 40 on the line, which would necessitate the use of four locomotives, to do the work which would be done by one on the Pairdown line. A line to the Nino Mile would not expedite the general work on the river bank, and if made a permanent work the cost would be too great. Mr Monro: The Council merely propose a temporary line just sufficient to carry trucks laden with two or three tons of stone each, a simple horse tramway. Mr Carruthers : The result on such a plan w r ould be too small to warrant any expenditure. I have come to the conclusion that stone would be obtained no sooner from the Nine-mile than from the Pairdown. Still I should like to gee the Nine-mile quarry ultimately used, as the material is good, and could be obtained in large blocks suitable for sea work, but the Fairdown stone is equally good for protective works along the river bank. Mr Sheahan: Is your opinion, in the absence of specifications, based upon your own observation or upon Mr Dobson's report. Mr Carruthers: I have certainly no specifications, but Mr Dobson has submitted a detailed section of the mad, and I have a very high opinion of him as a good authority. I have also insp«'Cti j d the line. Mr Humphrey: Have you come to a decision as to the line of route for the Mount Roehforc railway, from the end. of the first section now beingformed, whether what is known as the inner, or the outer, line will be adopted. Mr Carruthers: I am decidedly in , favor of the inner line, after having inspected the coal seams at the Waimungaroa, and Mr is about to get the inner line set out as quickly as possible. His Worship thanked Mr Carruthers for the information given, and the deputation then withdrew.