PORT CHALMERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1155, 17 January 1874, Page 13

PORT CHALMERS.

rIIOIiKESS OF THE NEW KOAD. The gang of hard labour men, under the inspection of Sergeant Ferguson, are making capital progress with the new road at Port Chalmers. They have cut and formed the road to a point more than half-way along Lower Carey's Bay, and if bad weather does not intervene to stay the work, they will, by the end of the mouth, have finished the road to the upper point of Deborah Bay. Indeed, , the road would have been there by this time if the full power of the gang had been em- \ ployed upon it ; but as it is, nine of the best men were told off to reclaim a piece of ground adjacent to the Floating Dock. At first sight this looks very like using public labour for the benefit of private individuals, an application of State aid, in fact, that ought not to be tolerated, excepting under very special circumstances indeed. We believe that the Floating Dock Company has a sort of claim upon the Government, inasmuch as when the new road was formed it curtailed to some extent the ground available | to the Company for ship-building purposes, I and the above-mentioned reclamation was | permitted to compensate for the loss the Company sustained when the road was I formed. This was all very well, still we think that a mistake was made in allowing the minor consideration^ of reclaiming a piece of ground for a private company to step in and interfere with the main purpose for which prison labour was given to Port Chalmers, that purpose being to connect the out districts with a centre of | population and commerce. Great are the inconvenience and loss entailed upon out f settlers who have to struggle with their produce to market in the winter time over bad roads or none at all. They of the Purakanui Highway District, through which the new road is now passing, are particularly ill off in this respect, the sea being their principal highway, and it, during stormy weather, is unavailable, and a long and indifferent one to travel at the best of seasons. To penetrate the Purakanui district as far a.s possible before the winter sets in should be the chief aim of those who have the management of the new road works. Minor operations, such as reclaiming frontages on the line of road, would keep very well until the I winter season, and then prison labour might be so employed, provided only that those j persons who would desire direct benefit from tit showed abundant cause why State aid should be advanced for their special behalf, for prisjn labour is essentially public property, and should only be applied to public purposes. A LITTLE SCENE. A ludicrous scene, that will certainly supply food for gossip for a longer period than the orthodox nine days, happened the other morning at the Port Chalmers Railway Station Refreshment Rooms. As usual, the refreshment rooms were opened a short time before the arrival of the train. As is usual at that early hour, before the presiding divinity of the establishment arrives, the bar was watched by a well known individual bearing a " milingtary " title. Presently, the train arrived and discharged its paasen. gers, amongst whom were three persons, one qi them pawing * foddodly jwwwtawl #

They made straight for the bar of the refreshment room, called for something to correct the effect of the morning air and train smoke, and were passing common-placa remarks, when he of the professional appearance suddenly remembered that he had something to deliver to him of the title— would he step outside and receive it ? Unsuspecting, and for the nonce verdant, the party in question stepped briskly Z'ound the counter and moved to the door, but barely reached it when his progress was accelerated from behind, and the next moment he found himself on the railway platform, and the bang of the closing doors of the refreshment room behind him said in unmistakeable terms, "We are in possession, and you have the key of the street." The professional man then bowed and smiled sardonically, and darting through the side door of the rooms, disappeared f pom view. The wrath and astonishment of the ejected one at the extremely smart trick played upon him may be imagmsd but scarcely depicted. He flew at the front door but found it impenetrable. Vain were his beseechings, for those in possession were adamant, and even refused him his hat ; and so finallyacceptingthealternative, hemarched mournfully away to seek more genial quarters. Our readers will naturally exclaim, " Why, what does all this mean ?" and to that question we have to reply, that last year's lease of the Befreshment-Eooms having expired on the 31st December, new tenders were called for, and the tender of Messrs Prouclfoot being the highest, was accepted. To this, Mr George Dodson, the first lessee, demurred, on the ground that a gross injustice was thereby inflicted upon him. Mr Dodson continued in possession of the refreshment-rooms. We do not know whether he refused to evacuate them, but, at any rate, the new lessees considered that an extraordinary expedient to oust him ■would be justifiable ; and hence the little scene wo have described above, and ■which, we may remark, was highly entertaining to the on-lookers. Mr G. Dodson was in Dunedin at the time, .and before he arrived the refreshment room was denuded of its contents, everything — bottles, casks, fixings, &c. — being placed on the platform outside, and afterwards placed by the railway officials at the end of the building where they would be out of the way, the removal being effected at the expense and risk of whoever it might concern.