The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 976, 6 April 1911, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 6TH, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Our Palmerston morning contemporary takes the Dominion to task tor “ taking the Levin-Greatford railway under its wing.” Incidentally it says that the Dominion never tails to encourage any movement that is antagonistic to Palmerston. It passes our comprehension why the Times, which claims to be anything but parochial, should take up such a village pump and deluded attitude to the important linking up of the Main Trunk railway. Here is a slab of nonsensical misrepresentation which it hurls against the proposal; “There could be no greater folly than the wastage of public money involved in the taking of the Main Trunk line through swamps and sandhills and across two great rivers, in order to avoid the main centres of population and traffic at Palmerston and Feilding, and drag the whole Hast Coast traffic off its base. Yet this is what the Wellington paper is trying to do. At the same time it advances the absurd plea that so many miles of lines are already constructed in the Sandon tram. As if any one for one moment really supposes that the Sandon tram line would do for the Main Trunk express !” Surely our contemporary knows that the proposed route runs through some of the richest country in the North Island. That there are stretches of drift sand and swamp along the route no one will deny, but these obstacles are of a very minor nature in railway construction. That the connecting link will seriously effect Feilding, Palmerston, Hawke’s Bay or Wairarapa is pure bunkum. Our contemporary continues; “The specious fashion in which it is attempted to bolster up this project for the squandering of the country’s funds in a scheme which no great railway company which owned the State lines as a whole would consider seriously, is one of the remarkable features of the present revival of the agitation.” Would it interest our contemporary to know that a syndicate is prepared to make this connection but the Government will not grant them the concession. The construction ot the link is just what a “ great railway company” would undertake, and that without delay. The article concludes by stating that it does “not blame those whose interests lie along the proposed deviation in taking a selfish view of it.” The benefits the connecting link may confer on those whose interests are along the route will be comparatively small to the saving ot time and money to the State as a whole. As we have previously pointed out, the work is of national importance, and despite village pump opposition must be carried out in the near future.

The Levin Chronicle dealing with the above question in a recent issue says : “This project is one of great local importance, but primarily importance attaches to the New Zealand helpfulness of the route. On the respective merits of the case as between the present route and the proposed one there is scarcely room for diverse opinions ; but those who seek to have the present state of affairs remedied must remember that vested interests on the present route are strenuously set against the proposal to run the line from Levin to Greatford. In the days when Levin was merely a timbergetting township, and the intervening lands between here and Greattord were unsettled, vested interests, and the desire for immediate railway revenue drew the line away from its natural trend (and along the two sides of a triangle), to Palmerston North and Feilding. The vested interests of twenty-five years ago are now increased twenty fold, and it may be taken as sure that Palmerston N. and Feilding will continue to fight strenuously against any departure from conditions as they now are. None the less, Levin and her immediate neighbours must resolutely persist in the fight for better conditions. The prime present means to this end are a survey of the route. This was promised by the late Mr Seddou, as Prime Minister, and by the present Prime Minister of the Dominion, Sir Joseph Ward ; but so far the survey has not been made. The warmest advocates of the scheme say that the survey when made will clearly establish the preeminent suitability of the LeviuGreatlord lauds as a line feeder, and the route as a time-saver. There are local bodies and public men and private citizens, all along the proposed route and at both ends of it, moving in the matter.”

In the current issue the Trade Review remarksWe have now passed the end of the March quarter, but none of the various returns are to hand as yet. From information available it is certain that the imports will show a decided decrease as compared with the same quarter a year ago. On the other hand some of our principal exports may be expected to exhibit a decrease ; there is a shortage in the exports of wool for the season to date of some 30,000 bales, representing something like half a million, and the value of dairy produce exported will probably hardly equal the previous season. Against this, however, the exportation of frozen meat has recently been exceptionally heavy, there being some 1,500,000 carcases of mutton and lamb afloat at the present time. On the whole, the value of our exports may be expected to show a satisfactory total, and leave a good margin over the imports. We hear that there is a shortage of gold coin in some quarters. The question of what becomes of the specie imported has been referred to in these columns on previous occasions. Commenting on the subject a year ago, we showed that while the net importation for seven years was nearly four millions, the increase in the banks’ holdings was less than half that amount. The number of people constantly going away either temporarily or perm inently accounts for a certain amount, the increase in trade doubtless causes an increased circulation, and there is a constant leakage from the use of coin for the manufacture of ornaments and similar purposes. We imagine from the report of a shortage that these leakages must have been on a heavier scale than usual latterly. There are some complaints in trading circles, that money is becoming less plentiful, but we belive there is still a good supply of capital available, and sound investment shares have been rather more sought after as an outlet for this, consequently such shares are commanding good prices.”