COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 852, 29 June 1888, Page 12

COUNTRY NEWS.

PALMERSTON NORTH,

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ) June 21.

At last night’s meeting of the Borough Council, the financial statement, as recast, was presented, and it is no doubt in many respects satisfactory that a general rate of one halfpenny is found to be sufficient to meet the ordinary expenses, instead of the penny rate proposed to be levied by the late Council. I must say, however, with respect to the retrenchment which iq to enable the Council to effect this saving to the ratepayers, that some of it appears to me to be of a doubtful character, and some of it most unfair to the parties at whose expense it is carried out. With regard to the lighting of the streets under the present system, it i 3 in all conscience bad enough, but I greatly doubt the wisdom of abolishing it altogether and leaving the town in total darkness. Then as to the Town Clerk s ana Inspector’s salaries, I maintain that it is as illegal, and as unjust to reduce them without due notice, either by L 2500 or LSO, as it would be to reduce them by L 125 or Ll5O, or save for a good and sufficient cause, to dispense with their services altogether without giving proper intimation of such intention. One or two other supposed savings, such as tnat’ in the cost of local elections', are also open to question. ~, The special rates will now stand at l£d and fd respectively, making the total rates for the year 2id instead of 3d as formerly proposed. The consideration of the financial statement occupied so long a time that the discussion of the water schemes was put off until, this evening, when a special meeting .will pe held for the purpose. Our townsman, Mr It. J.' Abrahams, leaves by this train for Wellington and Lyttelton, en route for the

Qld Country. We all wish him bon " “ ‘ June 22.. I understand that- a deputation will wait upon the Wanganui Education Board at their meeting oh Wednesday next, to protest against the extraordinary action which is being taken in seeking to deprive 3?itzherbert of the school for the erection of which money was voted in April last. Of my own knowledge I can vouch for the necessity for a school as proposed, the want of which has been long felt ; and to disappoint the settlers now of that for which they have for the past eighteen months so earnestly striven, just at the attainment of their object, would, it appears to me, be most unfair, inconsistent, and unbusinesslike on the part of the Board. The' North Panterbuyy Education Board has, lam tpld, elevep schools with a working average of ten children, an ayerage very much below what the rapidly rising district of Fitzherbert will show in the way of attendance. So much has already "teen written on the hardships the Fitzherbert children have to endure in travelling to and from the Palmerston schools that I*will not say more on that head, and will only further say that I hope certain reports which have been rather freely circulated as to attempts being made to bias its action by influence behind the scenes, are unfounded, and that on Monday the Board will see fit to carry out its original decision, and go on at once with the school. The report of Mr BL P. Higgmson, C.E., upon the various schemes for Water supply for the Borough of Palmerston 'North was considered by the Council in committee last everting, and further consideration was postponed for a fortnight. 'The schemes received were four ih ? number, viz., two pumping schemes, phe from Mr Joseph Saunders, one from Messrs E.' Hutson and Co. ; and two gravitation schemes, one from Messrs Coates and Metcalfe and one from Mr D. Sinclair. Mr Higgins’on says in his report, which is of course much too lengthy for me to quote verbatim, that he considers Mr Sinclair’s scheme, though- tendered for below 819,0Q0, cannot be perfectly constructed for that sum, if it fa required to make a proper and permanent wprk of. it, qnd that he has not gone further into it than would enable him to fprm a definite opinion. The scheme of Messrs Coates and Metcalfe is considered to be the best “ if the cost were not obliged to be taken into consideration, but as the means at the disposal of the Borough are limited, and? the stipulations in the special conditions j imperative,” Mr Hjggmson goes on . .to ! nays, “ I have no hesitation in stating; Hat the .tender of Mr Joseph ; ghouidjb o accepted provided the supply; proyes to be Of proper quality.” Mr Hig- ] gin son further says— “Jt will be ob-; [served (hat the first cost'is considerably; less'and the annual cost also, though the ; actualj working expenses are higher, than, for the other pumping scheme, owing to | i the fact that steam must be kept up night j and day, consequently requiring more attendance. The ann,ual cost of the other j pumping scheme ,o£ P. Hutson and Co.; |s only LJL29 less than' foy the gravitation acheme of Coates apd Metcalfe, so that --tjtfter.considerations being negldoted, and taking into account the superiority of the latter, I should advise its acceptance .should that of Joseph Saunders from any. yeas'on be withdrawn from competition, .and notwithstanding the fact that its cost will exceed the r I may state that Mr launders proposes Jo pump four wells direct into the mains, .(he pumping station to bo near the gaa-

works, no reservoir to bo constructed, but an engine to be in .constant work night and day, by aid of which the pressure ira the mains can be raised to above the 150 feet specified. Messrs Hutson and Co. propose to placo the pumping-station in Vogel-street, Terrace End, to sink a well 7Et 6in diameter to a depth of 75ft, and to have two reservoirs (high and low level) placed within a concrete water tower at sufficient elevation to give the necessary pressure, in case of fire. A single compound, engine and one boiler to be employed, with provision for duplicating at an additional cost of LIOOO.

