The Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on tne Wast Coast. THURSSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1885. THE OLD YEAR AND THE NEW.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1596, 31 December 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on tne Wast Coast. THURSSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1885. THE OLD YEAR AND THE NEW.

With a few more hours the year eighteen hundred and eighty- five will have passed away, its record of events sealed. We do not intend to recapitulate any of the events that have occurred in the Colonies, at Home, or abroad within that period. Now that the cable places all incidents occurring throughout the world daily before the view of everyone, the year's history of events passes before the eye like a diorama, each in its turn lost to view, and soon also to memory, as some other more engrossing occurrence takes its place. So swings on the pendulum of time. What most directly concerns our readers is the immediate outlook so far as this district is concerned. We think we are justified in saying. that there are reasonable grounds to look forward to better times before long. A long, weary, and very gloomy depression has overspread the whole Colony, and this district has been no exception. But we believe the worst has been reaehed, and we look forward with confidence to brighter days early in the New Year. Various important public works will before long be inaugurated, the effect of which must be to enhance general prosperity. Before long, too, our Borough Loan will be floated, and local works put vigorously in hand. The projected gas works, also, will involve the expenditure of money and the employment of labour. For our farmers the outlook has slightly improved, and their prospects are better than they were six months auo. On the political aspect of affairs we will not touch on this occasion, further than to merely refer en passant to the probabilities of a big loan scheme being brought forward, a dissolution of Parliament probable, with 1 a reconstructed Ministry to follow. As regards the town and district, faith in their future is proved by the constant opening up of new places of business and the arrival of new settlers. The community has not been without its experience of hopes frustrated and deferred, aud expectations unrealized during the past year. There have been the failure of the Borough Loan scheme, and the non-success of Pohangma. We are sanguine that, the latter will turn up trumps yet, and contribute its full quota to the prosperity in store. On the whole there is no reason for gloomy anticipation, but rather for hopeful confidence, that the clouds are passing away and better days are approaching. With the sincere hope that our anticipations in this respect may be abundantly realized, we cordially wish our readers, and each member of the community, a prosperous and A Happy New Year,