The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-28 00:00:00

WEYMOLTTII AND HARBOUR WHARFAGE

DUES.

7's Ike Edi4or.
At a meeting held by the Council on Thursday, the
23rd instant, Mr. Walker enquired what had been the
amount collected per annum when the dues were held
by the Council, and collected by the Customs. Mr.
Cheeseman, in 1869, I find paid into the treasurer's
hands .13,390 17s. 6d., less commission about £BO.
Now in 1870 the following year I was the purchaser
of the Harbour and Wharfage Dues, giving the
Corporation £1,510 per annum including law charges,
without any deduction of commission, and I realised
£1,600. Now I ask what inference are the public to
draw why the reserved price in 1870 should be £1,500,
whea the Collector of Customs made a return in 1869
deducting salary only, of 21,311 17e. &I. Is it that
the members forming the Board in 1870 were more
desirous they should let the dues to be able to pay the
bondholders the money due to them, by prtting the
reserve at £1,500; when the Collector of Customs only
realised for the Corporation, after deducting corn.
mission, the aforesaid -arm tint As to remarks made
by a member at the meeting—that unless they had a
man who was thoroughly competent to collect the
dues, snob as the Collector of Customs, or some one in
authority—they would never realise anything like
£1,350, I beg to say lam quite as competent to
collect the dues as any one in Her Majesty's service,
and I repudiate such an accusation being an applicant
for the appointment, and can show most demonstrably
that, when I collected the Harbour and Wharfage
Dues, the increased return was for 1870, over 1889
collected by the Customs, £289. So that the Chair-
man is mistaken in saying, when the Customs collected
at this port they made an excellent return of the
Wharfage Dues.
F. W. Arulm,
13, Royal Crescent, Weymouth.

THE SPELLING BEE'S PUZZLE WORDS
To Mr Editor.

Sir,—The answers to the puzzle words in the Express
of the week before last, are:—
let —CAliroaitr. This we had in three different sets of
Sale bills in Weymouth a few weeks ago; it was spelt
differently in all, and, if we Include an attempted correc-
tion in one, was iu all spelt wrong. May we hare an
uniform and correct spelling of so common& word, instead
of the extraordinary and painful attempts of fernier
times.

..-
2xid.--esteselopard.—At least two interrogators have
pronounced this "Hararuy-lepperd" ; forgetting that the
word seems to mean "carnel-panther." they have made it
seem "camel-lion-panther," and so misled spellers.
3rd.—Siae. The vulgar old spelling, "scythe," has
been perpetuated in modern dictionaries: but without
any etymological reason, to my mind, whereas "'Wm" is
simpler, pure Saxon, and I venture to think, right.
What says our father of Dorset Saxon scholars, the Rev.
W. Barnes I

" petticoat government," pronounced by the
Rev. r. Everett, " jine-ok-r•-cy" (four syllables), and for
spelling which " gynocracy," Miss Last was first sent
down. I have been unable to and any word but
grnecocracy," except in the Imperial dictionary, and as
the word taken from the genitive is pronounced
jin-ny-klk-re.cy," should not the word from the
Imperial, [mamm be pronounced in five syllables
y.
' jin-ny.ok-ra-cy "f This iretnark is made in justice to
is Lest, who was a very good speller, who did not take
a second trial, as did even some of the men, and who, as •
lady, could hardly be expected to know the doctor's mune
for the discoloration of • black eye (9 for which she lost
the Consolation Stakes. In acknowledging the courtesy
and fairness of Mr. Everett, may I put it to hint if there
was not a little mistake, and express a hope that the lady
(and other ladies) may have a further chance, by a ladies
spelling bee.
W. T. R.