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THE WESTERN
AUSTRAL!A
JOURNAL.
M
SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 1845,
<e Neither conscience nor taste will suffer
me lo fight one class or interest against
another, for separate hentjit, or to
tuite the narrow ground of wide*
viating panegyric,"
INTEREST ON LOANS.
We have occasionally adverted to the
expediency of some measure being adopted
on the part of the Local Government, to
give activity to our ¿ornum l resources, by
the employment of capital and labor, in
effecting such improvements as are found
requisite and indispensably necessary. To
accomplish this object, we have nothing to
resort to but the raising of a public fund on
interest, which would be fully secured by a
charge upon the revenue. The Legislative
Council is convened for Thursday next, and
we seriously urge upon the attention of the
members the consideration of this subject
of raieiug loans tor the purpose of carrying
out. requisite improvement?, such as public
bnildiugs, road«, and bridgea, and surveys
aud explorations. Effectually to work out
this purpose, about ,£10,000 would be re-
quired. The first step would be to erect a
Gaol at Perth, by which means a great
saving would be effected in the annual
expenditure under the head of "Judicial
Establishment."
Our roads ßhould be made more perfect ;
at present they are in a most barbarous
state, appalling the eye of a stranger, and
impeding the traffic which, under other
circumstances, would le more than re-
doubled. The heavy charges for boat hire
or passags between ibis und Fremantle,
as wella« the »tate of the road, combine to
sever that link of acquaintance which it is
desirable ts> promote between, both towns.
The formation of u good line of road,com
Tnunicuting with each place, would go far
to removv roany objections te our seaport, j
and uniie \is in one bond of union, eo desi-
rable for our mutual benefit. Cut off as we
are from mutual intercourse by the impe-
dimenta we have referred to, much d issension
! and bad feeling is engendered, the inhabi*
tants of each town regarding their brethren
with suspicion, and consequently fostering
a spirit of envy alike prejudicial to each.
. Our internal communications should also
be made more perfect. The farmer, with
good roads, could accomplish his journey
in one third of the time he has now occa
éion to employ upon it, his produce would
consequently be brought to market at a
cheaper rate, and he could afford to make
the supply more regular.
arguments in abundance maybe adduced
for the employment of capital in the im*
provement of our colony, by the menn-» of
public expenditure, but the urgency of the
case is so apparent that further comment
we consider is not required.
The distribution oí the funds thus raised
must be diligently watched over, in order
that the benefit to accrue to the community
should be more certain than can be com-
manded by entrusting the works to separate
contractors. It has been suggested that a
foreman of the works should have the
charge of ail the material, he acting, under
the Superintendent of Public Work?, and
amenable to his direction. The advantage
of this arrangement would be, the ee/taiuty
of insisting npou the delivery of the quantity
of stone, bricks, li mc, or timber, according to
agreement. For instance, a fair and rema,
iterating price is fixed by the Government
upon each of these materials. It «natters
not how many persons contribute their as»
Distance to the provision of material re*
quired. The more the better,-for the
money will be distributed throughout tho
colony, to the greater interest of the mass
of the population» whose welfare we have
to consider in conjunction, with the proposed
outlay.
The public, and more espee'aliy- the
Members of Council, have been well ae*
quain ted with the various designs practiced
by contractors, and their eves should b2
open to remedy this evil, otherwise their
Legislative enactment will bo of no avail.
Wv humbly submit if the course we bare
Li"«tod at he adopted, a saving of at least $5
I per ceut. will be cfR-oted, and t!>.e work will
, hu pt-! loruii-d far more creditably, to the
! uû vaníH^c.oí'í heowployev*- und the employed.
VVe re-tour argument mainly on theexpe*
1 ¿iicney of weekly payments being made in
I in'riori-NCft lo monthly, for there are few
I j. citons who ean afford to wait for a month's
I j-s; in lemrn for their labor, and they will,
! :ts r. matter of course, be driven to raise
' tïvir supplies from sources which entail
upon them a heavy charge for percentage.
This probable state of affairs should be
gi:¿rded against, and nothing can avert it
but giving to the Industrious üafchütuc,
erfizan, or laborer, the full proportion of
what is due to hi uri, on the completion of
his work, or as it m&j be in progress.
tm rawson**?»*
At the Perth Town Trust meeting held
on Monday ts*,t, hi&tfers of «ame interest
to the inhabitant!! were brought under cuts*
federation, and more particularly with re-
lation to the state of the funds. It appears
that many good and sufficient men are in
arrears of payment of the old assessments ;
and as these sums have been standing over
for a length of time, the meeting» desirous
of a voiding any recourse to severe measures,
resolved that the names of those who were
defaulters should be laid on the table at the
next meeting. Those parties who defer or
resist the payment of the legal assessment,
deserve no consideration, for they have de-
rived a benefit in the improvements effeciut
at the public expense, and should be made
