The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4,1886.

Waipawa Mail, Volume X, Issue 1018, 4 December 1886, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. SATURDAY, DECEMBER

Op course it is by far too late to talk of the allotment of the proposed loan as being an unfair ono, for the machinery has been set in motion, and nothing can stop it now, as a very large majority of ratepayers have declared themselves ready to carry it through at all risks. The benefits will be so very great, and the liabilities so small, that it would ho hardly possible for any community to say nay. Hut there is one feature in the loan transaction—shall wc call it—which creeps, which forces its way to the front, and that is the inevitable question of whether the money should have been allotted on a basis of rateable value or of population, In matters u (footing the franchise this question alwayscrops up; in considering the expenditure of Hoad

Hoard and County Council revenues; in local and general politics nil through the two islands ; everywhere we lind ourselves continually meeting it face to face Rateable value, in fact property, or population ; which is to receive the greatest amount of consideration V The query is a difficult one, and it is not surprising that it has never been finally disposed of. It is of such a nature as to admit of dilforent opinions being formed regarding it, and widely different ones too. It is the chief casus belli in the great war which is being waged in this electorate, between the one class and the other. Ami we can see no hope of a truce being formed, unless extremists each give a little and make, allowances for the rest.

It is not possiblo to ignore the fact tl those who own tiie land will have to be the chief burden of the cost of llio loi And on the other hand, if the money w< going to he laid out so that large su would ho expended in constructing roc to insolatcd homesteads, the loan might well not ho entered into so lnr as t

general public weal is concerned. Tin is but one way to meet the difficulty, a that is to steer a medium course ; to

locate the expenditure as much as possi so as to benefit the greatest number, n al the same time not forgetting the f whose taxes will form the principal p of the interest fund.

And this is an occasion upon which tin indirect benefits may justly be taken inl< account. A. may not have a single porno expended on the road which leads to bi; door, but in the immediate licigbborhoof there may he an expenditure of soim thousands of pounds. That expenditun must improve the value of property in tin district, and the very fact that H.’s lam increases in value implies that A.’s doe the same.

Another light in which it is only reasonable to view the question which is at prewont before the ratepayers is this : It is not possible that qll the roads in the district can bo formed and metalled al the same time and by the expenditure of a single loan. Consequently, it must happen that a certain proportion of the settlers cannot directly benefit by the .L 12,000 which is about to bo raised and expended. So they must exercise a little self-denial, and be content to reap Ihe indirect advantage already alluded to. And they have a still moro substantial consolation to reflect upon, and it is this : —By expending LI‘2.0(10, the Council will be putting a large proportion fi f the roipjs in a good state of repair. The greater part of tho rates which are now so much scrambled for will therefore remain available for expenditure where most needed. It is only reasonable to conjecture that tho Council will elect to assist those districts, such'as Hampden, for instance, which are not receiving very much of the loan money at tho present juncture. In this manner nn oijuitabjo and satisfactory distribution of favors may, wo sincerely trust, be brought about.

A LETTER appears to-day, written by a Wainui resident, which complains of the action of tho constublo who is stationed in that district. The letter seems to bo a fair description of a court case which recently took place, allhough it may not be, for all we know of the matter. Hut what wo wish to point out i 8 this :—Even supposing all that is said in the letter is true, and even supposing tho fines inflicted l»y the bench were out of all propoition to the offences, still, we cannot see that the constublo has exceeded his duly. lie is tliero to keep order. He was absent on n particular day, and upon his return, wo presume, was informed about the men in question, lie summoned them to appear before the J.P., and allowed them their liberty in tho meanwhile. There was nothing tyrannous in all this. When the day came for tho Court to bo held, tho presiding J.P. was late, and that is what wo must suppose was tho causo of the adjournment. The constable could not bo held responsible for the J.P. being late. When tho Court did sit, evidence was given on both sides, and even according j to our correspondent’s account, tho constable admitted, practically, that the men were not very terrible offenders against the law, and bad since behaved very well. Then tho court adjourned for a quarter of an hour. Tho constable, wo are told,

