The Manawatu Railway.

Manawatu Herald, 4 January 1898, Page 2

The Manawatu Railway.

We notice that some of our contemporaries are grieving over the oppo sition now being shown by the Government to the Manawatu railway. We do not endorse the action of the Government in its entirety, as we cannot see how it can possibly pay them to carry goods twice any distance at half price, providing that the present prices are fair and reasonable. It seems as though the Minis fcer of Railways is making a rod for his own back by this action, as to justify the steps he has taken he must admit the present tariff ig too high. We are not, however, in any way desirous of helping the Manawatu Railway Company as they have man aged their line simply from the through traffic point of view, and in doing so have neglected the interests of those who purchased land:? from them. Besides this the com pany cannot with a good conscience object to the action taken by the Government in the attempt to divert all traffic down the Wairarapa line, for the company began the " cutting " plan long ago, when in the endeavour, in which fortunale'y they were not successful, to run the local trading steamer off the port, they reduced the through fare for goods from Wellington to Longburn to a very low rate, less indeed than that for which they charged carriage to Otaki, A3 in the case of the Government now running longer dis« tances at lower rate 9, so did the com* pany and how can they comp'ain ? unless it is that now they are the parties hurt instead of others being co. We hope that in time th 9 Government will leasa the line from the company, and ihe directors would be wise to arrange terms as soon as they can, for the Government have got a " lone >: hand for many months before Parliament again moe!s. The Government have made one serious mistake in this grab all system they have introduced ; prior to the Wairarapa line being opened they gave tha local steamer a certain concession on wool which permitted them to compete on fair terms with the com pany's line. This they have withdrawn, and now we learn cf too heavy trains and unseemly delays. If the concession to the steamar was renewed the traffic on the Wairarapa line would be eased, and still the Government would get 25 miles of haulage from bayqnd Palm- rston. We can understand oar friends in Palmerston being alarmed at the diversion of the through traffic, but it is only a portion that will pevmanently be lost, and though they express themselves moat anxious to have the Government acquire the company's line, they should know that from that date the cost of all goods carried by rail from Wellington to Palmerston would be at tariff rates, and thus greatly dearer than they are now carried at. It is therefore of the greatest importance to every business man in Palmerston 1 and Feilding to assist and encourage the steamer that trades to Foxton, as it is only the competition of water carriage that has kept their freights down for the past years.

A six-foqjt shark caught the other day at Napier contained the body of a foxotsrrier amongst other nnconsidered trifles. Messrs Abraham and Williams hold a stook sale on Thursday and a horse sale on Saturday at Palmerston. The Secretary of the Manawatu Bowing Glob has received permission from the Government to erect the new boat shed on the desired site. On Thursday Mi* J. R. Montague will sell all the plant in connection with (he Sunbeam without reserve. Amongst the items are a number of new tanks which ought to find a market at this season. The late Alfred Noble, of Explosives fame, baß left £434,000 to provide for awarding five annual prizes to the students and inventors who shall be adjudged to have done most for the benefit of humanity. The following birth notice appears in the Post :— Yerex.— On 29th December, at the Wigwam, Belmont, Clara, wife of Geo. M. Yerex— a lovely daughter. Hail Columbia ! N.Z. Times states that there appears to have been quite an epidemic of lunacy in Wellington during the holidays, no lass than eight people having been consigned to the Mount View Lunatic Asylum since the 25th inst. The Whangaioa crossed the bar last night io-tow by the Queen of the South. She lakes one of the largest loads of tirnjmv that has yet left this port. " Ms: H. Rowland had Bold his property at ' v'J. 1 '" "»Ir Waiter Barber, who is about "" J^VjJJt-w si^-rooined »•, eidence thare-

Mr A. Jonson has made a start with Mr Bowe's new housel At the RanpUikei races on Saturday Mr Ni*on s Sedgebrook won the Flying Handicap, and got second place in the Grandstand Handicap. Flying Shot was third in the latter race. Mis 3 Nunnaley has again won the ladies' championship at lawn tennis at ihe Auckland tournament. The M&ndwaiu Standard says we congratulate the proprietor of the Foxton Herald on his enterprise in enlarging hii journal and reducing the price, and trust tha financial results will be sati'fac'oey. For which many th inks. The brigantine Sir Henry has sailed from Neteon for this port to load with white pina for Messrs Gamnian & Co. Mr R. H. Barber, the manufacturer and agent of C. Nelson's grubbing-machiues, has just completed a machine to the order of a resident in the Auokland district, this being the second machine forwarded to that parti