PONCAROA MAIL ROUTES.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2435, 14 April 1915, Page 8

PONCAROA MAIL ROUTES.

Sir,—ln' your issue of Monday, April 5. "An Old Resident" from Pahiatua laments the sacrifice of the interests of that town by the present Government, instancing the fact that Pahiatua is threatened with the loss of its Pongatoa- and East Coast mail service. In this connection "An Old Resident" says 'tha:t""in the last eighteen months a rival route, via Eketahuna, has been accorded inexplicable preference." If it were meant that preference had been accorded the Eketahuna route by the travelling public, the statement would be strictly- correct, excepting the word "inexplicable" ; but the implication that the Reform Government haveused Departmental powers to discriminate between Pahiatua and Eketahuna, to the detriment' of .the former, is quite incorrect, as the following facts will show. When the contract' for carrying tho Pongaroa mail by the Pahiatua routo was about to expire some eighteen months or so ago, alternative tenders were called by the Pahiatua or Eketahuna routes. This was done after an inspection of both routes by tho Chief Postmaster himself, and only because the Chief Postmaster saw in tho Eketahuna route possibilities of economy to his Department by linking up together a number of separate, small, and costly mail contracts into one mail service. Thero was no political instigation in tho matter whatever. This is incontrovertible fact.

Now, tenders having been called by the alternative routes, what happened? The lowest tender offered was by the Eketahuna route; yet it was not accepted to the exclusion of Pahiatua. On the contrary, the Department accepted both tenders. That is to say, so far from Pahiatua's interests being sacrificed by this arrangement, it would appear rather that the Government went out-of its way, and performed an act of doubtful legality to givo Pahiatua a furtlier chance. It remained now to prove which route was the better. On each route a part motor service was instituted. • On the Eketahuna route that service has been maintained without cessation ever since; but on the Pahiatua route it was found impossible to maintain a motor service, on account of the badness of the road. This does not prove anv victimisation of Pahiatua, but the Wisdom of the Poet Office Department in. oficnins the Eketahuna, route,

The trend of the East Coast trade naturally is toward Wellington. As tho Eketahuna route is more direct to Wellington than the Pahiatua route, it follows that tho Eketahuna route is most likely to be the channel of that trado. Tho result is that tho Eketahuna route is carrying four-fifths of the' mails to Pongaroa for a less sum than tho Pahiatua route is carrying the remaining one-fifth. This is a grave injustice to Paliiatua certainly.

On the failure of the contracted motor servico from Pahiatua to Pongaroa, and tho resumption of the horsc-coach, t'he Post Offico Department threatened to reduce the mail subsidy by £100. Thereupon a deputation accompanied by the member for the district waited upon the Postmaster-General, and as a result tho latter agreed to continue the subsidy for this year as originally, notwithstanding the failure of the motor service and also notwithstanding that, as he pointed out, so far as carrying the Pongaroa mail was concerned, the Pahiatua route was not necessary. This undoubtedly looks very much like sacrificing Pahiatua interests, and "An Old Resident's" reprehension of his member truly appears warranted. As regards improvement of the roads, "An Old Resident" alleges that the Government has not made good its promises of money for the Pahiatua route. The fact, as the Postmaster-General pointed out, is that the Public Works Department has made provision for more money than tho local body has expended. The same holds good as regards the Eketahuna route. The dilatory methods of the Pahiatua and Masterton County Councils have allowed grants provided for tho improvement of_ both routes to lapse. The Government is not to blame for this, and Pahiatua is not the only sufferer. While Pahiatua has had its member presenting a deputation in tTTe effort to retain the mail subsidy, Eketahuna has not on any occasion, or in any particular, attempted to use political patronage iu developing its East Coast mail route. That route requires no such bolstering, for it is by nature the better • route, the nearest route to the capital, and the more closely settled route. Eketahuna relies on these considerations to make its route the successful one, and does not seek political patronage. —I am, etc., NO PATRONAGE.