The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1878.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 95, 7 September 1878, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1878.

Wjb. ar^e pleased to have; to. state tliat the difficulty raboutlthe Terrace • End .platform is at Vast at an end, the matter.' having! been settled m a manner which' is -satisfactory ' ito the'; ..residents, 'and "creditable to the Public Works Depart;ment. lOn Friday morning ' lAx ', j . T. .STEWiKT, the ; District Engineer, accompauiediby his Worsliip the Mayob, and Councillor Linto2»% and a representative of. this "paper, yi.siled.! the sites for- both timber and passenger platforms. With Tegard to the former, .situated at-NjEEs's Shunt; Mr Stewaut agreeel ,to the suggestion to liave thorond widened for a certain distance, the. sJiuiit lengthened, the drain covered over, and cattle yards; close by the .'road erected. After thosematters had been settled, the rival sites for a passenger platform, wcro next inspected. With regard to that proposed by ? ;thc -'Government, the only recommendation which could bo urged upon its behalf, was that being close to the timber shuhij the one stoppage would do to, take up .passengers and goods., This object hpweter, will soon, be nullified by .-the running oE luggage trains, thereby obviating .the necessity of passenger trains stppping at the shunt at all. -liil addition to this we Avei'e informed by Mr Stewart that as Mr Koth^ram,- the General Manager, had issued instructions to the various station-masters to only charge mileage from tlio platforms rat which passengers get on, the liailway. authorities were qui'-.e agreeable to have, the station at a centre 6f the population", at' ifilisroy.strcet. The -matter, therefore,, is now delSnitely settied. and at rest— and wo ljaV:p to congratulate thb residents of ievraeel End, upon having at last ob-tained-their very/ reasonable demand, even though. . thp.;. struggle lifts been a protracted and Seteriiiiaed * one. Tho next matter'ii^bh - which some decided $ teps will: hate to- be .taken,': will ; be |he removal of tho goods sheds. Taking the acknowledgment, as contained m the letter.o.fvMr UcicKETT, the Engineer of; the jS'ortli island, that the road is the propeHy ofthe Obryoratjon, while the: obstructing building belongs to the Government, , we fail,to see^ that he can dare refuse to order its removal. When the line was originally constructedi a site opposite the present station -was laid down on the plan for a goods shed, and ,becansei^t-he^peQ.plp/;pf/i*airaerßton. were of ft.cdmpliaiit nature, the oldtram..wayibiiilding was utilised, the plan was hvyer-'perFe'cted', and the site remains "unoccupied to this day. The money whi^h/ w.as let va part If or tli^e work was/ we presuiue| apphed to use elsewherc'j and Palraerston has been left with acr commodation for which a counterpart could not be found m the whole Island. We are pleased to see that the Borough Co unci 1 lias ta ken ac t iou i n ".the; n ia t ler, and expressed: a' deterinination. to push their rigljis -to the lnstv extremity . I When a public body— haying right upon its side— is; bearded m the manner cxJubited by .Mr J3tiAcki3Tf's coiunjuniea- | tion, it is fcjitie: stops should be taken to [assert its dignity anil independeiice., i'roin the "tone oE the lettei&nYar ded to the Mayor by the Engjneer, 'one would be led to the supposition that m Mr Blackett's opiniou his dictum is final ; and being so, lib takes no trouble to_* couch his reply : m either respectful ■ or, courteous language. -Ko doubt;. the Mayor caii afford to pass by with j contempt the covert sneer by the official at the suggestions -which were forwarded by him ; but neither he nor his brother .Councillors are inclined-- to take Mr ?Islackett's ukase as final. There is I such a thi n gas taki n g the mat te r before a superior I rtbuual, and elevated as Mr J3r,ACKETT'B' position may be m the opinion of { or. .^lackett, luckily he is not an irrespVm'sible o{tioeiv-and thei'e is a head to fwhom he must account for his inconsisteiieies. llow he will justify his aciioiv while ad uniting, that I he road beltings to the town, and the shed to the Government , we leave to his ingenuity, an exercise for, which .will no doubt ue "ranted .him before long. :

If ever a case qf ; ,M confufion worse contotmded," has been exhibited, it has been shown by the way things have been managed with regard to the Foxton Local Board. In the fir.4 instance I lie Cowmissiouevs held office for a period

far beyond the time they were legally entitled. This was merely an error, to reptify. which, the Government m order to legalise the .proceedings of the Board b?t^ee'h. i he time at which their functions .ceased and the discovery of the mistake, ante-dated the " Gazette " notices.. So far so good; by that act all. was m,ade correct and proper,- but commissioners had some scruple ;against holding office longer upon such a questionable tenure, and consequently from a certain sense of honor, they resigned m glo bo*. We believe the Eeturn-ing-officer did not mention the fact m ordering the election that the vacancies were extraordinary ones ; but whether such be the case or not, is a matter of very little moment. TVe will take it for granted that the gazetting of the names condoned <my breach which might h aro been committed, and if that be a fact the five gentlemen were the legally appointed. representatives to the Board. Now we ask, supposing one of the five had been called to another part of Colony to reside, would he not have to resign his position, or oven supposing he got tired of public life, who or what could prevent him from surrendering his trust?- JSTo one or nothing ! Then what one conld do, five could do, and have done. Again, supposing the five gentlemen who resigned voluntarily determined not to put up again, and five different persons were elected, we ask how* _ could Mr Coopeb declare the election null and void, the new men unelected, or the old ones still m possession of t heir seats ? But as if to further show the absurdity of the whole transaction, we have Mr Qnxr, who Mr Cooper declares is still a member, a second time acting m the same manner as by inference ho was told ho could not do, and m defiance of the Under-Secretary's ruling, the Returning officer proclaiming a vacancy. This is consistency with a vengeance. Mr GnAY, with others, surrenders his trust, the Government throught its officers, say it will not received it ; and Mr Gbay a second time resigns, and steps are taken to elect a successor. When the old Board resigned it mattered not who were elected m their place; and the fact that Messrs. Liddell, White, Cook, and Loudon, held-oifice before, had nothing .whatever to do m the matter. If Dr. Uockstrow. who was elected at the same time, is not entil led to sit at the Board, then decidedly, the four others who were chosen •with him are equally ineligible. We consider m nullifying the last election, the Government have committed a grave mistake; but if. not, then Mr ThVnjse is perpetrating the blunder, to allow Mr Goat a privilege not accorded to the other member ?.