THE FUTURE OF THE DISTRICT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1378, 25 March 1915, Page 3

THE FUTURE OF THE DISTRICT.

“VERITAS” ON THEJ WARPATH. “Veritas” has set to work per medium of the Palmerston Standard to shake up “the dry bones” of Palmerston. “Veritos” believes that the pen is mightier than the sword and he is saying things which should galvanise some of our district public men into acliou. He bites at the heels of the lethargic and compels their eyes and squinting intellects to a broader outlook of the future. This district must become one of the most prosperous iu the Dominion. “Veritas'’ sees it with the vision of a seer and his pen proclaims startling truths which should arouse the dreamers. Here is what be says concerning the port ;

“When the pioueers first came to the flat of the Manavvatu they were faced with difficulties compared with which ours are as the bite of a flea. They bad no land, it was all bush ; uo roads, no market, no outlet and no possibility of outlet. But by their own exertions they found and made one. By their own exertions they packed and carried their goods aud flax to Foxton Heads, our Heads, aud there in small ships they were carried down to Wellington and up the coast. Gradually these great public spirited meu conceived the project of getting the railway from Wanganui. They got it. Then still more ot these fine meu conceived the idea of subsidising a railway from Wellington to join up. They made it. Had it not been for these men that railway, when it did come, would undoubtedly have run from Levin to Foxtou. We should have had the single loop Hue to Foxton instead of Foxton to us. We owe Foxton a big debt for this, which we must repay. Since that time the importance of a railway outlet has changed in aspect. It is not enough for us to share a railway when another town has a harbour close. The public spirited meu arc here, for no less than twice there is the tradition of it, when the need arose. We canuot compete as a fit.st class town unless we can get certain essentials into the town and out of the town as cheaply as other towns. There is ouly one cheap method of transit for bulky goods, and that is by sea, Coal is an essential coming in, flax is an essential going out. Given a cheap method of accomplishing these two essentials cheaply we can compete, we can beat. Without it we must face deleat. OUR 1-UTUHK UliS IN FOXTON. W 7 e are not going to face defeat. We are going to accomplish victory. We have the railway to Foxton. Nature has given us our rivers, and gave us the Heads, she also gave us our heads and put enough sense in them to tel! us what to do when we see our end clearly with those heads. Now, our whole future lies iu Foxtou ; it is as essential to us as Leith to Edinburgh, and we waul to be told of it every minute, every hour, everyday. We know the Government has us by the nose, we cannot breathe because of it. She has our wharf, she will not let it go. She wants a ridiculous sum for that wharf. There are men wailing iu our town, rich men, good meu, who will build warehouses here and employ labour here if they can get that wharf. We are going-to have it or we will build auother. The Government has got to let go. We will send a marked copy of this paper to the Minister in charge and tell him so. We will tell him that the hardheaded people in our town -have made up their minds aud are going to.have it. We have the men and the money, the willingness to accomplish, and the end clearly in our minds. We are going to make this a capital issue. We realise the power of the Harbour Boards who will try to keep us out and the methods they employ. We shall beat them because our methods will be honest and straightforward. They cannot keep us back, if necessary we will fill trains with our people aud take a town holiday. Our Mayor will lead us and we will shout. We will make our way to Government and we will lilt the roof off the venerable building, voicing our legitimate desires. This is no time for quiet delegations of hushed murmurs. This is an occasion for rude and raucous demands made in no uncertain tone.

PAI..M ERSTON NORTH NEEDS FOX TON WHARF.”

That must be our battle cry. The motto we must emblazon on our banners and upon our minds. The business men will come, the town will come, the band will come. We will have our outlet, or we will know the reason why. We use no threats, there is no need for threats ; for all we want is just aud right redress, we know what we want and we will get it, we will get it. On our side we appeal to the memory of those who have gone before, for the protection of those who will be in the future. Because we care for the past to care for the future. That those who come after us may remember us not individually, but as a body of people who were moved for their good aud for their future. That they may iu their turn be moved to care for the future. That our town may grow fairly and without prejudice iu loyal competition and co-operation with the rest of the land, for which those before us have cared so well as to make us wish to care uo less. Ou our euemy’s side he is armed with an armour of injustice. This ijye will remove. Prosit, Let us

make good our birthright and do away with this injustice. WK MUST MOVK FORWARD.

We do not wish to move heaven and earth to prevent the LevinGrealford line arriving. That is a dog-in-manger policy. Wo must move heaven and earth so to make ourselves strong that when it comes, as come it must, it will not matter. We cannot keep back by wire pulling, another district. That is a dishonourable thing and will end in evil. • It is part of our country, we must not keep it back, we must move forward ourselves, We do not want wire pulling. We want straight-out talk and action. We have the means read}' to our hands, the essentials, We want men to use them. Can we not find men amongst the business houses of our lowu great enough to see the end and find it won’’ L-u who will give the town a cuii.c, who will not use us as a means to their end, but as a means to the town’s beginning and to its continuance ? Men who will spare enough of their proper and reasonable ambition to incorporate themselves with the town, alone for the town. Men who have money, men who have influence, meu with au honeststeadfast gaze into a clear pellucid future, without wire pulliug and by clean and honest effoit. Who will lead us by their example, whom we will follow by cur instinct, who have perhaps made their money, but who aie still young, enthusiastic, with brains receptive, forceful, capable ? We do not know the men, but they are here, and the town is fortunate for she will find them, and they will find us if they make the effort now.

GREAT BRITAIN’S GREATEST PIANOS ! Ot the celebrated English instruments stocked by the The Bristol Piano Co. Ltd., none enjoys such an enviable reputation as the Broadwoon piano. One might say that it is the “Gold Standard” of the piano industry made by tlie oldest established firm of piano manufacturers in the British Empire—-lohn Broadwood and Sons, Ltd. —every model is the result of nearly 200 years’ adherence to the highest ideals in piano construction. During its long history the Broad wood has been helped towards perfection by the world’s master musicians. Their influence is found in its excpuisitely delicate touch and sympathetic, resonant and perfectly modulated tone. Other British built pianos at “The Bristol” include the excellent and reliable Sames and the renowned Lollard and Coilard. The famous Canadian organs—The Bell and The Imperial—are also on view in a variety of models. All these superb instruments are offered on attractive and easy terms. The Bristol Piano Co., Ltd., Wellington. North Island Manager: M. 1. Brookes.