DUNEDIN GOSSIP.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXX, Issue 1513, 10 May 1898, Page 5

DUNEDIN GOSSIP.

FROM OUll OWN CORRKSI’ONDENT. Dunedin, May G. The decision in the Wakatipu-Laira collision is a sad blow to the Harbor Board, and worse still a sadder blow to the" Upper Harbor. “ Wounded in the house of friends ” appropriately describes the position. The collision is said to be due to the quantity of water in the channel causing the Wakatipu to refuse to answer her helm. Captain Smith, who had a right to expect two feet of water under his keel, is therefore exonerated. it having been shown that where the Harbor Board said there were IGft of water a few short months ago there were only from 11 to 13. Exception has been taken to the lemarks of Captain Boyd, the nautical assessor, and it is that he should not have acted in that position in view of the attitude he, as agent of the N.Z. Shipping Co., has taken up towards the Upper Harbor. If Captain Boyd intended to infer that the Board concealed the state of the channel, he was wrong. But if he intended merely to convey that they did not, in view of the manner in which the channel silts up, take sufficient steps to ascertain the depth of water all over, month by month, he was quite right. As the facts in connection with the course of the Wakatipu, or rather the channel, are not well-known even in Dunedin, it may be explained that in coming up mid-channel, supposing the course not altered, the steamer would have run into either the Laira or Canterbury. On approaching the wharf a craft has to sheer away to the left (this the Wakatipu, by refusing to obey her helm, did not do,) and then once past the end of the wharf, make a sharp turn to the right again. The Wakatipu continued straight on until the anchor was let go and the engines reversed. She then yawed out of the course she was pursuing but in the wrong direction, so that instead of striking the Canterbury she struck and lank the Laira lying further out, t has now become generally recognised that the Government Valuation of Land’s Act means another turn of the taxation screw. The local bodies will benefit by a alight addition to their revenue from rates, but the burden of the land tax will fall heavier upon the owner also, and he has the barren consolation when paying the extra money, of knowing that Ministers claim to have lightened his burdens. For municipal purposes, the valuations do not apply to Dunedin, and therefore the objections were not fought out as would otherwise have been the case. But in cases where objections were made, the subtle nature of the valuation was shown. They are based as near as possible so as to fall slightly below the sum which it would pay the owner to sell out. If a person is carrying on business at a profit, or if a farmer is making a little more than a living, he has a sentimental attachment to the place ho is in and without very cogent reasons will not care to strain that sentiment, or run the risk of not being able to obtain at once a place that would suit as well. Therefore, when he seeks to obtain a reduction, he has to run the risk of losing what he possesses at its egitimate value, apart from sentiment,' loss of time and difficulty of procuring an equally suitable place, or put up with the valuation. Generally he does the latter. Where it is a business site in a city or town the result is a man is taxed because his own qualities—his' energy, business capacity, and knowledge of the class of article that will sell on the site—have proved successful. Thus Brown, Ewing and Co. have made their corner well and favorably known —formerly a; struggling bootmaker managed to make himself a bankrupt on the site —and are taxed accordingly. Bullen’s corner, where Mr Bullen made a fortune by displaying goods which the crowds which congregated there always required and bought, is now declared less valuable simply because of the crowd about there, whereas the fact is, the occupants do not cater for the crowd which assembles there still but for a class apt to be deterred from entering because of the crowd. Now if a crowd daily assembles at a certain spot, it is evident that it is from want of business capacity that the shopkeeper fails to sell. No crowd ever decreased the value of a site.

The appearance in Dunedin aa president of the Arbitration Court of Mr Justice Edwards, was looked forward to with some interest, as the public could here compare him on more favorable terms with Mr Justice Williams, who was the beau ideal of a president, than they could as a judge of the Supreme Court. It cannot be said that Mr Justice Edwards is likely to steal the hearts of the people from his predecessor. Judge Williams, combined with much firmness an extreme uibanity of manner, which gave no one ground for thinking for one moment that he had the slightest bias one way or the other. These qualities are not so marked in his successor, and there was a suspicion of a liking for cutting words which are apt to rankle in the breast. With all due deference to his honor, it was unbecoming of him to describe as impertinent the attempt of the master pastrycook’s representative to ascertain the meaning of the court’s award. The act prohibits the appearance of counsel for either side with the view, no doubt, of preventing the issues being clouded by legal subtleties. It was intended, in, fact, that the court should be for plain commonsense folk, and it must have been equally intended that the court’s award should be comprehensible by common persons. When one of the parties who cannot clearly grasp the effect of the award asks a few questions, and is told to his solicitor. It appears to commonsense individuals to indicate either that the court has failed to comply with the spirit of the act, or if legal subtleties are to bo introduced in the award, then legal representatives capable of grasping these points and dealing with them in the orthodox legal fashion when they arise should be allowed. Why should a man be referred to his lawyer when his lawyer is debarred from appearing for him 1 The city abbatoir was formally opened yesterday in the usual orthodox manner. There was a good deal of talking, a fair amount of guzzling, and precious little sight-seeing. The arrangements for the inspection of the city’s meat supply appear to be excellent, and, according to Mr Gilruth, he saw nothing superior to them while on the Continent. This is high praise indeed. To Mr Hislop, the architect, must be awarded much of the credit. He had the assistance of advice from Mr Cameron first and then Mr Snowball, while Mr Gilruth himself is understood to have made valuable suggestions. How far the abbatoir will fulfil expectations it is difficult to say. It is believed the butchers who induced the Roslyn Borough Council to appoint an inspector will make a strong fight for it, but the Town Clerk, with the City Council at his back, appears to have armed himself at all points. The matter really rests with the consumers. If they insist on getting their meat from those who patronise the city abbatoir, those composing the “ring” will soon find their trade gone. And this is probably what will take place. The abbatoir is an outcome of a press agitation, and it jnay be taken for granted that the press

will not sit down quietly and its offspring boycotted without letting the public know who the boycottera are.