OUR WAIRARAPA LETTER.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 49, 19 June 1880, Page 2

OUR WAIRARAPA LETTER.

Gukttown, June,l3.th, 1880. The weather has been fine here for some days, and. t'ie roads, which were in a very bad state, l\ave mended nicely, but I am afraid th^'good n; oather,sp,ell is nowbroieni as a heavy S.E. rain is beginning to set in, wh;ch wil\ undo that vrhich the flue w.eather has do.na. The effect of wes :^f»a>hei; on the clay platform of the Greytown Railway^ Station is horrible. The Government haying* left it quite unfinished, timber waggons and loaded drays and traps are continually being beset }n attempting'tp get up. to th« good«-shed. Your, readers may easily ima(rina what it will be like when I state that through engineering blunders.; the; station and surroundinjjs haye had to be raised ahoufc.seven feet^ and this 'with :alluvial •oil; then think of a continuance of wet weather^ and a deal of heavy traffic on it, and 1' in imagination, you will behold .the beautiful state of/Qua railway station; Numerous requisitions and petitions hav^e b f een presented totlie Minister^for Pab^ Works, praying that an alteration mijght be made, • but all without avail, an^ now TyeJ can submit ourselves to our fate. . : . .; The plate-laying on the Greytown-Mas-tertown Railway is now finished at far as Carterton, and the ballasting is being proceided with, so that it is now expected' the line will be opened for traffic to Carterton in .a.very short time, the station buildings both- at Oarterton »nd- Masfcerbon, being finished. . ■■■•'•'■ ' i I have just .returned. from,F«athersfcon, 1 and it certainly it with regret I have to speak so disparagingly, bi^fctha complaints from; all quarter* is. really dishaartening. In business circles there is littj* or .nothing' doing, as nearly »U'cbuhtry people can now take the> train into T^ellingtod, .and' there purchasei their. ' necessaries ii bialk • "and; which,.by their, so. doing, depiriyes the local storekeeper of his trade, and at the same,, it is" a matter of importance r to the pur-' chaiers, because they can effect a Mving of about.2o.per cent. There can belittle hope for Featherston in the future, anj matters look very dark for it just now. ' , I" hafe to repert a~decided improvement in the .working of the-Gjreytown. Council. His Worship," since" reading "your, correspondent's letter on his sleepy habits, i» .beginning to wake up--as frbm a peaceful and" happy slumber —to. the* fact that if he wishes to hold the position he so much [prizesj he must be- up and doing, accordingly he has censured iom,a o^ his more rqdb qoi\ncillori' on their conduct during that little sleep of his} arid now. he says they must be good hoys, and not that vicious vriter, and; the. jPrew generally, to 1 criticise -them so cruelly ; that they must alvrays rise a^ad^dress, th ] e. }Ch^amwith 'hats :t>Sj; an,d'pnly one 'i^eak a^ a time—:"for,' said , to«,^:" t wsao/aIV fchK f"-. &.* Standing. Orders, whjch%% -have b>en studying with all the ardoßof a zealous, anjd good councillor. Now, inay.; boys,follow"in. n\y footsteps: be wise and good men, at. they Trill be at us again T x B,ut pity on him !• fo^ one ofjhis most trusted and f&ithfnl councilior* has! flown, —where, do n,ot know; bv\t he has gone! and now we. have, to go to the trouble, of electing another (good and wise) man to fill; the, vacancy^ ■ But the question has now arisen, where are we Iq. find a man of equal qualifications to. those who com-. pose our Borough ' Council?.; Several very knowing mea are.spoken of j and, doubtless, at. least two, will be nominated next week. Then we shall see who is to be the h^appy possessor. ;of! the mwcA-desired -seat in pur. Cou,ncil, I hope they don't elect me,' b,ut J'm afraid they will. ~ " / - " The ali-ajbsorbing political question, in the Wairarapja is.; the almost universally con^ demned Property Tax j in fact, I think it' is thf only question which at-all disturbs the. peaceful minds, of our friends. It has been-proposed —but whether it will be carried into effect, I cannot say—to hold a public meeting, and . altogether." denounce the Tax uuder its present aspect.. The, question is a knotty one, and I ff.il to see how it is to be successfully oa.rriedou,ti unless, it be very in_uch modified. My own opinion -is (certainly, its not worth much) that the Tax should be levied upon one. and all, gr«afcand small, for by /so doing -allwould contribute in proportion to. their, holding, if-' it \?ere only to the eacttnt of £20.-, We have'" to face the difficulty; then let -us; all take our. 1 share. . There is no getting out of it, and I contend thus:. that-if the Tax_ were laid upon all, as I have, stated, thei amount annually realised would bp so tapv.-: molts as to be sufficient to pat the colony uppa a sound basis within a period of aboi't three ytars at' most; an,d then the bu,rden could be thrown off. But, on the. other hand, it vr'ill; hist longery and; will always be a source pfigreat dissatisfaction to the taxpayer. In reality, we should havelhad; rip Property Tax, but an, increased Land Tax, which v^ouhl'have tended to the.same thing in the end, without going first to thtexpense; of imposing the Property Tax, and then the humbug and expense of collecting, it; fer it wiii of necessity cause a tremendous addition to the Government; official staff-, which is at the present time large, enough to conduct all the business ofc Europe, provided they were made to workj and not idle. tjim» in the manner our/over 200 clerks and' ofiiciahi do at pr«sen.t in, . ' ?'