The Southland Times. FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1874.

Southland Times, Issue 1948, 17 July 1874, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1874.

The letter of Mr J. R. Cttthbertson, the representative of Invercargill in the Assembly (appearing in our columns to-day) places the citizens in a position fairly to judge of the injury accruing to the town from the ill-advised action of the advocates of the Crescent Bcherae. It is now certain that plans have been prepared by the Colonial Architect for the erection of a handsome block of public buildings, on the site at the lower end of Dee Btreet, supposed to be available for them. It is alao certain that the erec tion of this block is postponed, and ia likely to be long postponed, on account of the interference with this site. It is at present impossible with certainty to predict the result of the action by «iome of the citizens to prevent the mutilation of the site, but inasmuch as we learn from Mr CrTHBEBTSON's letter that one of the features of the Government plan is that there shall be a considerable space of vacant ground around the buildings, we may fairly infer that should the opposii tion to the mutilation fail, the erection of these buildings on their originally allocated site will not take place at all. Mr Cuthbeetson points out that probably in such case, " the block next the Custom House will be selected." Should this course be adopted, we shall have a standing monument to what persistent stupidity and obstinate disregard of the public interest has been able to accomplish in the presence of positive and ever-recurring loss without the least counterbalancing advantage. It cannot be contradicted that the dietanee of the Custom House from the centres of business has always been complained of, the evil being endured in the prospect that in the course of time the matter would be righted. We do not intend to travel again over the ground of the controversy as to the crescent, but in all seriousness would ask its advocates what they propose to offer to the community in return for the positive disadvantage at which they would place them by the removal of the Government offices to an inconvenient and distant locality ? We are told that the land is too valuable to be retained for public offices — that it should be cut up and sold for building Bites for business purposes, with much more to the same effect. Arguments like these might have some weight if by sacrificing convenient sites and placing ourselves in a position of permanent disadvantage with respect to the transaction of public business, we could apply the proceeds to public local uses. This is not, however, the case, and we are called upon to sacrifice our public estate without any return whatever, the proceeds being absorbed in the Provincial chest, and probably applied to the carrying on of public works elsewhere. There is just as much reason for proposing that we should diminish by one-half the width of our public streets on account of the price the land would fetch at auction, as that we should sanction the alienation of a fine site, securing to the town for ever the possession of a convenient locality for the transaction of public business, and the possession of a useful and ornamental structure iv a commanding position. The report referred to in Mr Cuthbebtson's letter of the intention of the Provincial Executive to sell or lease as much as possible of the block, being the proposed site of the Government Buildings, may or may not be true. We see no reason for doubting its correctness, knowing that it is in perfect accordance with the ideas and practice of the resident representative of the Executive, to whom the present welfare and future prosperity of the citizens is as nothing compared with the gratification of self-will. It being now matter of fact that the origination of the crescent question is the only reason that the public buildings are not now in course of erection, it is for the citizens to take such action as the circumstances of the case demand. The matter is not yet closed, as the Assembly has not given its sanction to the sale of the crescent land, and remonstrance by way of petition may yet save us from the injury and injustice in course of perpetration.