TUESDAY, MARC a 11, 1890. Union

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 110, 11 March 1890, Page 2

TUESDAY, MARC a 11, 1890. Union

Ottr contemporary, the Wellington Press, has struck out a new line in consequence of its having made the important discoveoy that the Empire City is interested in the progress of the country districts, and as the Press is the first, newspaper in that city to make such discovery we offer it our sincere " congratulations. The Press earnestly desires to see an understanding brought, about between the city of Wellington and the whole country constituencies of the province, to work for the common interests of all, recognising that we must undoubtedly stand on a common platform. We are quite willing to admit the perfect truth of this, and to do our utmost to assist in bringing about such a happy condition of affairs, but at the same time we think it is already almost too late. If we take, for example, this district, the Oroua County, we find that the connections of our business people with Wellington merchants are comparatively small as compared with those of Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, in' drapery, boots and woollen goods, while the commercial sympathies of our dealers, as a whole, do not accord altogether with Wellington, It may be true, as far as Wellington is concerned, that " the railway has destroyed the contracting power of the barrier that severed Wellington from the surrounding country," but we, on this coast at least, cannot forget that we had to do for many years without the Wellington-Manawatu Railway, and did yery well indeed with Foxton and* Wanganui as ports of export, while any sense of gratitude the settlers here have, or ought to have, is smothered by the unpleasant fact that they have to pay most exorbitantly for their railway privileges. That Wellington must ultimate^' be the chie f port, not only of the province but of the colony, is an incontrovertible fact, but that event will really be accomplished more by the labors of the people in the country than by the exertions of those in the town ; and we are glad to see that a Wellington journal should at last have acquired a knowledge of that fact. If our public men were returned to Parliament to represent the colony, and not merely their constituencies, we might hope for great things, but unfortunately so long as Freetrade and Protection separate the town from the country members, any union among them likely to be of general good, is practically impossible. We sincerely hope that at the next general election the Press " will do its level best " to secure the return of Wellington men to Parliament whose political ideas are not "cribbed, cabined and confined" within the • ranges which surround Wellington harbor, but who can grasp the situation and recognise the need which obtains of their pulling together with their brethren from the country.