spent that quarter of an hour in tho company of the Justice. If the Bench desired to consider tho evidence, it should do so ; but it should only consider that evidence which had been given in open court, in presence of tho defendants, when it was in tho power of tho latter to rebut, or cross-examine, in the usual manner. Instead ot this the Justice was closeted

with the police constable. And tho folly of this latter action lies in tho very palpable fact that tho defendants and the public generally, at once concluded that tho mind of the Justice, and his decision, was influenced by tlio remarks that the polico oflicer would bo sure to have made. Even if the latter satin the stern presence of the Justice, silent as the grave, even if lio had tried to gel tho cases dismissed, tho defendants would bo tho lust persons to give him credit for having done so, if any punishment were inflicted. To a certain extent, therefore, we consider that the constable acted injudiciously, but wo cannot see that he has very far exceeded his duty. As for tho defendants ; supposing the evidence to have been fairly reported in the letter which appears to-day, wo sympathise with them and consider they have good causo to

complain. Hut the fault, if fault (here is, lies with the presiding administrator of the law, the Justice, and not with the constable. The men, wo are told, were not intoxicated or rowdy enough to justify their being looked up—this at tho time of the alleged alienee—ami behaved in a pat tern manner afterwards. For this they were lined £3 and £2 respectively, and

this in tho face of independent testimony that would have got them off altogether in most courts, (always supposing the letter to he correct). Our solulion of tho puzzle is this :—lt is shearing time, (that’s a well-known

fact) squatters are busy and worried. Suddenly tliey are called to ride we don’t know bow many miles to hold, court on two stupid fellows who are supposed to have been wasting their money by spending it on liquor. OH go tho stern administrators of justice, their minds pretty well made up that this kind of tiling shall not occur very often. Tho fellows arc bound to have been drunk they always do knock their cheques clown, always have done so, always will. I Money so easily parted from its owner betokens llio nature of the fool in the latter I —an old proverb establishes that beyond denial —and so a substantial lino is inflicted. We think its pretty hard, mind you, on the men, especially if they were not making themselves offensive, but wo cannot see that tho constable was very much at fault. If tho law only provided that the publicans should pay the tines, wc; should I begin to think justice was really being done, for after ull they are in most inI stances tho causo of all the trouble.

Mu Hen B. Johnson deserves tho thanks of 1 1 io commercial community in Waipawa for so actively espousing the question of securing some means of protecting the town from lire. Tho meeting discussed tho matter in a quiet and practical way, and we consider tho complex problem is now nearer to solution than ever it was before. Property in the town is cither worth saving or it is not. We presume every one will agree that it is better to have some means of protecting ourselves from lire than to be without it. Taking this for granted, wc are brought into immediate contact with tho question of ways and means. Everything depends upon this. No doubt the most serviceable scheme would he the construction of a reservoir which would supply water at high pressure, in every part of the town. But wc cannot hope to raise sullieiont money to attempt such an extensive scheme. Therefore it is idle to discuss its merits.

Tho next, best arrangement would probably be to provide a smaller reservoir, capable of supplying a limited quantity of water, the latter to be pumped on to burning buildings by means of small manual engines. But the Town Board have tried to give effect to a scheme of this kind, and although they have not yet decided to relinquish it, very few are sanOuino of its ultimate completion. Some people object to a stagnant pool of water being deliberately placed near the town ; others say that it would be quite dry in summer, or that the water would be unwholesome, if any remained ; and others again say that the money would bo completely thrown away and wasted. What with this multiplicity of opinions, and these conflicting interests, the town llnds itself still in a condition of statu quo , exposed to ull tlio ravages that greedy flames can inflict upon wooden buildings as inflammable as tinder boxes.