to pay their quota towasds the general
fund.
The dues on firewood were referred to,
and it was stated that, with the exercise of
the most diligent supervision, the paltry
sum of £2 &*. was all that had been col-
lected for the past year. Why it must be
notorious to all, that the cords of wood
brought to the residences of a few would
moro than cover this sum, A most extra-
vagant degree of peculation must, there-
fore have been going forward, to the detri-
ment of our Town Trust fund. It was
suggested, and weare of opinion advisedly,
that some alterations should be made in the
regulations connected with this subject, and
many were inclined to recommend the
issuing of licences to out firewood within
the precincts of the town, m preference
to affixing a charga upon each cord of
wood brought into tue town. It was gene-
rally admitted that, under (ho existing re»
gulattona, it waa next to impossible to carry
out thiî purport of the act,
The proposal emanating from Mr. Mac«
Dermott to convert the open space between
the Public Offices and the public huiidingt
adjacent, known as Stirling Square, into an
arboretum, was negatived on the part of
the Trustees, not from any wish to di a cou-
rage such au attempt, hut from the con»
viction that the Trust could not involve
themselves in the expense which such an
undertaking wotrd naturally entail upon
them. The member» of the Vineyard
Society promise to carry the work out, and
we most cordially wish them success in
their enterprise. To remove the feeling*
which prevails respecting the occupation of
our principal square by a private body, to
the exclusion of any range of buildings
being erected oîx vi hat is termed Govern-
ment property, ono hundred feet will be
reserved on oaoh side of the square, to be
appropriated at any future time to building
purpose.*, either for ¿he erection ofpebitç
offices or ¡uivate residences. It Cisy be
as well to observe here, in the event ef the
Vineyard Society obtaining this plot of
ground, they will not hold it in perpetuity ;
they may have it for a certain term of year»
for the specified object, that of preserving
the most choice plants, and affording th.e
public a pleasing resort for recreation and
instruction in botanical and horticultural
pursuits. The Trustees of town property
acted wisely in declining to entertain ih<*
proposal, seeing that they were not in pos-
session of the means to complete the useful
and accessary improvement's in, the town*
mucli lesa tù entertain a project for oraa«.
mental display.
A notice appears in our present number
for tendéis Lo completo the pathway to the
bridge, or causeway. This will fee a tnr«t
desir&ble improvement, awl not alone con«*
tribute to the extenbion of the promenade»*,,
but will pro ve« great relief to the pedestrian,
entering the town in shai dirección.
The equestrians are cautioned to avoid
encroachnj«nt upon the path«?, for we can
assure tham whtn they i^ast exp^ci it they
are narrowly observed. The delicacy which,
restrains the observes from proceeding.
against the;«« should h ¿ve gome v-x-ight,
and induce mim to te isjore cautious m.
future.
Our readers will perceive, by a reference
to our advertising columns of to-day, that
on Wednesday, May the 7th, a selection of
Sacred Music will be performed at St.
George's Church in aid of the funds for the
purchase of an organ, or other suitable in-
strument. It is much to be desired that
the Church should have an instrument
more suitable for sacred music than that
now in use, the rich full tones of an organ
being so much better adapted for the pur-
pose; and should there not be a prospect
of obtaining the requisite amount, an
Æolophon will be found a very good sub-
stitute, as this latter instrument has been so
greatly improved upon during the last few
years, as to be nearly equal in effect to a
moderate sized organ, and can be procured
at much less cost. The performance ad-
vertised is to be the first of a series of con-
certs, &c., proposed to be given, should
proper encouragement be given by the
public to this essay.
The price of admission is very moderate,
and as the expenses are trifling, it is to be
hoped a numerous attendance will compen-
sate the parties for the trouble they have
taken to forward this pleasing adjunct to
our church service.
Many learned divines have given it as
their opinion, that psalmody is of great
utility in raising the mind to a proper sense
of devotional feeling. We have only again
to hope, that the efforts of the choir may
be crowned with the success it merits.
The selection is principally from the older
masters, which is of itself a guarantee for
sterling and beautiful music, that has been
approved through a series of years, as it is
still generally performed at those seasons
when oratorios are alone permitted.
Since writing the foregoing we have re-
ceived the following relating to the peculiar
effect of the Æolophon, and its general ap-
plication to church purposes. As the cost
would be about one-fifth of an organ, inde-
pendently of the instrument being delivered,
here without any charge being made upon
its construction, tuning, and so forth, we
are of opinion the public will find it to their
advantage to select an instrument of this
description, in preference to the cumbrous
and expensive works attendant upon the
erection of an organ. The coat of a suitable
instrument, we are informed, would be
about £120. This amount is within our
compass, but extend the sum to £400 or
£500, and we shall be left for many years
without that aid to congregational singing

