INVERCARGILL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4741, 28 April 1877, Page 2 (Supplement)

INVERCARGILL.

<FBOM; OVa OTO CORRESPONDENT.)

The District Court/.under'the presidency of His Honour: Judge Wcrd^has 'occupied, the time and'attention of tlje 'learned profession and, no; 'j^cpnsiderabl.e ,porfion ;of: ,'tb.e, public during ihe.paafcitTTO.days.,l. The jbtisihess: was entirely civil] arid-otie'oase of. Triore' than kjcaf importance. *■; \This 1 was Smithy.theilnyercargill'Districl E|ad Boardf--piam^^ LIQO.A-I|lajn-tiS;ownedjt\TOseqtiiong;atjCampiieiitown,; and the.^aifißoaifdiacceptediiendera-making a Btreefc" It appeared that; tie' Board's didnotjet'-anyip^gpVden^^glth^lb^und^.bf the-street, but set We: neqessoryley^ljLotthe form'atiorf, tije^cbrifcsc^ra formed! what they;and ther Engineer; evidently; thought was the; "st^eeti,;! Some. I'time 'lafterwards^plamtiff found'that' the1 street: encroached: <y% •jais'.'pror' perfy;:B6iner';sffc .'or. '.'inb'reV.I.where' a, .cutting hadbeeninada in.thahill, abputißft; deep.,.He' thereupon made a claim 'upon. ths Board.' Tinfortunately for' liimaelf,;. the, ."amount,-claimed appeared to ;the Board .'and > else, "pub of iU proportion t6'!the' ( dam£^e'Bustaiiied,iand consequently^that'bcdy'debhnea to recognise it The plaintiff's case, conducted by Mr Wade, appeared a;gbod'bne,':iexcbp't that the witneasen yalned the damage at a less sum than' the plaintiff. i-ilr^'iMi Macdonsld,'however,' moved Iforia, nonsuit 'bhiithe'groundVthat -|he defendants, had) nbt"giTOfl»;direcVa^th6ftty!.t9' the (.contractor'^to : the * ■tresp^sfef y-that they received no fee or emolument for the 'performance of their dutiesj and that the' road, was net made for trade or profit,l arid consequently the.; trespass'was: =no advaritagei' to' the'.BdaM; Hia;Honour 'granted 'the "application^rpriiH cipallytfTom the: fact/that''the'sßd^d'.haa hot beeh.-a'ware'tif the encroachment;untili a'.coii^ siderable time, after the: cpntrabtora i.had 'been' paid forvthe formation of rthe'JBtreet, J'and;that the enc'roaelrinen't'had not been id rdered; 'by theBoard.': ;;This jjudgxnerit'^certainlyl as6isriish'edthe,members rofi!the :Rosd!'Bbard,•'"as r 6ni'tb.&'l Bame morning they had1 preparediff .cheque'fo^ L2O, to. pass" into j Courtl as - satisfaction fo*r alldamages. Busteined^but;-in; cpnßequencs'o'f ith'ei unwiffingiießS; $of•■ • the' ''Treasurer te° 1" the: cheque; the case had proceeded without 'that' formality^ Gontractbrs in; future will have to; bear in mind, that the ■stre'efc lino'niust be'sur i veyed and marked off^by the E.nßineor;6f;the' corpprat6;'body for;whom ths'Svork-is being performed,-- otherwise 'o if they 'encroach 'on' privatoprpperty;.they'willjbeiheld;res:ponsible|i The water supply questibnis'fell important't^ InvercargilL';: "Hitherto' the cifcizensiave had: to depend iipoa the ''supplyafforded, by -wells; Bunk into to theearth' fiom^teij: to thiriy feet/ according to the elevation of t^e property;/ Oh; the north eastern portioii-of thW;town the water obtained irithis way is; really very suitable' for' domeßtidpurposes.-astheland'Tnihat locality attainsanigher elevation-.thail elsewhere 'y. \m.i in the thioWypopulatedjand'lb^eJ parts of the town there is a', considerable during. thW Branrber time' fdr: water,;.- The; MunicipalGouni cil haverend^aVoured tome'et jthis requirement by sinking trial-aitesiatt^wellsji atfd in one,part of the pUblip gardens t.where the laiia'is onfy'.'a few feet above high wafer mark, >;ah apparently" permanent flowrm? been gbtained at :a deptn of 35ft., 'the 'Water!1 rising; through a two-inch' pipe to about four feet iiJbye the surface; where a small fbuntaiii "'-has ,been "constructed, ;&nd .the^rtesiatt well theory proved'a factsofar.a3ithatparticular.Bpotis-concerned. Another, trial 'bore^ 6n'the Jeast Town Belt;! J;he pipe^ ate tkd aM a half inches outside ;diameter, 7 r aiid"have been •'sunk to a depth:of -lO^V'but/water'bis.not yet'been: re?ichft!. r - ' I-helseve1 the CorporaHpn''have • ex-. periehceij 'considerable'difficulty m'-tiroduHn" suitable; vipes"'for this kmd 4 6f;/work; /for' where L\ the-strata •■that 'iday ■ have^ to: -be bered•■;-through -is;, aot :£noWriv Ti;ii' 'is; almost1 essentiaVtp ' r'eiißure' ;sufccess" rthat-ihe pipes should btf -fluffi"jointed:internally,'■aid externally, and th«S wholesale" hqtoses '.of"the chief - towns of '•; New Zealand' and Australia have been applied'to- for-these1 kind of pipes, but the universal answer^-exbept from Duhedin and; Inverc^irgill, for in! each.; Vbf tHese" places about 100 ft of the Mnd reqilired wag bbtauidd—^ has been that