PALMERSTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5798, 18 September 1880, Page 1 (Supplement)

PALMERSTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sib, —" Zetus "is rather roujh and not very truthful on "your own," whose omuients are not very wide of the mark.

rhd facts, Mr Editor, are these : It seams to havo been paaßed with some difficulty in the Council nf tor many attempts to call for tenders to remove a large bank of earth in Tiverton street a little above Mr Pearson's store, and deposit the spoil on the Bame side lower down, nearly opposite Mr Fagau'd hotel. After the meeting of Council at which this waa carried, some of the members who take a great interest in this particular job, saw that three new councillors were elected, and might take their seats before tenders were accepted. " There's many a slip between the cup and the lip," but they^Jwere equal to the occasion. A spscial meeting wa.% called ; the standing order that all work of over H5 should be done by contract waa set aside1, and it was passed to do it by day labour. As if by magic the face of the cutting was covered with pick and shovel men at; 7s per day i ownwards. To show how accurately ratspayera' mmcli on the subject had been gauged, an influential deputation of the principal ratepayers (amongst them the newly-elected councillors) waited on the Council to know why this ha3te, especially as the Council was in debt, and money would have to be borrowed to do needless work which had stood for yeara and could well afford to stand as long. The Mayor told them it was pushed on solely to give work to the unemployed. The Corporation bankers were next appealed to by a petition asking them not to countenance municipal jobbery. But what seems most to rouse the righteous ire of your correspord&nt " Zetus "is the utter callousness the criticiem and demonstration of the ringleaders of the deputation. A levy seems to have bean made amongst the unemployed for old clothes; and, judging from corduroys and old, well-patched coats, newchum Irishmen seem to have been the contributors. Three elegant figures, duly stuffed, were put in the catting, nearly opposite the Scottish and English churches, and the names of three well-known citizens appended thereto, to the great amusement of townspeople and churchgoer?. Towards evening two of the honoured, hearing of the fnn, went down, anxious to see how they looked in effigy, but ware disappointed. The Mayor (Mr Pagan) assured them be was horrified, and had liwt written to the foreman of works to remove them, fuiling which he, with the aid of a friend, had put them in his stable. Everybody knows his Worship the Mayor of Palmerston is the simplest and moat guileless of men ; but many assert it was not the originals he cared about, but the sight of the well-known homely suits carried him back to childhood's happy days, and as they (the suits) had nobly borne the heat and burden of the day, it would be a pity to leave them exposed to the rigours of the night, especially as no one would sea them. They were duly got possession of and burned next day by two smill boyj—ona of them Mr Fagan's son, I believe. Not 50, " Zetus," but some 500 or 5000 may have suffered in the conflagration. " Zatus," being a close observer, perhaps knows; but if go, they were on the effigies, not looking at them. The whole thing will be fought at next meeting of Council, when a well-known member, who is looked upon m the Mayor's henchman, has promised to make mincemeat of the new members.I am, &c,

Anti-humbdg,

WEST COAST MINING.

(FBOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Gebymouth, September 10th,

The news just to hand, by private letters and otherwise, of the extensive goldfie'd now being opened out at Temora, in ths Gundagai district, New South Wales, will have tho effect of taking away from various part i of the Coast a fairish number of well-to-do miners. Indeed, same have already sold out of claims and are off, while others are waiting both in Greymouth and at Hokitika for a steamer. It would be rash, however, in miners going to this new field unless possessed of cash sufficient to keep themselves going in a quiet way for a period of at least six months. "Sam Rosb," the Temora prospector, is well known on the Coast, and I know of a letter having recently been sent by a friend of mine and an old mate of Sam's, asking for information. Since my last communication there has been a Blight influx of minsrs and others to ths recintiy-disoovered gold-fields at Mapourika acd other places down south, and I notice that a resent Warden's report from Okarito speaks favourably of a future goldfield. If miners generally would only content themselves with small returns at first, keep energetically at work, and ksep steadily away from intercourse witk low grog, shanties and sly-grog ahaaties still so prevalent on all the goldfields of the Coast, 1 am convinced that one and all of them, and hundreds of others to follow them, would ultimately light oa fair gold returns for their fair week's work. Miners, however, are cautioned against going to these southern fields unless they are possessed of cssh sufE cient to keep them going for a couple of months at least.

At Barryville (Seventeen-mile) there is nothing new to report on. The present population may ba stated as 400, but in the event of the second ancient beachline in the large flat, now being siendily prospected, proving even moderately payable, there will be a veiy large addition to the number before the close of the year. Mr Warden Mackay, in his very able and comprehensive annual report, speaks of the Seventeen mile district »s " probably the least developed, bat most valuable, field for gold-mining in New Zealand." And it is quite true that the Paparoa Mountain range, from Cobden, immediately opposite Greymouth, to Charleston, in the Buller district, a distance of 60 mil s in length by 10 miles in width, is on both Its eastern and western slopes highly auriferous. I am much mistaken if a fine city of the future don't take root by-and-bye at Point Elizabeth.

It was fully expected that very considerable assistance would have beeu given this season bj Government towards the formation of tracks, and otherwise giving aid to bona fide prospecting associations. The stagnated condition, however, of the New Zealand money-box will prevent many wellknown places on the West Coast baing tried thia year, and it is hcpelesß to expect local aid to the extent required.