which is so much required. The repre-
sentations of our correspondent are un-
doubtedly correct, and we cannot do better

the follow the recommendations of one of

the first performers of the age on instru-

ments of this nature.

Our application to Mr. J. Purkis, who
has recently returned from England, elicited
the following reply :—

"Perth, April 11,1845.

"Previous to my visit to England (some
two or three months), I sent in a tender to
the Church Committee from the patentee of
the Æulophon, residing in Soho Square,
London, which my brother procured, and
it was accompanied by printed testimonials
from several parties in England, including
country churches and chapels where the

instrument was in use.

"I received a verbal answer only to this
offer, from the Secretary, Mr. Knight,
which was to the effect, that the Committee
had no funds at command for such a pur-
pose, and so the matter ended, as I em-
barked the next week for England.

"When I saw my brother, he felt an-
noyed that I should have given him the
trouble of going in to London, to raise the
expectation of the machinist (the maker of
the instrument) on such vague grounds,

"I myself heard one of the instruments,
which had been seven years in use, in a
Wesleyan Chapel in Berkshire, and had
never required tuning during that period,
or any repair whatever. The congregation
sung to it, and it was scarcely to be known
from an organ.

"Yours, truly,

"J. PURKIS.

"To C. Macfaull, Esq."

The Halifax Packet, stranded on the
might of the fearful hurricane, it has been
determined shall be repaired at a cost of
about £1,100. The parties who had ob-
tained the contract, under the supervision
of Captain Smith, will without question
perform their work in a masterly manner.
The time for the completion of the work ia
«hört, namely, ten weeks, but we have little
doubt the hands employed upon the repairs
will be able to accomplish their undertaking
within, that period. They have not lost any
îime, tor from the moment the contract was
iigned, they set earnestly to work.

Tiie Merope, it will be perceived by a
«once in our prêtent numbcr,|is cortcVmned»
Tait? is to be regretted, but the Master un-
derstands his own affairs better than we
can ii struct kim, and has giv«n such full
publicity to the circumstances, that his
statement must not alone obtain credence,
but justify him in the course he has con-

sidered it prudent to pursue. !

We cannot dismiss this subject without j
again remarking, that the sedeen!« which
occurred on the night of the hurricane, were
attributable to a peculiar freak of the ele-
ments, at a period* we bad least to expect,
any thing of the kind, s^d have never before
been visited with such a tornado, as it ha*

been appropriately termed. The nsual in-
dications o/ a &torsa must have been ap-
parent to fne older hands in the colony,
bat strangers could not lie presumed to be
ncquainted with these portentous fore-
bodings, and therefore must be relieved
from any charge of the consequences which

ensued.

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