Correspondence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXI, Issue 32, 16 April 1862, Page 3

Correspondence.

To the Editor ov the 'Nelson Examinee.' Sib — The subject of a water supply for this city is, I am glad to say, being agitated in your columns, and a correspondent in your issue of the 9th instant makes a valuable suggestion with respect to drinking fountains; but he has, I fear, lost sight of that excellent recipe in Mrs. Glass's cookery book which begins, " First catch your hare." So lot us first secure a supply of water, and drinking and other fountains, baths, &c, will, no doubt, follow in due course. But how is the boon to be obtained ? Many persons objected to the excellent but somewhat too extensive scheme recommended by the Provincial Council, because of its enforced rating of the in* habitants, whether they used the water or not ; and English folk still prefer swallowing the gilded pill of indirect taxation, instead of the cheaper, more effectual, and direct remedy. My proposal is: — First, that the Government should give from the public chest a bonus of, say, £500 to the person or company who provides an adequate supply of water to the city ; second, that some party or parties should advance on loan for a few years, on good security, and at a fair rate of interest, about a couple of thousand pounds ; and, thirdly, that then I will engage, within a year from date, to lay on a supply of water to the central part of the town and to the beach ; to supply small houses at notexceeding 20s. a year, and to provide a free public drinking fountain (if not an ornamental fountain on the Ch.urah-lull) ; to secure a pressure of water sufficient, in case of fire, to throw a jet as high as the Church clock ; and to have the whole works constructed under the suporiutendence of a competent engineer. I give you permission to reveal my name to any person likely to further such a project, and in the meantime shall adopt a designation to which I hope, before long, to be fully entitled, that oi Aquarius — Nelson, April 11. The Water-Man. P.S. — Since writing the above our citizens have received another warning by the fire on Sunday evening ; and had it not been for the accidental discovery of this fire through the falling of a picture, who shall say what might have been the result. It must be patent to every one that with the appliances at command, even the very laudable exertions of the brigade and the citizens would have been almost useless to stay the fire had it once gained a head in that block of wooden buildings. I take this opportunity also of repeating a question lately asked through your columns, but not answered : — In the event of the removal of a building being required to stay the progress of a fire, who is to take the responsibility of ordering such building to be pulled down? and to whom is the owner to look for payment of his loss ?

TO THE EDITOB OP THE ' NELSON EXAMINES.' , , Sir— ln the Colonist of April 11, the following paragraph occurs : — " Wick the introduction, of water aad ga3, proper sewerage for the town must be connected ; and all these operations worked together would cost very little more than any one of them worked out singly." Could the writer be induced to lay before our fellow-citizens, and before the Provincial Council shortly to assemble, the plan by which so desirable a result may be accomplished? Only fancy our having water, gas, and proper sewerage, all together, " for very little more than the cost of any one of them singly." I do not hesitate to say that the man who will ; effect thiß should have a statue of him erected by the inhabitants of this city, and I think brass would be the most suitable material. I think no gas would be necessary to light up his statue at night. The next paragraph upon the subject, in the same number of the Colonist, is also very fine, and is meant to be oracular and conclusive, viz. : — "No Government guarantees aro at all requisite in these matters, and we hope we have seen the last of this sort of applications to the Government to secure a certain per oentage for a certain term of years, whatever may be th 9 state of the money market ; and we truat that the new Council will resolutely set its face against any quackery of the kind." A considerable amount of pretension to sound views in the science of political economy is evinced by the foregoing, especially in denouncing as quackery a principle upon whioh fifty millions sterling are now being spent by the British public upon railways in India, besides very large sums in publio works at the Cape, the Mauritius, the West Indies, and other colonies. In regard of the above-mentioned places, the system of the Government guaranteeing a minimum rate of interest upon the amount of capital expended by companies upon certain necessary public works, is considered preferable to that of the Government taking shares in such enterprises, as in the case of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada ; or of the Government itself constructing the works required, as in the case of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Victoria, New South Wales,' Canterbury, &c. It is not to be supposed that Nelson is in a better position to raise money for the construction of public works than any of the places mentioned. If there are those who seriously are of a contrary opinion, why don't they try the experiment of raising money sufficient to supply some of our principal streets with gas, for instance? Will' the writer in the Colonist try his hand at it ? The publio are tired of hearing that all these things can be done for a mere trifle, and without Government aid. Why do not some of those who say they can be so done set about doing them, or any one of them, instead of acting the dog in the manger ? I mysolf believe there is no use in talking of a water supply, or of sewage, until we have a bad fire or two, and a sweeping epidemic disease of some kind which we shall have some day, " the abundant supply of springs and streams " which the Superintendent says we have to the contrary notwithstanding. There is no instunce of any colony advancing rapidly in material prosperity without having been a borrower j and who would not be a borrower, who could invest money on good security in New Zealand at ten per cent., which can be had in England at six jper cent. ? Or who, ia Naw Zealand, would invest money in

gas or water to produce six per cent, or less, while he can get ten per cent, upon a first mortgage of real estate of three times the value of the sum lent upon it? If it is true economy and the correct principle to buy in the cheapest and sell in the dearest m.irket, so it is to borrow at a losv rate of interest and lend at a high rate ; and this is the system by which Banks make money. And if we can borrow in England the money necessary for the construction of water, gas, and sewage work", at six per cent, interest, would we not bo foolish to invest our own money therein (when we have-it), when we can lend it at ten per cent, upon undoubted security, of real estate. The question, then, arises, Can we borrow money in England for the purposes mentioned without a Government guarantee ? And the reply can doubtless be obtained at. any of tho three Banks here, or from Mr. Stafford or Mr. Fox, who have recently had some experience in raising money in London on New Zealand General Government debentures. I am, &c, Anti-Obstructive.