Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, AUG. 17, 1895.

Manawatu Herald, 17 August 1895, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, AUG. 17, 1895.

I The River.

The Minister of Marine may be keeping the application of the shipowners " steadily in view " but so far he has not yet succeeded in get* ting the financial statement from the Minister of Railways showing the large amount retained, not " seized," by the railway department for wharfages, which by rights, belong to the improvement of the river and the wharf. A joke's a joke all the world over when amusement can be be had and no one injured, and if the owners of the steamers trading to ■ this port were not put to so much loss and anxiety by the block in the channel of the river, we could also < enjoy th« joke foeipg played by |bf I

Son. Mr Cadman on his colleague the Hon. Mr Ward-, Minister of Marine. Finance is not ft strong point with atiy o£ tfae iliembers of the Cabinet, and Mr Ward alone is supposed to know anything about it. This is were the joke conies in. Mr Ward told the deputation that waited upon him that he Would interview the Minister of Railways i*e the acctimuiiUect profits. It appears by their not being forthcoming for this vevy neceasary purpose, that Mr Gad man has suggested that they have been deposited In London and have formed part of the three millions of securities Which Mr Ward is emphatic Were in London when he raised the three per cent. loan. When Mr Ward, as in duty bound, so as to keep faith with I lie cleputa* tion> has aslied Mr Cadman for a statement even, so as to have some groundwork on which to sanction the expenditure needed, Mr Cadraati has apparently slyly alluded td the gene ral objection on the part of his colleagues to give any return relating to the financies of the colony. This would have been fine fun," were it not for the fact that hard-working men are being put to serious loss, and the trade of a large district seriously handicapped. It cannot be a d ; fßcult matter for the department offic als to give the information, as for twu years such a return was made at the instance of Mr J. G. Wilson. The assistance asked for is not much* and would represent hardly one months profit on the wharfage of some of the years during whi<Jh the d''partmpnt has absorbed monies over and beyond ordinary railway charges. We sincerely hope that the shipowners will not stand idly bye> but wait again upon Mr Ward and ask what pre vents their application being acceded to.