THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1879. A FRUITLESS MISSION.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 35, 12 March 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1879. A FRUITLESS MISSION.

" AVords «re tiling, and a Urop ot wk falling Jike dew upon a thought, produces t!;:it which makes thousands, perhaps millions think."

There is an old saying, to the effect that " every thine: is fair m love and war ;" and as we presume it is to be •' war to the knife" between the Upper and Lower Manawatu over the Railway question, the members of the Clique seem determined to push the privilege to the very utmost. Mr. HTe.vry Sanson, the chosen «»f Oroua m the County Council is a perfect Colonial Maciiiavkli, whose busy brain is eternally weaving plots to circumvent his guileless neighbors of the Upper District, and Air. John Gowbii is his Pidus Achates. Mr. Sansox— like the parrot of old — though not much on the talk, is a perfect wonder to think, and plot, and plan. Mr. John* Gower, on the contrary, while powerful on the stump, has but seldom ventured to judge tor himself, and even then was but 100 willing to defer to the mastermind of • • .<-u---_<v v -.J..J.1 .;» ;.,. ♦.!.. ,!-... +U. W ..W.:r.---linked their fortunes together, and Mr, Go wait is satisfied to art as Boswbll to Mr. Sansox's Johxson- A short while ago, this conscientious couple, well knowing that their side had a majority m the County Council, — although that majority actually represented a minority of the population and wealth of the County — determined to force an expression of opinion from the Council upon the rival routes. But "the best laid schemes of men and mice aft gang aglee," one of the team kicked over the traces, and all was last. Baulked m their design to interview the Minister as the mouthpiece of the majo-ity of the Council, they were still determined to keep on the scent, and like bloocUmunds resolved to hunt m couples. From the Post we take the following result of their mission to Wellington : — Messrs. Sanson.and (3-ower, of the Manawatu County Council, wore m town fco-dity, and availed themselves of the opportunity to interview the Hon Mr- Macandraw upon the question of the We.^t Coast; Railway. They urged the terminus should be at Foxton, instead of Palraerston, pointing out that if tuts route were adopted, Wellington would lie dire-itly connected with tb,o country beyond, by the Sarulon and Carnarvon Railway, which is f,o be uonstruvtoil under the District 'Railway A-fe. If Foxtail were chosen, fcho line would be shortened by some 20 mile*, and the present line from Foxton to P:ilmer?ton, on the other side of t'le G-orge, would connect with Palmeraton by a route only a few miles longer th'iji if the line were fc.',ken direct. On the other hand, if Polmerston were chosen as a terminus, the prxluce of Foxtoa ani the district heyond would liave to senrf ovar 50 or <30 miles further to reach Wellington, causing delay and much more, expense m the carriage of goorls and passenger*. Mr Maeandrew promised to consider the facts placed before him, and to allow due weight, advanced. The Government would not. finally decide upon the terminus until the fullest information was before them. Mark the guileless man nor m which the "Embassy is alluded to — .'< Mr. Sanson and Gower, of the Jkanawaiu County Council, were m town ta-day f arid availed themselves of thn appprtuiiity to interview," &c, &c, Of 'oojar.se, it. was purely by accident that bofth were m the Capital at the same tirim, and the vis|t to the ft.fini.ster was wholly uiipreeoncerted. ■. However, whether it was or was not is no oon.covn of- ours ; but their status, when e'eputationisinjj Mr. Maoanurrw, is $ matter which d«j>es very materially concern us, concernxj the district, and concerns the County Council. Of course, these gentleni'ii ljiai'e a perfect; rig'it to place t.'icir viiiw>i before any member of the Cabinet w!n> will havi> patience to listen si.i I.liem.so lorui as they <lo so as pinvato settlers ; but when their official position n< Ci>uul.y OouuiM.H'..irs is hawked m, We cnior a strong protest against the procedure, and declare their conduct an unwarrantable piece of presumption, far whit h r.lv* Council sUuuld take them soundly to (ask. That body meets today, and one of its first sicps should be to ignore the nction of its two members, an,d 'iuforivi the Minister und (he public l.Uflt the Onvity Council h.ad \\n sympathy vvitu .Messrs. Sanson and (-J-owEtt m their unauthorised jurtion. We pn idiot it will h,? ssi'fl Unit t hoy inki-r-viewed I" l\e Minister iv, their private (vipucity, but ii ! *<>, we a^lc why was it that', an air •>f official iftiportancie was yiTren to the .neoti.^- 'of m?ati;?nins t-hat they -.-<nt3

both of the County Council ? However, whether they were guilty of a design to mislead or not, there can be no doubt the extracted paragraph is calculated to leave people to suppose that they wert> chosen by the Manawatu County Council to represent it. This we emphatically deny, and it is also necessary that it be officially contradicted at the sitting of the Council. And now having dealt with this self -constituted deputation, let us briefly deal with one or two of the arguments used. It was asserted that if Palmerston were chosen as a terminus the produce of Foxton and the district beyond would have to be sent over fifty or sixty miles further to reach Wellington. The official mouthpiece of their party — the Foxton paper — ridiculed the idea of the Horowhenua people, with a railway to their doors, and twelve miles nearer Wellington, sending their produce on by rail. No, it was urged it would be preposterous to do so, when by returning some ten or twelve miles to Foxton it could be despatched by water. In the face of that declaration, we have Messrs. Sanson and Go web actually ignoring the Port of Foxton altogether, and arguing that so necessary is the railway for the transit of produce that, although they have the Port at their very doors, it would be necessary to send traffic fifty miles of a round m order to reach Wellington by rail. How is the Port of Foxton to be utilised? We wonder how the people of that town like the prospective picture drawn by thoir ambassadors, and relish the benefit to be done to their shipping by the future shadowed forth by this braoe of of logicians ? Supposing that the District Railway be constructed —which wo sincerely hope will be the case — how would Foxton be benefitted ? The produce of Bulls, and Sandon, and Carnarvon, and the ot'aer townships which are springing up, would all pour their produce into it to swell its shipping and swell its commercial importance. Suppose, again, that the line, instead of stopping there, continued on to Wellington, what would be the result? Why, exactly what Messrs. Gower and Sanson have acknowledged. The railway would be supreme, and Foxton as a vort would be a thing of the past. Think on it, Foxtonians ; and think of the fate of Geelong, which occupied exactly a similar position with regard to Melbourne. Old Victorians will remember how the citizens of the Pivot — as Geelong was then styled — fought and fumed, and entreated and intrigued, to have the line from Melbourne to touch at their town and continue to Ballarat. They gained their point, and sadly have they rued their success. i From that hour their port, once destined to be the Liverpool of Australia, much nearer the Heads, and with natural advantages far beyond that of Melbourne, was actually and positively deserted, while the town which formerly had been the maritime port of the Western District became a wayside station, furnishing a cup of coffee to the passengers. li ever it be the misfortune of Foxton to gain its point, this will be its fate. We wonder how its residents can be blind to their own interests, or fail to see through the scia»>li U *. a <> *>C tU\Av. nuppoooA -friends, when it is clear that they are actuated by personal considerations, and by thoie alone.