It will be good news to business men on the Square to hoar that tho heavy and almost prohibitory rates of fire insurance recently charged are to be reduced to the old figures. Tho change will take effect as from the Ist July. June 25.

It will be remembered that at a meeting held about a fortnight ago, at Mr Prendergast’s wool-shed, Fitzherbert, with a view to the separation of Fitzherbert distriot from the 'Manawatu Road Board district, a Committee, composed of the following gentlemen, was appointed, viz., Messrs A. H. Walker, J. Bell, J. Stanley Bruce, M. Prendergast, and L. Wallis, who were instructed to draw up a petition for separation, and to divide the district into wards on a valuation basis. The Committee, as above composed, mot on Saturday, and Mr J. Stanley Bruce was eutrusted with the framing of the petition, which will be brought up for approval in a fortnight’s time. . The proposed new district was divided into three wards, the present No. 4 ward remaining as it is, and the present No. 5 ward being divided into two, the eastern, middle, and western divisions to be numbered 1,2 and 3 respectively. The reasons assigned by tho settlers for'wishing to separate are, firstly, the prospect of litigation in connection with, other parts of the present Board’s district respecting matters quite apart from the" interests of the Fitzherbert residents ; and secondly, a desire to have the money raised in rates in Fitzherbert, amounting to something like £538 per annum, spent in works for the benefit of that district.

Rumor already has it that there is very little probability of any of the new water schemes being carried out after all. Most people think that the scheme by Mr Higgiuson will fall through on account of the°quality of the water proposed to be. pumped from wells near the gas works. Naturally one would - suppose that an underground flow of water passing, as it is said to do, beneath the town, must, unless taken at a very considerably greater depth than the much talked of stream at the gas yayd, contain organic master to such an extent as will render it unfit for domestic purposes, and I should have thought a very gmali. outlay for boring and fop analysis would have set this question at rest. Next’ jn fqvor iyith the referee comes Messrs Coates and Metcalfe’s scheme, which is all but, if not quite, condemned on the soore of cost. The Terrace End pumping scheme only gives a storage equal to four hours supply in case of fire, which appears to me quite inadequate ; and finally Mr D. Sinclair’s scheme is so entirely put aside by Mr Higginson that the Council are not at all likely to consider it further. 1 notice that in considering these schemes —as was the case with the former ©ties —the contractors’ figures are in only one instance accepted by the referee as being correct. Mr Hubbard’s scheme was rejected, if I mistake not, in this way, and now all but Messrs P. Hutson and Co.’s figures are' questioned! • lam ndt a scientific man, but as a business man I should say that if contractors undertake to do work at certain prices and the Council has • substantial guarantors, as well as a considerable part of the contract money in hand as securities, tenderers might 1 very ; well be allowed to carry out their ■ work in accordance with their offers and at their own proper risk. " ' J ' ■■ June 27. The ‘adjourned meeting of those- interested in the re'vival of the Choral Society held last evening at thd (lank Chambers. There was 1 a good attendance, and Mr R. Leary again occupied the chair. The Committee appointed at last meeting reported that over fifty ladies and gentlemen have promised to join in the new movement as working members, and it was therefore resolved to form a musical society, to be called the Palmerston- North Harmonic Society. The following were ‘ appointed officebearers, vi?.: —President)' D. H. Macarthur, Esq.; M.H.R.vicS-presidents, Messrs James Linton, W. L. Hirst, and R. Leary ; conduptor, Mr 4’- L rew i secretary and treasurer, Mr &. J. Scott ; pianiste,-' Miss Boylan ; librarian, Mr Crawshaw ; committee, Messrs C. J. Monro, W. Rutherford, M. Cohen, J. C. R, Isherwood, and F. H. Horner. The selection of officers augurs well for tho success of the Society. Driving pastthe Cemetery a day or two ago', I was forcibly struck with its forlorn and utterly ’ neglected appearance, overgrown as it is with weeds arid rushes and without a single rbacl or footpath. It ig a disgrace to RuliflPpafjQrt North to aliow it to remain d, state, ‘ap'd I thinjt out of regard for'tu'e memory of 'UnW' who have found theirlaSt resijng place there, and for the credit of tfie town, it behoves all gon’cerned to remove such a reproach without delay. ’ I May further say that there being no chapel, or even any place of shelter whatever, the funeral services have hot infrequently to be cut short: