The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1879-09-09 00:00:00

Vorset Ilonnt4 Express.'

TOZBDAY, SEPTKAISKII, 9, 1979.

Sotto anti It into
ON THE COUNCIL MEETING.

Our new borough surveyor seems to be served with
more deference than the late one. Mr. Norman came
from only a few miles away, and used to find a scat
anywhere in the Council room, along with the
Inspector of Nuisances, or elsewhere, in wall-flower
fashion. But Mr. W. Thomas, who comes from afar,
was sitting at the Council table, with the Corporators,
as if it were a matter of course. And he is to be
treated with £22 worth of new things, including a
new level, a colour box, and an office stool! Did
the previous surveyors use to lend the Corporation all
these 7

When a tree blew down, or had to he removed, it
!stoat have been edifying to see the Borough author.
Ma going round asking for the loan of a cross-saw,
as the Mayor told us in the Council on Monday, and
we suppose the late surveyor must have borrowed or
lent the office stool for the goad of the borough and
the relief of the rates. Of course there is not another
"office stool" to be found about the premises, for if
the new surveyor has two to sit on, his fate may be
the same as his predecessor's—he may " between two
stools," d.c.

It is delightful to hear that the Borough of Doe.
cheater at last have in officer who is capable of plan-
ning a scheme for the drainage of the place; but one
Is curious to know whether he will satisfy the Gov-
ernment board and Mr. /layer, Ml'., on the great
question ad the outfit!. If Mr. Thomas can plans
scheme for Dorchester, that will satisfy the Corporation
and the ratepayers, gain the confidence of the obstruc-
tive Government Board, and mollify the proprietors
below the outlall, he will indeed be the coming man,
and instead of the marble bust of Her Majesty in a
patriatising niche in the Town Hall (like the Virgin
Mary in a Romanist Church), we ought to have a
statue of the Borough Surveyor in gold on the summit
of the illuminated doek•tower. May we be near to

Tbe dials on that clock-tower are at last to be
repaired, and, although there was a moderately low
estimate for an opaque set of dials, which would only
show the time when 'tis light outside, we were very
glad to hear Alderman Galpin standing up for a
positive promise that we should have an illuminated
clock. The fire-clock is one of the great features of
the county town, and gives it a comfortable air even
at midnight, or to those who can't "go home till
morning."

Of course, wc mean the borough police, and others
obliged to gay out o nights, and whose enforced vigils
would be all the duller without the friendly faces that
look three ways at once on our principal greats.

The Town Clerk's aniusing idea for removing pro-
=itt might be carried into effect at this present
season, if only we could get the laden waggons
to form a double procession in South-meet. But
'twill take more than straw or even sheaf.laden wag-
gons to remove all the awkward projections in that
v•a-Isead street, with its eccentric differences of width.
The Council no doubt, are on the lookout for every
opportunity to purchase property aid widen the
narrow ways.

Alderman Galpin seemed to think we are multiply-
ing offices too fast, and he would limit their salaries.
This is dreadful; why I one of the blessings of the
present Government is that we are all to be " officers
and gentlemen," and to rival that Yankee regiment
which was entirely composed of Brigadier-Generals.
Bless you I Mr. Galpin I Under the Imperial Govern-
ment there are to be no poor (except those inside the
workhouse); those so unlucky as not to have salaries
are to go to the wars and get Isandula'd, or to Yankee-
land where such old-fashioned things as working men
are yet allowed to say what's good for them. Every-
body else is to have a "rice," everything is to be
regardless of expense, especially draining, and if we
want money perhaps Tewfik will send us some of our
millions from the Suez Canal. Dorchester is to share
in the general respectability-making—shops are to be
kept down with a strong hand, and we are to have
l'aradise Villas instead of so shocking a name as the
Ban' Kn ap. Somebody was rash enough to tell
in the outskirts of Dorchester a big building in
coarse of erection was—not a villa, but a maltbouse.
Surely we can't be so very badly off for cash if that's
true.

John Barleycorn, they say, will save many a jeo-
pardised farmer from utter ruin—that is, if the barley
crop can be saved in fine condition. With the barley
a good colour "English" may yet make a fair price,
and so this almost disastrous season be partially
retrieved.

