The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY. MAY 12, 1885. OUR RAILWAY STATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 134, 12 May 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY. MAY 12, 1885. OUR RAIL WAY STATION.

It is a matter fur congratulation that the Borough Council have moved m the matter of obtaining for Palmerston North a new railway station, m lieu of the nondescript building now m use as a post and telegraph office and railway station. The requirements of Palmerston m this respect have been culpably overlooked, as it is notorious that the present station accommodation is quite inadequate. As the Mayor pointed out at the last Borough Council meeting, it would be as well that the public, through their representatives m the Borough Council, had some voice m -he approval or otherwise of the plans of the proposed new building. If the truth must be told, the Government is none too liberal or progressive m its ideas of the scale of magnitude on which public buildings should be erected. They generally cqitftherce by building some shed-like structure which has to be added to from time to time, as it becomes too small for its intended purpose, until* after all additions have been made the total cost will have aggregated a larger sum than would have been required to build a proper structure m the first place. This has been the experience almost everywhere except m the larger towns, where m many cases the position has been reversed. In the less important, less influential, or less clamorous centres,any kind of a building for immediate purposes seems to be considered sufficient, and the future growth and import, ance, or probable requirements; do not seem normally to enter at all into the departmental calculations. The railway station m Palmerston occupies a very prominent position, and the buildingmay be planned on a design either to greatly adorn or greatly disfigure the surroundings. There will before long be direct railway communication with Wellington on the one side and Napier on the other, as there is now with VVanganui and New Plymouth, not to speak of prospective connection with* Auckland. All these routes will have their inland termini m Palmerston. So that it is easy to conceive tbe great increase of traffic that must shortly take place. If accommodation for traffic requirements is so obviously inadequate now, how much more so when the various junctions with lines under construction shall have been effected. The question of necessity admits of no argument. It may reasonably be expected* therefore, that the erection of new buildings will shortly be put m hand, and it is much to be desired that they will be m design ornamental as well as commodious and serviceable. '" '"'■'.