CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 39, 23 February 1878, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

Is [Our correspondence column being open, 'no responsibility can be. accepted? ip respect ;to,opihions < expre3sed,by corresppndents J< ,

j TO THE.-EDITOB. [ Snt,— To, judge from the extract, wihich iypu republished last meek from the. speech .' delivered, ip, the Legislative Counpi". by . the ; Hon. Colonel Wbitmore, Colonial Secretary, iuppn the. proposed Hutt, Waikanae, and Manawatu-, railway, the hon. gentleman jmpst be.giv.en tp talk in.a,somewhat wild; 'manner, op' is interested m, preventing the jimportant link m, thp.\Y>3t Coast Railway being completedi and, tfre whole, coast j brought ipto communication with the. capitalj'bf Newji Zealand. To. do this, and open, up, a splendid tract of country, that a rail- ;- way wou).d bring wjthin.an hour or two, of Wellington, the gaH» nfc officer ..says " woujd be a suicidal and short-sighted; policy," ami hp.asks, iv. de«sion,_ what was th^ lr_aiß,£sex-

pocted on this line, and what were the lands? The lands! Only a trifle to be sure,-*r-aome hulf-a-milttan. of aores, extend* ing forty miles south of the ManaVatq river, andoapable of oaprying a large population, hut now with only a feyf soattered: settlers— no roads, bridges, or any iniprovemeuts. " The block oflaad, i* m n\uch thesame state of nature it was when I came. ; to, the coi\u,try, soma thirty-five, years, ago,'* so, sftid Si,r. William, Fitzherbert ii> giving i h»s ; evidence before the J^utt-Waikanae. Railway Committee, tba report of which Colonel W/'hitmore ignores^ and; pronounces, ' " the district npt of. a. chai»cter. \xhjch, would carry a, deuse population at ajijyj .-time," and. •« tbat the. lands would nofc sell a* lugh prices;." and, finally, "that the, district would be completely ruined by a, railway." A? regards tV traffic, it could} not but be large \f the \ine v^as completed; to, WaUi^gton, for- it wjouHha fed. by the. : country sotttb. of Wanganui, apfl eventually? drain the w.hple cojvst, anjj, not $bp WairaJ. rapa line, for which the -hpjv gentleman, Ishp.w.s considerable anxiety, though "one. mjigbt hft\je. concluded that a. slight drain, from that line, {if possible)* wonjd have, . been, a relief to his mjrid, as ha says» with, Impch, truJLh and; anxiousness, that "it. would always have a hpayy drag upon it m, , the. shape, of the BimMtakajHail.". But to, ..form the last UnJ^in. pur railwiay, 'and; through a magnificent country, and so con- . ripctA with, the., metropolis, "would be, a snjicidal and, shprt-sjgtyed"* polidy,*^' and; "the. district would be completely ruined !"• Who is this greaj; oracle ?- : If w.e are, i somewhat doubtful of his. wisdom, and con,-s l elude that ha. must be. a greater, authority, on pipeclay, than, railways, surely \ip should) hearken unto, him, w,hen,'hp> expresses, an, ppinipn on the valueof land* for. is he. not. one c^ "thp.t&elye ''• wjip- acquired a splen-. did area of agricultural 1 uid : at , a price, quite satisfactory- ioi the buyers ? - Believ-. ing this, I decUhe. to, thipk that the hcin., j gsnslenran. has* inspected the country be-I tweet^the Waikanae and *M*£psnptu J>jv.er3, or. he. could not hav.e. such, a pppr ppjnip|i,q£i]b, unlessji/ideedj he.has,so,lppg;d|«ij^ip^jp. cream, of lan/ls, thpjt he. capppt npyv,- appr^cij-. ata an., acre, thaji i&; npt nptuEalJy gr^ssedy or at once, fit for. the.plough, Bpt ejipugh j! the-; Qolonpl; has : put t4&. veta^ on, thp.prorl ppsed railway. Who, shaft stapdj before, such a giant, backed as. he. is, by- East Coast, influence*?' The, scheme is nob to be dis-. posed 1 of m such an, offrhanded manner^ I but will be again and agaip, urged upon the. House by, boj;Ti Manawatu, and, Welljagton. And, thg. unfortunate settlers m the. neg-. leotedj distuNot south of the. ManftwatUj 'river,— Have they nc^claipvoi^thcK Govern-. . ment? Do not they, m, common with, the. rest of tbe. inhabitants.. of New- Zealand,, pay taxes on almost everything they eat,' drink, or put on, to tff npthing-of ta^es on. buildings, stock, arid land.; and which ofthem.is benefited, even to the extent of one,. ' shilling; by- the.mjllipns of borrowed money8p unfairly distributed- ipithp.coloriy & The. hob. and gallant offiper, hajrmg;'<i*h{iustedj hfs. arguments m, attempting- to. bring the. proposed, iink of railway; into, disfavor,, bursts, out injo, virtuous* indignation, at our,, ingratitude- for favors received, apd ex-, claims— " Besides^ the Legislature had al-. , read^ done enough, fo^thp. West* Coast bygiving them, a harboup. af Wanganui and* another at FoxtoiV.vA Bpnefipent apdj generous- Legislature ..—though, thou. art. ! oft m, the clouds wo did. npt dpeipr that -, thpse. gifts flpwedj from thee, but rather, from the rivulets, and- streams, from, the. mountains, which, make, up; the riv,ers andj 'form. the. haisbors.— l am, &c., A ■ - H.J.A. ■ y Qfakj; February 18th, 1878.