Now, there is only one alternative, and if wodesire to bettor tho present condition of things wo ii)list adopt it. A fjno river flows continually by the town. It provides a never failing and absolutely inexhaustible supply of water. Wc must procure an engine—steam if possible—and pump up that water—when it is required, and so save the expense of storing it. All the other schemes have proved either impracticable or too expensive. We must look upon this in llio light of a last chance, as the oqly possible way of protecting the town from lire. Anil now, tho question of ways and means has to he considered. \\ ho is to pay for llio engine? It has been suggested that the money he raised by voluntary subscriptions. Wc have no hesitation in predicting that any attempt to get funds in that way will result in failure. Certain disappointment will he met if so unfair and so unbusinesslike a method as that ho adopted. Wo object to voluntary subscriptions. Tliey simply mean that the majority of people escape scot free, and that a few are robbed in the most barefaced manner. Some bettor scheme must be selected ; and we tbiuk it would bo impossible to lind a moro desirable ono Ilian that whigl} the mooting decided to adopt on Thursday evening.

Let a committee of canvassers visit each business man in that block in which the insurance rates have recently been raised. Let them point out that whereas those rates have just been doubled, they would be reduced again to their original values, if a competent lire engine ami brigade were established in tho place. Thou Jet them gome to the point and say “ If wo guuniu-

il too this reduction, will you give “ tho amount that wo save you “ from paying in insurance,—will you “ give that towards tho purchase of an “ engine.” Tho answer must he “ yes,” for there is no possible way of arguing that that is not the cheapest way of acting. If tho engine is not established, insurers will continuo to pa)’ tho doublo rates for all time. If it is purchased, then they are not put to one farthing greater expense for the first year, whilst tliey will be clear gainers to the extent of fifty per cent on their insurance rates, for all time. Any-

one who says that it will not pay to suppoit a lire engine will ho making an assertion that is positively ridiculous and contemptible. Now all thiH refers to the main block of buildings. All this applies directly and distinctly to those alone who are the victims of the unwarrantable greed of tho Insurance Companies. No business men in the town are so deeply interested in the question of procuring a lire eugiuo as those who have premises ami stock between the Settlers Hotel and Mr Shanly’s on tlio ono side, and between Mr Britten’s and tlio river on the other. Therefore, is devolves upon them to take the i lit inti ve. That is tlio magic explanation of the whole thing. These parties must step forward and undertake to contribute to a fire-engine, for one year, so much money as the establishment of an engine and brigade will wave them from paying to the lusurance Companies, per annum, for all time. When they have ono and all consented to do this, tlio movement will bo fairly started, and wo shall refer to it again from the new vantage ground. The subjeofc of Mr Williamson’s lecture to-morrow evening at St. Peter's Church is “ God’s Creation.” The programme of the concert which is to be given at Kaikora next week appears today, and we must congratulate Mr Popplewell on the very good list of pieces lie ban compiled. The object of the entertainment is to raise money for school prizes, and if the weather is anything like favorable, a bumper liouhc is certain to assemble. Mrs J. Tod has kindly undertaken to accompany the adult singers on the piano, whilst the children have been trained by Mr Popple well assisted by Miss Arrow. We hope the Kaikora people will give the concert tlieii countenance and support by rolling up iu

louse crowds. The Waipawa Brass Band (Chicken’s,) gav tlieir open air recital on Thursday evening,* lie weulher being all that could be desired We cannot congratulate the members of tli< band on tlieir punctuality, for although tin

recital was announced to commence at 7.30 it actually did not start till past cigh o’clock. By this time many of the publl

vho had come to listen to their enchanting drains, had left. The band played very licely, once they gut over the difficulty of

making a start. It is remarked by the Tasmanian Mail of the fat cattle at tho late llobarl Show, that they were the primest and probably the

irgest in size and number ever submitted at ue sale in Tasmania, many of them being atimated to turn the scale at 1,5001 b., with jmo to fully 1,7001 b. In sheep Mr Brumby’s

rossbreds made to £3 10s. each, weight stimated at 3001 b.

As an instance of tho enormous fruit cro a Kent this year, it is mentioned tlia ccording to ascertained results, on on arm at Sutton Valauco 110 acres produce 30,000 bushels of fruit of various kinds.