thepipea were'flotimported; To itssure, in the eveiit bf water hot being-obtained in the present :bofe^ a rth6roHgh-trial "being made; XiaVe been'told''that ,the Corporation, have sent to-London for'SOOft of'-the best kind of -aTtesian •' w.ell, piping." ■ If '• artesian'water, is not obtained1 atpor \mder'; that^ deriffi it" wbuld be, comparatively1 speaking, useless, as it would be too expensive /or pfivatarindividuals to sink any depth over "400ft,or ;500ft.:' i:,The result of tho present bpre is; therefore aWaited with cpn-Biderable'anfflefyjandlarge-fiu'mbersof citizens daily visit the!scene or the boring'experiment. ' TheCountyCoundl/is; gradually getting the • admimstratipuof jteaffairsintp a-satisfactory' state pi prganisa^ott:"',- The new order,of'thingoi will, ifc is- .believed,'.haye'r a, fair trial here, for; although,many:thbugH,that if; was• a.public loss. that:-Mr .J. W.", |43tchell v was' iibt elected County Chairman; jet.Mr. ,G. ( ,C.,Sprpulii'wha has attamed tlmt'.!ppsitioh,.hias sprpyeid equal tc* the; occasion,;; I ( tp''inipj;by» matters :.BtUi more, thp ha-yi.b,e^n.'remarkably forfe nate' in ;pbtaining>tKe r ',Bervice3 of'a tb'prbughly' efficient'clefkj iii, ?lr,E.' :P..Macgoun, aigentleman: .formally Cm Department," Hokitika,^*VThe county'system.entails'nolack of woifcpn.'ifa''6fficials, the notices of .valuatib'nj the, compih^.pttlietCbunty Electoral Roll, ahowihg the qualifications;;of electors, &c.',,and other,.- aei^V^prkJ.requ^e',.close applicationl and.the; exercise. Tof,-intelligent,^^abifi^'vof; no mean ;order. ,;Th'e ..cpunty; valuation has beea prepared^by assisted "of course;by a sti^ll ,a^ny,,of. .clerks;,to'ensure the ? u?^iS dgS "* B.i^* s«BSW? l*i Court Itsjtotal is 11131,595, averyrespecteble'rateable, roll,. TheißlufE HarDour. Board/has been threading, thrpugh,!rthe?,^^|prelimmary'work incidental tp a new institution.. .^Thiepb^vers'of Ithe Governor ordinarily "delegated Ctor the' Harbour. Boards, haye,;been July .tariE of' rates cbargeabla,bu goods,.'and'.jßerchandise prepared and approved/and \ seryiee" taken.over. :;However,. the^real. objects ior~ which.the Board WM';cpiStituJ;ed,'.BpcJi as'ex-* tending: the wha^a^e/aceomiDaodatipn^aji'd Jmproyemehtof," the Harbour generally, must, re. main.in'abejrance,until after.the' next session of the .Assembly,Jwh?nit is, Sincerely Hoped that body. wiU grant an.eudowinent;bf land and defined fcorrowmgipowors,.'so jth'ajj the. Board may perform really ,useful. public ,^prk. ' To^hav^ passed the ;BluffiJHarbpUEljßoard'Ao6j vfithput the .e^dowmexit,TOd-'b'oj^pwing.,^clauses, waa teally .thrb^g-he^vjVrespbMibility;, local, body without giving item .tiie moans to, meetit.' . ';'ZV\'"' "., ''.', ,'."i;,*~'.. -T,'...'., '''■ ■' Tbe Town CbunoilVli^ye1 fgcently'conie 'inio collision with, the: Sputhlaiid'A^rioultural'and' Pastori!;,Assopwtip,n; .Vi'Many;.years'.agb,.the. Executive poun'cfl of the Pibyipcepf^Southland block of the north-eastern TownI'Belt, containing about .five acres* \lrat;during; thff.ptist sevett yeara-rtheLj>erioawHobthatowi:has Keeniri--corporated-^sucoeeding Councils, have' at timea expressed;^the,- opinipn .ithafr:ithe ■ ■ Town; .Belt should be held alone for ofrecreation. Withinu the epass < fewr.- monthe this resolve became positive iaction,-; and after notification: bf the intention ,td resume .possession aerve^ the Corporation: workmen^wete'set'to remove the' pens and.grandf stand;::' The property/ owners ' and:'; residents^ ,ia;.vi.the neighbourhood;;higbly ; approve of^thei^ac-: tion;of:;the:'Obrporation,'; but- the :Agricul; tural. and. Pastoral Association-has occupied an important position in theidißtrict; *iid many of -its Directors' are influential-; citizens ■and country^settlers, > and they have raised' no -small outcry about 'what-'they^please' to'-tenri; spoliation of vtheir'iproperty.;:^Theyi(JecUne" to; listen to:the axgnment: that 'rscreationireserves were made for all time,'arid should be held; as sacred trusts.-'lndeed^ it'has-been-mootedl by some of them that •■ some of the^ reserves 'should: be: sold and the; proceeds' applied -to■ streetmaking, on the 'grounds that the present genera; tion have sufficient: areasj^of unoccupied-land Burrpunding the town to enmire'a free and pure atmosphere, ;and. that; (the :-iiexh generation should.' look after itselfr;- -'Fortunately. 1 the tsmper bf Parliament, arid especially the Legislative Council, is -altogether -opposed to.sthe principle so enunciated^ and there can1 ba UtMe doubt that iv addition torthe Corporation having right on: its'.side; ,&' large ;majbrityi of the ratepayers will support the actioii taken/n,' i;.