Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, February 8, 1876.

Cromwell Argus, Volume VII, Issue 326, 8 February 1876, Page 4

Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, February 8, 1876.

The movement which is now on foot in this district to secure a Resident Magistrate and Warden does riot seem to please that astute paper, the Dimstan Times. After three weeks' consideration, it has carefully made up its mind that the proposal is "purely a selfish one," and one which "to men of sterling truth," is a subject of " pure indifference.", ; But it likes the proposal none the better for, that. We are pleased to Bee, however, that there is an improvement in the tone —looking at the matter from one point of view—which the Times adopts in discussing the question. Underlying all the twaddle Which the Times thinks proper to publish on the matter, there is the tacit acknowledgment of our superiority in every sense but;—a geographical one, forsooth. He acknowledges our superior position commercially ; he admits our prosperity, and that we produce more gold than any other centre of population in Otago, (for the very naive reason, by the way, he says, that there is much more gold in our immediate vicinity). But the Warden should be located in the geographical centre, " whether that centre be a town or outside of one, it matters little" —to use his own elegant diction. Butcher's Gully would be the proper place for the Warden's location in that case, we should think.

Neither our time nor space will allow us to notice all the absurdities which the Times puts forth in talking of the matter. In fact, we feel almost bound to apologise to our readers for noticing the remarks of a paper which in the one breath speaks of the possession of an R.M. and a Warden as if it were a matter of selling a little more tea and sugar; then says that it is a matter of perfect indifference ; and then that it would actually increase the value of town property amongst us. It would be time wasted to try to convince such a periodical that there are far higher reasons for wishing the possession of such an officer in the most prosperous and flourishing centre of a district. 1 The real bogey of course is the fear that the Warden will possibly be removed from Clyde ; or, if the editor of the Dunstan Times disclaims that reason and wishes to abide by the claim of public utility, we will suggest what might possibly be a satisfactory solution of the case. He knows very well (if we are to believe his published utterances) that there is no necessity, if the Cardrona were cut off from it, of having two Wardens for the Lakes District, and he must know that, with the Cardrona added, Cromwell, Bendigo, Bannockburn and Nevis districts would furnish ample work even for our present energetic Warden. Could Clyde, Alexandra, Blacks, Tinkers, Drybread and Teviotnotdo the same? The Lakes District would then be a compact one, under the management of one of its present able Wardens. The Cromwell District would surely be extensive enough for any one man, seeing that it would extend over a piece of country the richest in a gold6elds sense in Otago, some 80 miles in length by 15 or 20 in breadth, and ample justice could then be done to what is now popularly understood as the Dunstan District—especially if Alexandra were taken as the centre from which its Warden's operations were conducted. We invite the Dunstan Times to think the matter over once more. It involves no increase in the number of Wardens, and the only place which will be asked to sacrifice a

little for the general good will be Clyde itself. We feel sure, however, from the noble sentiments which weekly find utterance in that place, that when it is considered that whatever little sacrifice it makes will be doubly paid to Cromwell and Alexandra, this will be at once cheerfully acceded ; for, after all, the mere location of the Warden, "to men of sterling worth, is a subject of pure indifference." We confidently rely, therefore, upon our Clyde contemporary going in for our proposed scheme of redistributing the Wardens, now that the matter has been explained to him ; and, strengthened by that belief, we hope our local Town Council will still put their shoulders to the wheel and push the thing to a satisfactory termination.