We have seen the new time-table which the Railway Department have issued regarding the service on the West (.’oast, between Palmerston and Wanganui. It is a very complicated table, and the chief feature of interest to people in those parts is that the through trains only run on alternate nights from Palmerston. That is to say, travellers from Palmerston to Napier can only go right through the same day, three times a week. The service used to be duily. The alteration is made in consequence of the longer distance which the trains now have to travel.

Mr B. B. Johnson has received instruction to sell the privileges in connection with the Waipawa Athletic Club’s sports and the Waipawa County ltaciug Club’s race meeting, on Tuesday, 14th inst. Mr Johnson thinks that other clubs might want their privileges sold too, and if that is the case, he is willing to offer them at the same time. Secretaries had better send in their instructions at. once.

The Dancvirke Town Board’s usual monthly meeting was adjourned till next Tuesday (7th instant) 8 p.m.

Mr E. llavwood announces he has the cheapest anil prettiest articles in the county on his sixpenny, shilling, and half-crown tables. Every person spending half a crown will be presented with a beautiful Christmas card. Diaries of every description, Froude’s

“ Oceana,” the celebrated book, aud a line selection of Christmas and New Year cards are on hand. The changed announcement will appear on Tuesday, our work being heavy to-day.

Mr John. Drummond, Pharmaceutical Chemist, Waipawa, kindly presents us with a pretty pictorial almanac for the ensuing year, entitled “A World of Sorrow.” Owners of horses should not forget that the nominations for the Hurdles, Handicap, Selling race and Railway handicap, in the Waipawa Racing Club’s New Year’s meeting, must be with the secretary th : s evening l>y 8 o’clock. The fees, which must accompany the nominations are as follows Handicap Hurdle race, £l, Ditto. Selling race, £l, Waipawa C. R. Handicap, £2, Railway handicap £2. We hope the club will receive a good batch of nominations.

A meeting of those interested in forming a tire brigade, with a view to rcduciug the rates of insurance on properties in the town, was held in the library on Tuesday evening, when the business people in the town-were well represented. Mr Ben B. Johnson opened the proceedings, after Mr Bibby had been duly voted to the chair, by making a statement as to the Cost of a lire engine. He estimated that the amount required would bo about £9OO. al-

together. The insurance companies h raised the rates on buildings in tho cent block in the town but he believed tin rates would be at once reduced if at engine were procured. At present, tin was no hope of any reduction being ma for there was no way of stopping a tire one started, lie believed that an eng would cause a saving of £250 iu the m block. Mr Kwcn thought the Merry went! engines were the best, and one could bought pretty well by the money saved insurance. Mr Scrimgeour thought it wo be better to give the money to a fire brigi and towards a tiro engine than to the su ranee companies. However, lie did believe in getting a manucl ; they should a steam engine. It was the general opin that tho block most interested was t which would beuclit from a reduction in insurance rates, and after much diseussioi was decided that Messrs Scrimgeour, A. .) I). Moroney, and Ben B Johnson be a cc mil tee to canvass the block in questiou, i

to report the results of their canvass another meeting, to be couvened them. It was understood that the c< mitlee would endeavor to induce insurcii promise to give exactly the amount wli tho establishment of au engine would s them in insurances.

Mr Anthony Trollope once weutto Jarnai* and wrote a book about his travels in t-1 West Indies. He said that one Hunday 1 was riding to church with a friend, when 1 noticed a negro girl walking eitlior to * from church. She was dressed in whi from head to foot., aiul looked very grai indeed. Her gloves, parasol, hat, lace, hi

bugles, weio all white, and she walked with great dignity. Behind her walked an at tendant, carrying her prayer-book on her head. “ Who is that princess ?” asked Mr Trollope of his friend. “ They are two girls who work in my mill,” answered the gentleman. “ They are sisters, and take it in turns to act the tine lady on Sunday. Next Sunday they will change places, aud your princess will walk behind iu common clothes with the prayer-book, while her sister will be attired in white, and step with queenly dignity, enjoying a delightful souse of her own grandeur and importance.”