The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-02-05 00:00:00

Oates anb liints.

Hydrophobia or rabies, although certain supposed
cases of that fearful disease created a scare, is not the
only disadvantage from the exaggerated fondness for
the canine race. Foulness and other antriyance from
the big masses of flesh and fur that meddle about our
streets and lie across the pavements, are only to be
condoned for by • substantial dog-tax, whiohe
just person will pay, as a contribution for increased
ocavenging. Mr. C. T. Atkins and the met of the Excise
authorities deserve our thanks for laying a heavy hand
on the dog nuisance. Keepers of unlicensed canines
will quake when they read of Excise activity, and if a
eliminution of dirty dogs follow, so much the better,
especially in towns, which ought to be specially clean.

Imagination pictures an assemblage of hungry dogs
round the cabmen's ehelter when that rallying spot is
In full activity. Broiling and frying, chop; and steaks,
are to be among the attractions, and Mr. it. Thomas
put in • strong effort for the popularising of the place,
by allowing beer to he "consumed on the premises."
The picture may appear a jolly one to those who are
in favour of intoxicating drinks • but some pretty
, clear regulations will have to be made, and kept too,
or more serious annoyance may spring out of the
• feasting place than the smell of a good plain dinner
en the Esplanade. If we could localise the wandering
van which flits about anywhere, everywhere, and is
Lot particular about projecting a yard or two into the
rood, an oletnoction would be removed. But lam
quite at a loss to know by what right • shop upon
wheels travel, our streets and appropriates any bit of
rood it may find good for trade. Surely we sha'n't
have the cabmen's shelter and the travelling case
shop also I
How many hundreds • year does the Harbour fund
gain by the Channel Islands' Steamers? It is to be
hoped—a good many, for we find that a piece of the
Quay, about 63 feet long, threatens to come down, the
Surveyor says—owing to the heavy traffic above and
' the scour below. " The scour below" has certainly
I not been Increased but probably hadi been lessened
sines the building of the Darn, so that the new factor
' in the decadence of the Quay is "the heavy traffic
above." Whence comes the heavy traffic? For fear
sof the waggons coming down the Esplanade "between
i the wind and their nobility," our former Council
yielded their Quay to • tramway, and already one
piens of the Quay wall haa fallen, and the cost of its
replacement crippled the Harbour fund, till none but
Ilr. Edwards, MP., would lend the money for the
Extension of the Outer Pier. Now another expense
I threatens, and perhaps £1,200 or £1,500 more will
have to come out ,d the Harbour Fund for another
piece of Quay. With the noise of the coaling and the
traffic threatening some of our beet lodging-houses,
and our Quays tumbling down by thousand-pounds'
worths at a time, we may expect the holders of
Harbour bonds seriously to awake to the question—
Does the Channel Islands' traffic, as at present
eonducted; do Weymouth any good r

So crippled is the Harbour Fund that the Council
at their last meeting were afraid to spend the cost of
removing • small sit of rocks not far from the en-
trance of the Harbour, on which many a boat has
struck at low tide; and this ia how we are preparing
for • great influx of yachts.

Efficient repair of the Pile-pier is another bugbear
to the Corporation' • bugbear to be staved off from
season to season by temporary repairs that burden the
fund, but give no guarantee of permanence.
The question is whether the powers under the
present Acts have been fully made use of, or whether
we can have good and effi,ient repairs without another
Act of Parliament, and other great outlays of capitaL
For there is also that matter of an improved Bridge to
be dealt with not far hence.

So Mt. Arden la to have him expenses and £l7ss
year—at least that waa how Mr. Wallis reckoned it,—
for continuing to act as maoistratee' clerk, while
giving up the feet £3O for stationery, and the rent
of an °filo, bedde, with the still more important item
of .alary to his busintes-like clerk, will reduce the
POO aisar voted by the Council to about £173 for
Mr. Arden himself. I wish this very careful officer
all success in his future duties, and only hve that he
may not have to expend too much time in taking
deposition& lithe fees swell to a much larger extent
than they have reached of late years, the borough
will, in them, only gain a loin. •

Reformers must be canny when they deed with such
sharp files am the legal profession. Mr. Wallies
amertion that the Town Clerk does twice es much
work as the Justices' Clerk, while the salary is about
the same, was • two-edged weapon, that cut both
ways, for, failing to cut down Mr. Arden's salary,
It might cut away the ground of any future
economiet, should our worthy Town Clerk be dissatis-
fied with his honoraria's'.

Mr. Wallis's idea about the borough accounte is not
mine • he is entitled to all the credit fork. But,
fearleialy as I, in common with other writers for the
Press, have dealt with Mr. Wallis on former occaaions,
I refuse to join in the cry against him when he aims
at retaining • privilege of ours. That privilege has
been that the ratepayer' searnally shall see the
receipts and expenditure of the Local Board. Accord-
ingly we were treated to • broadsheet, containing the
items of receipt and out-payment, dated, and this was
postal at the doors of the places of worship. When
a copy of those was examined at lei.ure, the items
could be tinned, under their ddferent heads, the
columns added up, and • summary educed ; I have
myself educed such a summary from the broadsheet.
But Mr. Weldon] effected • great insprovernent by
bringing about the printing of an abstract, official and
euthorieed, and therefore of far greater value than the
amateur summaries made by any comparatively
irresponsible man. For being the means of relieving
me of the work of making • summary from the broad-
sheets, I am grateful to Mr. Weldor:l. But, as •
ratepayer, I come to the relief of Mr. Wallis and
point out— first that the abstracts as now published
WM
to be only for the use of Town emu:Mora, since
comparatively few are printed. Two of them lie
wore lee, and I sin also struck by the entire absence
of dates except of that at which the half-year soda ;
let • moment's consideration shows that.theriymenta
are all totalled under their respective bee& and it
was not practicable to put any dates ; neither can any
tradesman's UMW appear. It has been said that Mr.
Waits does not know what he wants, and it may be
indeed, that, like nations settling up • war, his
wants are uncertain because be doesn't know
how much be can get. But the real difficulty
seem to be the framing of a resolution to
snit him. His first resolution was so comorebensive
that it would require an expenditure of time and
money after the style of Mr. Hume, to furnish the
whole, and if Mr. Wallis really wishes to obtain such
details, he must be prepared to devote himself to the
work in Mr. Home's way, though on • scale as much
smaller as the borough moo., nts are smaller than those
of the Lawmen_ But if be "sly presume for the
accounts to be published with Mimes equal to that in
the old broad-sheet, little difficulty could be found in
framing Lich a resolution. Possibly the -implore plan
I would be to Publish both the broad-sheet. fur the
I inspection of the public as before, and the abstract for
the um of councillors DO now. A suggestion was
thrown out that the items themselves Amid be put
in the abstract, and the same posted as the board.,
mad this ooald be dome by Me of • few from
whet pristine Wl= tile " the p,
are aids up. If Mr. as modesale is