The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1884. The Northern Railway

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 7, 17 January 1884, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1884. The Northern Railway

« It requires no very keen intelligence to discover that the route to connect the North Island railway system, which will be favored by the present Government, is that by way of Taranaki. Mr Carkeek, who is an excellent surveyor, besides being an explorer of undoubted resources and courage, was sent out to find a supposed practical line by way of the Mokau, whether it was there or not. Mr Carkeek, with an entire absence of diplomacy, was so indiscreet as to confess to some one, not connected with the Government, that he could find no practicable route for a railway, the cost of which would be within the limits of the means at the disposal of the Government. This admission was no doubt hasty, as his official superiors had certainly a right to be the first informed as to the nature of the country explored and its general features. However, as far as the Colony is concerned, this very indiscretion has been the means of divulging that the Premier, Major Atkinson has determined, in his own mind, that this particular way is the only way which he will agree to accept, even though some of the leading politicians of Taranaki are against his views, from the enormous cost necessary to carry them out. It has been said by a contemporary that Major Atkinson knows only Taranaki, and that even his knowledge of that favored locality is limited. For some time we were inclined to doubt the justice of this opinion, and put it down to the well-known political animosity of the writer to the Major, but hard facts compel ils to admit that there is a considerable amount of truth in the statement. The Premier appears to have an objection to to the central route surveyed by Eochfort because it has more bush country and is longer than the Mokau line. He shuts his eyes to the fact, which is patent to everyone else, that for nearly every line of railway pushed inlo a bush country a sawmill would be started, so that the line would be immediately reproductive. It may be that opening this kind of line is contrary to the traditions of the present Government, as the history of many of the political sections of railway in the Colony would lead us to believe is the case. It was distinctly promised that each route should be fairly examined and reported on by experienced surveyers, and that such reports would be fairly considered by Ministers, and afterwards submitted to the House. How this can be done in the face of the knowledge that because a surveyer declined to report favorably on an impracticable route, he was abruptly informed that his services would be dispensed with — this we suppose, to encourage the others. It looks as if surveyors, or any other officials who may be sent to report on matters of public importance, will have to coquet with some official near the person of the Minister, in order to find out how they are to draw up their reports to accord with Ministerial views, and avoid the mistake of offending the powers that be. It is a consolation for us to believe that as time rolls on, the days of the present Ministry are drawing to a close. When new men occupy the Treasury Benches we do not anticipate any very violent changes for the better, but we cannot be worse off, whatever happens, and there exists a strong probability that a Government will be in power able and willing to grasp the fact that a paying railway, .such as can be made through the centre of the island, is better than one that must run at a loss along tKe coast line.