FEILDING.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 53, 21 April 1877, Page 2

FEILDING.

[From otjr own Correspondent.] What is the use of a safety valve to a machine if it is fastened down so that it cannot be used to permit the steam to

escape when it attains a force of extreme danger to the machine itself, as well as to all its. animate and inanimate surroundings P I have been led to this reflection by reading the Wanganui " Herald "on the question of county separation here. The " Herald " lias only one objection to urge against our separation from the Manawatu County, and that is the danger of allowing this districtto set an example that might-be imitated by other discontented ridings m the Colony. Instead of allowing us to use the safetyvalve provided by Parliament, the " Herald " cooly proposes to tie it down until a new safety-valve' will be provided for us after a pattern designed' in the office of the Wanganui." Herald." And this tying down process is proposed for us without the least attempt having been made by the " Herald" to consider how far the circumstances of the Kiwitea district require an application of the county safety-valve of separation provided by Parliament m the Counties Act. * .;•-.-■■ X-. The separation question having l>een already opposed m your columns by '• Querist," on mere personal grounds, and very fully supported by the member for the Kiwitea; Riding m the next issue of your paper, I am spared entering so fully into the question. A public meeting having since then been held at Feilding, which, was very fully atteijj^d as reported m your paper, the case^l^ separation was put before the meeting by MJr Halcombe, m a speech- charat^ • t jriscd by great, moderation. When the opposition to the proposal found an opponent to urge against it all the arguments that could -be brought- to bear on it, so thatthe question has well/been ventilated m the district, and I venture to think that, the residents of the district are unanimous m favour of separation; • the only speaker at the late meeting against the proposal is not a resident within the district, and his interest m it is very small compared to what he holds beyond the boundary ofthe district, and the seconder of his motion has no interest at all m the district, so that the residents of the place may be said to be unanimous on the question. The new County of Kiwitea will contain more than half a million acres of good land, and will have more than 500 county electors to start with", and as every elector may be" considered: to represent four persons resident m the new county to start with, there will be a, population of at least 2,000 (two thousand) persons settled already m the new county. As there is a railway skirting the western boundary of the new county to which, new roads can be made at right angles with, and leading to the railway, and as" the Manawatu County Council fail to see how much the interest of the whole county would be promoted by opening up the new country -m the Kiwitea Biding, there is a very clear case m favor ofal lowing the Kiwitea drstrictto makeafreeuse of the separation safety-valve. But- why should the Kiwitea aud Manchester Ridings 7 not be allowed to manage their own local affairs, when the area and also the population is more than five times the amount fixed upon by Parliament, as the minimum of a district to which separation would be allowed. . I notice that the committee appointed by the .late meeting to look after the matter of separation have been doingtheir work m carrying out the resolutions of the meeting that appointed them. The Government sales of land a short lime ago m the Kiwitea district are already bearing fruit m the fprm of an accession of bona fidesettlersloeatingthemselves on their holdings, and preparing the land to support a thriving settlement on the soil, and also creating a market for the neighboring towns, with an increase of business to the port of Foxton ; a port that can only see evil instead of benefit to itself m our separation from the county as now constituted. Messrs. Bartholomew and Manson's new saw mills are how, and baveAeen for some time past, m full operajkm. These mills have been moved o_Pof Feilding on to the bush land, so that instead of "hauling the logs into the .township on a tramwa} r , the ,timb?r is sawn m the bush, and thence taken to the town and to the railway for export. The railway department has just added a new shunt side line for receiving and. developing this timber trade. Although the new Telegraph Office has been open for business for some time past, Post Office work is still continued m the hands of the railway station master who seems to have plenty of work to attend to at this; railway terminus without postal duties. Trains must be regularly received and despatched, and goods and parcels must be received and delivered by the station master who has only a porter to assist him m his duties ; while the station master is attending, to those railway - duties he cannot very well attend at the same time to the Post Office business. Ifc certainly seems strange that the postal department was not prepared to transfer the Post Office business from the railway station to the new Post Office, as it was opened with a Postmaster m the office to do the duty. The head office m Wellington must evidently have procrastinated m this matter, being unprepared to transfer the business from the railway department as soon 'as the new Post Office was built and finished. Here is a question for Sir George r Grey next session to show tbe incapacity - of those who are occuppying the sunny- ; side ofthe House to carry on departmental work. When I mention that the working j people here are generally employed m t the district, it wiii be seen that there is jl steady progress being made m develop- A ing the resources of the district. The :>■■' E. and C. Ajd Corporation has always y some roadmaking, and other work m x

hand that employs a good many men, and the Manchester Highways Board has also done a good deal of road work since its separation from the Manawatu Highways District a few months ago. A number of settlers are also, more or less engaged bush falling and clearing m the neighbourhood for their new homes, so all this put together shows that thefuture.prosperity of the place is being laid on a solid foundation, and if the amount of business that is being done m some of the stores is not equal to what it was some time ago, yet on the whole thereisnoretrogression, but rather progression m the place. I believe the general depression m the colony is felt much less m Feilding than it is m many oilier places just now. T may add that while the hotels of Feilding have been enlarging ancl improving their accommodation there has been a Total Abstinence, society inaugurate d here, and working quietly — gaining strength from their association together. I f hink that it is always good for a community to have m its midst earnest exponents of every view that can be taken for the social improvement of the community. The great Epic Poet of England defined true . liberty to be " Tbat every man having to advise the slate might freely. speak," ancl he might hnve added, if he lived two centuries later, that it was true liberty that every nan nw#t be allowed to act without rcstrtMon; as long as his acts only in--31 Tedflimsclf, and no one else. I think that^he new doctrine of coertion a-'optod by temperance advocates is doing their cause harm, as they would b:; much stronger than they are if their principle remained what, it once was, but however that may be, opposition ■will be sure to rise to it m proportion as they increase m strength sufficient to endanger the individual liberty of others m matters of temperance, but the more any question is agitated by opposition the more it will prosper if it lias real .vitality m it.