Liberally have the Wu Department met the request
of the Corporation for a widening of the footpath.
Two foot in width are to he given for the benefit of
the public—a liberality in strange contrast to the cry
DAIS o‘alwre Barataria," "give the military a crown,"
or to be exact, as. Bd. That is what somebody or
other wants for mashed glass, because the barracks
are close to Poundbury. If the whole demand were
not so unreasonable we might make a subscription at
a farthing each to pay for the starred glaze, and allow
the accounts to pass.

That was • sensible proposition of Mr. Thomas about
• new main. Why should our wives M one end of the
town have the dinner hour delayed for want of water,
NM because some Dorchester (Impose at the other end
has made • bed join, and wants to cobble up his
pork? This (Mon&y) morning people who wanted
to leave town early risked going without their break-
fast itani.essse.

Scientific men will watch the developmental Tubbs-
miner people with interest. Darwin and Huxley my
we have developed from other types, and the ut.:4-
sesn's Megaum gives no the picture of
the reptile that is supposed to have de7eulTairnatiolt
bird. Mr. Caou.illor Hunt rye, and he ought to
know, that the folks at the Emit-end fiats are nearly
amphibious, and we have heard that they already rival
lillandin cm the slack wire, owing to the me of that
narrow attaptardaa bridge that leads to Gray's. Now,
with the development of amphibioumess, we shall
expect a Tubb's-comer Captain Webb to arise, and
surpass his prototype's in the Channel, by per-
formance. in the

Councillor Emeon's proposition—to declare the sub-
:teouses uninhabitable, we must in the interest.'
of deprecate. Some South.street people have
a sort of suitableness for a bakehouse-smoke-
Wen atmosphere, and who knows what forms proto-
plasm may Lake In the lake dwellings of kfill-street 2

Query: Is our Dorchester Mayor a MIIBOII ? Even
for street crossings he wishes the bricks to be "on the
square."

As to the state of Cornwall-road, no bull Is to be
taken try the horns. Everything has been rightly
i said the late Hurveyor. The Cornwall.
road people of course are delighted, and will renal!' 03
whas IMAM readaer

Fewer. public officers there are to be, by one, in
Dorchester, but that one is to be more than ever the
&Vat Ceozieta itloadhirvir
ad," of the public. The
medical officer all day
—and now it Is one who tory specially has been in
bat* for an analytical examination, and can tell us
bow much water we have in our milk. But a word in
your ear, Kr. Da,; " where ignorance is bliss 'Us
folly who wise ;" Gave us in happy ignorance, pray
don't tell on if our borough-supplied water contains
any chalk.

Those Cornwall-road people again This is what
comes of not making building conditions to ensure an
over abundant breadth of land to every house. Here
are the western agitators endangrring a Govern.
mint enquny, a bid name for Dorchoster, and •
crushing burden on the rates. Oh you Cornwell-road
poop* do go and consult the Rev. Hwy Wade, and
not mire the great question over which Load Boards,
the Government Board, and proprietor, of low-lying
r=o-at war, or local taxation will soon be • more
barden than ever, while the Local Baird are
pag th=ib the doge of money-wasting ex-
while they fear to launch away to
Wors—ron7. hungry =U.

We were disappointed that the Council meeting
closed without any talk about the onmilno of the New
Barrack'. The Wit Department have howo them-
velem on courteous about the new foot-path on the
=road, that we are encouraged to hope they
appreciate any offer of the borough of Dorcherter
to make, on the occasion of delivering over the new
ammeim, • grand Opening Day. The objection thM
the Mayor's fortnight'a holiday would be interfered
with by arrangements is happily got over, for the
no
of the Barracks will probably not taket:
before the 35th, instead of the 15th, and the pi
Gam& it is understood will endeavour to have his
and review of the R.H. ArtMery about
=sc°6l ia; a , um that the Barracks inspection, review and
aU may be done at one visit, and the R.H. Artillery
say embark for India about the 30th. Tins the
Council mvnates have ten days more grace, and the
country folks ten days' more for the harvest, so that
we hope no effort will be left unmade to give Dorchester
sea the neighbourhood • good chance of showing their
=rtarof the Dip% Brigade plan, which will
neighbours, • larger number than ever of
military men, who are the most likely to make on •
fashionable town.

Dtecnts.