The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1896. OUR WATER SUPPLY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XVII, Issue 4062, 8 December 1896, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1896. OUR WATER SUPPLY.

The fire last night ought to haye t the effect of bringing the Borough Council to some sense of its responsibility m regard to the management of the towa's water supply for fire prevention purposes. It was a painful spectacle of incapacity that was displayed. The unoine was promptly on the ground after the alarm, with steam up, hose unreeled and ready to play— not a moment lost m these preparations — a promptness, which, all things considered, showed that the Brigades i motto of " Semper paratus " was no piece of ide vapouring. But not a d^cp of water was flowing m the Moore street channels. A journey to East street showed the further fact that that the main channel was also empty. The building m which the fire originated had not a stick standing when the water was ultimately got down, while the flames had gpread to an adjoining cottage. Thanks to energetic and well directed use of the hydropult engines the spread ef the fire m the cottage was kept m check, but the water for those engines was pumped from the household well by the sturdy arms of firemen and others. To b^ sure, the fire had the large building well m its grasp when the alarm was sounded, but when the steamer was readjj'to play the" roof was almost intact. "When the water came there was nothing to save. The roof was dpwn, and every stud was prone among the red embers of the debris. Nero fiddled while Rome was burning, and our Bprough Council, if not brought up with a round turn, by those most interested, the ratepayer?, will still be found wrangling with the Fire Brigade m a parsimonious attempt to save a miserable ten pounds a year, while the whole town may be m flames. This is the sura m dispute between the holder^ of the Borough purse strings and the Brigade, as the latter body would for ! that sum more than the Council is I prepared to give, take full charge of the water supply for fire prevention, and make it their business to see that, if water be available at all by channel, it will be available for the engine. We hold the foolish, penny wise policy of the Council responsible for the damage done to the Hoad Boar*d cottage, which policy crippled the efforts of the Brigade and nullified its usefulness. In very dry weather such as we have been experiencing for some time, every wooden building m the town is liable to be the scene of a fire, and at any moment, from one or other of the countless causes of fire, yet the Council doses away, (f letting things slide," while, as was shown on Monday night, their whole water system is m a state of culpable disorganisation and helpless uselessness k The whole affair is a sad commentary on the common sense and .business anumen of those into whose hands have been entrusted the administration of our borough affairs, and the sooner they are roused to a sense of their responsibility and rise bo the npcessities of the' occasion the oetter for the safety of the town.

Berlin is fairly well churched, if one may judge from a return given m a Home paper. The BERLIN'S city has a populaeiiuJJCHES. tion of about a million souls. The chapols m some of the public buildings in -the city are not included m the rer turn. Berlin contains at present 115 places of public worship— that is, of the various Christian bodies. They I are dipideicj. as follows; — Protestant 99, Catholic Is, Greek Church 1. There are also two large Jewish synagogues. Of the more important houses af worship of a monumental type, 23 Protestant and five Oatholic Churches , and one Synagogue were erected and i inaugurated during the reign of Emperor WUH<«» 11,

Practical jokers, unless thfy see thej error of their ways and mend them at. an cur y stage of A GENEROUS their career are VICTIM, . bound to come to a bad end. There is no exception to this beneficent rule j From the time youthful hobbledehoys played pranks with the venerable prophet down to Theodore Hook, persons addicted to praclical joking have been either eaten by bears, or shut up m I lunatic asylum?, or died m poverty/or fined m police cou>ts. So let all those inclintd to this form of folly take warning, especially tha Southwark coffee-house waiter, named James Hughes, who is a fair sample of the lout who enjoys a •' practical joke " which entails pain and suffering on others. An engineer, named Worrall, had eaten a humble chop m the capacity of an unpolished Ganymede, and I was solacing himself with the customary "forty winks" to aid digestion when he felt a sudden sharp burning pain m his eyes and became like a blind man. This was caused by the waiter shaking the pepperbox m his face for " a lark," or practical joke. Anything more stupid or morecruelit isimpossible to imagine. For some time the man's sight was m jeopardy, but, fortunately, it is now regainingits normal condition, Hughe3 was brought before the Southwark magistrate charged with assault, and, like all practical jokers brought to bay, had no answer to make except to look very foolish. » It was only a joke," was his sole excuse, and as he had no money — jokists always fall into poverty — he was unable to give any compensation. Mr Fehwick told him i he must pay a fine of foi ty shillings or go to prison for twenty-one days - a punishment none too severe for the offence. The man would inevitably have gone to gaol had not the injured but magnanimous engineer pleaded strongly for him, And ultimately induced the magistrate to set him free on his own recognisances. Worrall even promised to try and get him some employment. If after such a < display of generosity Hughes ever plays another practical joke, his end may easily be foretold.