Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1879. OUR RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 15, 14 October 1879, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUES DAY, OCTOBER 14, 1879. OUR RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

We have a veiy strong disinclination to write severely upon the actions of public officials, knowing that they are prohibited from replying ; but there are times when a sense of duty must override personal feelings, and when grave injustices demand a full and searching enjury. For many months past, the management of the railway from Foxton to Wanganui has given great dissatisfaction at this end. There has been an uneasy feeling in the minds of residents of Manawatu, that the General Manager looked with contempt upon the trade to and from Foxton. Kesidmg at Wanganui, and perhaps impressed with the commercial superiority of that town, he has acted in such a way as led to the inference thjit he desired to favour that port. An additional reason for such a course would be, that owing to the extra distance to Wanganui the railway returns would be increased by the Upper Manawatu trade going via Wanganui instead of Foxton. As it is manifestly impossible for us to know what may be going on in the mind of the official referred to, we are unable to say whether or not he is opposed to the interests of Foxton. But looking dalmly over the experience of the past 14 months, we regret to say that our own observation leads to the conviction that if not directly opposed to the port of Foxton, Mr Eotheram is very careless of its interests. A few illustrations will show how this conviction has been forced upon us. The present railway time - table has been commented on frequently. By it Foxton has two trains — one starts at 7 o'clock in the morning, and returns at 18 minutes past 1 ; the second leaves at 4.25 p.m., and returns at 10 minutes to 10. A single glance shows that thpse trains are the most inconvenient that could possibly be devised. This matter was brought before the Manager and Mr Lawson in December last, when, according to our report, " Mr Botheram said that after the Fairlie arrived, it would take about a month to get everything ready, and then he would issue a new time-table, giving a mid- day train to this end of the line." Yet no alteration has taken place. There are three trains each day from Wanganui to Ealmerston (which is 23 miles from Foxton\ the third train returning to Halcombe, whence it goes on to Wanganui the following morning. Foxton is completely left out in the cold. If its residents desire to do business at Feilding, they leave at 7 a.m., and return at 10 p.m. ! whilst persons coming to Foxton by the first train reach here at half-past one, and must either leave in three hours, or wait until next day. On the other hand, Wanganui, as we have pointed out, enjoys the luxury of three regular trains per day, running right into the very heart of the country that feeds Foxton. Then, again, is a matter repeatedly referred to in our leading and correspondence columns —we mean the East Town wharf business. For months white pine timber was shipped at the East Town wharf free. Both that and the Foxton wharves are connected with the railway; but whilst numerous cargoes were shipped at East Town free, Bd. per hundred feet wharfage (not including storage or handling) was charged at Foxton. This went on for some time, until at last the scandalous favoritism became too flagrant, and public feeling was ex* pressed rather warmly. But what was done ? Simply this : the East Town Wharf was proclaimed a Go*

vum went jetty, and the wharfage ou white pine lowered to Id., Foxton sharing in the relief, because for shame's sake it could not be excluded. The ordinary wharfage charges have been so constantly written against in this journal, that we hardly need refer to them. Wo can scarcely believe that if Mr Eotherani had represented in his official capacity the gross injustice under which Foxton labored, and had earnestly urged upon the Government the necessity of revision, Foxtou would have been at present subjected to the same treatment to-day as it was over a year ago. But the latest act of Mr Ebtheram so completely " out-Herod's Herod," that wo confess we have lost a very great deal of our remaining faith in him and his management. We ask attention to this fact: The steamers Jane Douglas and Tui arrived* at the Foxton wharf at 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon. They brought large cargoes of general merchandise — a great portion of which was for the Upper Manawatu. Not a package of that cargo left the Foxton sheds until yesterday morning, at 7 a.m., having been detained the whole of that time through the wretched mismanagement of the General Manager. There was nothing to prevent every article being deliveied at the different townships on Saturday morning. The payment of a few shillings — perhaps a pound — as overtime to the in en. would have enabled the whole to have been packed up on Friday evening. But no ; Mr Piotheram wants to work the lino cheaply ; ho wishes to make a name ; he is determined to have his line the best-paying line in the Colony. He thereibie has given orders that no overtime is' to bo allowed. Hence the hands of the officials here are tied. Men are not going to work for nothing nor for the glory of the port. They deserve payment for extra work. Then, again, although the men could have loaded up the trucks on Saturday morning, the General Manager will not allow the afternoon train to haul goods. He calls it a " mail train, " and keeps it to that work. Hence the goods were not sent away on Saturday afternoon. The storekeepers in the Upper District would receive them yesterday, or three days after arrival in Foxton, whereas the whole might easily have been in their possession on Saturday morning. Is such a disgraceful wrong to be tolerated ? The trade of the port must be ruined if people stand quietly by, and we appeal to the settlers of Manawatu, to put their foot down on such a system of mismanagement. In the manifest of the delayed goods, we notice a number of cases of fruit. A grievous wrong is perpetrated upon the consignees through the delay from Friday to Monday, as the property being of a perishable nature, is likely to decay, or at least be largely diminished in value. Now, the remedy is plain. First of all, we must have a more liberal system of working the line. If more men are needed for the work, they should be obtained, even if Mr Rotheram's credit for economical management suffers. Then, again.we must insist upon the afternoon train taking goods, and upon the third train becoming something more tangible than a promise. We have been " strung on " for a year, hoping for an improvement, but none has taken place. A firmer course must now be adopted, and we are determined not to let the matter rest until Foxton as a port is treated justly by the Railway Department. If Mr Rotheram and his Wanganui proclivites stand in the way, the settlers at this end have their remedy by a petition to Parliament for an enquiry ; and we can assure Mr Rotheram that public feeling is about worked up to that pitch, that unless an improvement takes place at once, a move in that directidn will be made. A conference takes place to-day between the Harbour Board and Mr Rotheram, which we trust will lead to better arrangements.