CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 45, 24 March 1877, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

[Our correspondence column being open no responsibility can be accepted m respect to opinions expressed by correspondents.]

TO THE EDITOH. Sir, — In a letter signed "Querist" m your last issue, the very common and very mistaken assumption l that Mr Halcoinbe is the sole originator of every public movement m Feilding is repeated. IT " Querist," before writing about the resolution passed by the Manchester Highway. Board at its last meeting, had taken the trouble to read the names of the Wardens present, lie would have seen that, (with the exception of myself, who being Chairman jaro. tern, had no voice m passing the resolution, though of course as a resident and property holder m the district, I fully concurred, m it), the wardens* who voted on the matter were quite as independent of Mr Halcombe and the E. and C. Aid Corporation ..as "Querist" himself. Indeed, one of the wardens referred to was a rival candidate with Mr Halcombe for a seat on the Board for Wo. 2 ward.

Mr j;Halc6mb; ie, whdin " Querist " blames for looking after what he considers -the interests of the constituency he represents <m the Council, ; was m Wellington at the time of the last Board meeting: He knew nothing whatever of the. resolution or of. :any ; intention to pass a resolution of that purport until he saw the rejiort of' itnn the

papers. The resolution was the outcome of a discussion at the Board meeting upon the line of action adopted by the majority m the County Council. Mr Halconibe of course agrees with the spirit of tho resolution, as does every other property holder m this district who has wafched the working of the County Council and its effects on the interests of the northern portion of the County. As for " despotic sway, " and other expressions of a similar tendency m " Querist's " letter, they are mere claptrap, and as arguments were thoroughly used up at the election of wardens for the Manchester Highways Board. It is acknowledged by the Council that an injustice has been done to this riding m the distribution. We ask the Council to show.' a willingness to do what lies m their power to remedy that injustice. They say, we will show that willingness twelve months' hence if you still' deserve it. By the one brick we can judge of the whole building. Nor is that injustice our only reason for considering separation our best policy. Another and perhaps stronger reason is that the interests of this district lie north of the railway line as far as County Council works, such as road making, &c, are concerned. The railway is our base of operations. The townships on the railway depend upon the opening up of the back country ; the, back country upon ready communication .with the railway. Eveiy chain of road , made either m the Manchester or Kiwitea ridings confers a common* benefit on the inhabitants of the. proposed County by facilitating that communication. Such is not the case with the Manawatu County roads south of .the railway. When the line is completed between Foxton and Wanganui which will probably be by the end. of next summer, the main roads more, than three miles south of the railway line will be of little use to people m this part of the county, compared with the cost of maintaining them,' and we see that as the Council is at present coniposedj there is always a great probability of the rates, subsidy, • and Other ..revenues collected m the two northern ridings beijg . diverted to objects with which we have little or .nothing m common. The members of the Highway Board and the people who elevated theni are under no one's tutelage, and have experienced too . bitterly the loss to the district m allowing alien bodies to disburse their rates, to be misled by " Querist " as to the direc. tion m which their interests lie. We want the revenue raised m the district to be spent m it for the benefit of those who, pay it, and to ensure that end we demand that our representatives shall expend it, and not the representatives of Foxton, Carnarvon, Sandon and Otaki. There may be disadvantages consequent on separation, but of this one g l ' ea t advantage we are sure, that the rates will not be alienated from the district m which they are raised. If any further proof were needed of the unfounded nature of " Querist's " assertion about the separation movement, the fact that a similar and simultaneous action has been taken m Palmerston, where Mr Halcombe's pique or wounded feelings (if they existed) could have no possible influence, should .supply that proof. That there is a grievance felt bj r the Palmerston and northern districts no one can deny, and'having failed m obtaining redress m the Council, they naturally seek the only other legal remedy obtainable, — m the ridings of Manchester and Xiwitea. separation ; and m Palmerston, a municipality, which is de facto separation as regards the County. In conclusion, let me remind " Querist " that invective against. Mr Halcombe and casting slurs on his motives are no arguments against the advisability of separation. That is a point which niust be decided by the ratepayers themselves before signing the petition to the Governor for separation. As for waiting for our rights till that very indefinite time mentioned by " Querist " "no distant day," it must be borne m mind that the subsidies to Counties will only be payable for the next five years, and it behoves us not to sit j down tamely until a portion of the subsidy paying term has expired, m the hope -that some undefined means will giveusourrightsbut to agitate at once, to put our own shoulders to the wheel, m order that we may derive the fullest possible benefit from the new- form of local government. — I am, &c, D. H. Macarthue. Feilding.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, — I am sorry to hear it. I do nbt like to see Palmers ton cutting the cable and shutting itself up within tiie boundaries of a Municipality. But sentiment aside : What effect will this -have upon tlie^situation of our dear old county ? Foxton will become firmly seated as the executive centre of the County, and Taonui Biding will most likely lose one of its members, which will be' given to Feilding, and relapse into its, original darkness. So far so good, but who will then take an interest m developing all that fertile country on the Other side of the river? Palmerston; will have no direct voice m the matter, Palmerston will have formed its pwti shell, and I hope it will be a pretty one, but where are the glorious dreams Of its youth ? " Palmerston will still — that is for a year and a half— have its two members m the County Council," but that is dq'ubtlul^arid under any circumstances they will be looked upon as relics of old times, when Palmerston was yet a part of the County. ■'••'* Palmerston will get £2 for .every £ raised ; by rates on property within the Borough"?'' That is a_ mi stake, it willget pound for pound and no more.

Really I do not see why Palmerston should be m any hurry to part company ; Palnierston has got work to do inthe County. It has a large unsettled district at the other end of the bridge. Together with Sandon it ought to make it an object to preserve a just and fair balance between the two extremities of the county. Palmerston claims to be the best place for the County Council to meet m, and justly so, but then it should not shut itself up m its shell and retire from the conflict. After all it takes two to make a quarrel, and I wonder whether the rest of the County thinks that matters will work better if Foxton and Manchester are lef^ face to face. The central part of the County should be sorry to see it divided and all the influence concentrated at the two ends of it. — I am, &c, <■■ :.-V.M.