OUR WAIRARAPA LETTER.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 53, 3 July 1880, Page 2

OUR WAIRARAPA LETTER.

>^, •.■■■-» • ■:• ■•■ i Obbteo^s, Jun» 3Sth, 188a ; \ Some time ago I promised to refer fa tha Masterton-Greytown portion of thf"railway, and J now propose fulfilling my promise ; at the same timff shall f»«l bound, to refer to the Q-orerament system of re--tidnchmont and the Uoj*l Commissions. The trqnk line is now finished as far as Carte}fton, wliora, as J before informed your readers, the station buildings hare' been completed. The line from Woodside to Carteston is as' h>ar r as possib]tf"diteot, and the ground almost quite level, tha distance being about six miles. v Therf has been one bridge built of er the riTerWaiohine, yhich is builtof iron, and is about 300 fept m length (over-all), and built at an enormous cost. The linr on the whole, and saying the : best; ■of "iti I can 'only say that, like the fti»yto\fn Branch line, it if. constructed only m a seoondsclass op m? feribr style ; and although this is the, case, it }s not so teca^se of any lack of assistance from that fi»t»ruityjcapwii ; as.;« 1 t wiUj here give you an idea as tp hpV tHe work has been conducted, which- wiU gire you some little idea as to the cost of constructing a paltry piece of railway, like the QreytQwtf-Cartextbn portion /of'/tlst trunk line. In.the'fl,rst place, 'l may state the fact that there: s,re no less than three men engaged^-who : are ' termed • " Engineers;"-—---to superintend . '- tb!e <; iwork. of -. Jajfing^ the. plates land ballasting six ; miles . of railway orer lejel land ! Th,e sleepejes all' laid down., the platelayer with his three assiAtaat* fo\-. low up with their. vroA, which they exacnte m a Trormanlikn manner, " and which;, does, pot require tlie serriees of that functionary with t>h e ■pint-l'T*! A p4 ' eye-glass,'^ fo.r t'aoi^gh. a natfy pj(atelayer^ > may''lb« styled, still that mean's experience is his tutor, ;and his work |s finished. B.ut as the piateliying prpooeds, so erery ' n.6w aqd aga.in th,e l^nig^t p^ the lerel and eye.-glass, emerge* from h^s -JiWJfß* tp"t, and ?: %,-•-■■ systematic, his lerel pn/'the. rail, than straightens himself up, ptiffs a ploud ( from hi's cigar, and dictates m lan- ■ guage not "gentlemanly^', something which.' the narry could hare told him long ago. j He then reiirej| his] lair.. Presently, Engineer Np.:2:arrfTesr ? ppon the scene--* boy of about frpm, 18jto 20 years^-twhp m: reality knows nothing at all of 9k* wesi of-. engineering, because of his youth. However, he comes, lerel, -m hand. .. He. steps' on to! the line, looks round, plys his level,' Md ; retires, having' accomplwhed a. feat almost j supernatural ! The audacity and conceit ef this puppet is beyond evei-y« thing ;" still I f ßu^p.a|£ hf m,»s^ b.». a man of eminent %rpttisojp,' toy ka/din. dri^C; h^i £10 pen week, B,cjt there is e-;ill one n^or^ of tie oraft Who kai tosi»perr:se the wprkrthe it th* Engineer-irs Chief ! He it is who , has charge of the work, and on his rpproachj ■it fa astonishing; with*; what alacriif ISTos. l f and ; 2 eai'«rge"|r6m their. sriug| warm; liur-— the t#nt-4-anii''preient^; themselves tp, ' tl»^ Chief. ' : ; '' Wellf the ii^drk u^^ain jins^seted^ the ph^ef, gives his Juniors soine fntftructionsj and; takes j-his'fdeparture. ■-■ rf forgp^ to mention the Chief makea h ; s • ajwi^rati'ta on the scene, on an average, about once a week ; r so, -of. r conrße, the juniors know exactly when to] expect him.) x- la far% there are, I believe, about twenty men m all engaged! on this six) miles of track, and ' these have no leis'than the" fe:ree Engi^eera to k^eo ifisni iniorder ! The idea of sccb., a tbpg is monstrous;; and s£ll our opvernment. Xetps prating '..'about retreri??^, mant, and sent out Royal- Cbmmissions'to inquire into the working of- the Civil Service.- The^e is much; neied for then* to' cotarnenc* at home first ; at all events; * had - they|done so', tHey could' eaailyTiave^ormed 1 an idea as to what was- going on m the [Railway ; Departments, ,. ./:..,./' c-s Consideijible e^oitement was rife hers: when it btcame. knowri, that our representa- ' tire, Mr. Bunny, who] we a»nt to Parliament m. the (Jrey • interest, and m wham we had implicit ia'.thP little, thinking we had! selecteia' a inaniyrhp op'dd, "or Would,'' turntraitor to'the/oause. -Bat'he'hßrdbne^^ bo, and now tslks of resigning his seat; , and! quite time he did, for he never was, or wjifl. jbe, > : >fliTimaa to repressnt.any con-j stituenuy. The people here are very sorry they ever listened to, or put any faith m, such a ni.an and his" olap-irap. But, so dotibt, it hasp-xid him we .to turn tra'tor on those.^who had m good f ci.lih scoured him.; jthe. coretea^ h^p.npr of a^ seat \n, the House. J Public meetings haje. bean hefcl s^_? ~i#i terton and Cartarton, and the question, ;i---taxation fully discus»ed •' also, to^unite 'a ' urg'flg upon the. Government the necessity. !; of proceeding with the iuvestigatipns by fre , var.'pus Comn^issions, and to urge upon them, tae necessity o* reducing the member of Ciyil ■servants, a jritai Wh'cli" the country is at *j.a jxresent t? mi i : :?eited. The taxation h squrca of giv.v^ d 'satisfaction and , grievan.ee atnonj the people' ; but, methinks, it is little ue,e talking. "Vf# have the burden to Ibaar.jand t§f Jiest' way is to bea» it cbetofully ; h$ toi n\ind it were.' bettor Government br. i 'either made i the limit £20, instec .1 of iW&j-r^aoe. i^s tp, make all contribute the' r sbs*e--ei''e?sa;h%*a limposeda1 imposed a further land fer j^ior whes, the Propeiiy Tax is . collse^j'^and tb.e X n>njtit,;de ? pf f officials' (which will of necessity liave te be engaged, to, aol^ect the i»x,"&«.) salarias paid, there will m reality not be more than one:-Half to go into the Treasury. But this would not b.o tha case, with an i^creasefl . land ; texr~- .:.—- ■-- "-^--.~r- r i~-!-.-.- .•.-—• -- -— '---sjjj I have.to report twp/death%inj(^eyto^^ durini v the past weekMa^little-bby Bad # man named James Merson, -well known, va'-f many of your readers. 'He had been ferry-? man at the Xa,ke ;for some timei and had just resigned his post, and. come to live m %^town./^^ejs^wid^ to mourn his loss." ' ;*'' , r : :■".'-. There is a markedr improvement, m the. social and moral state of the Natives of tii-s dist let. Hauhauism bas been abandoned, and; at several tlief r are reviving Christian worship/formerly abandoned forHaubauism. Their leading men take great interest Tin 'the :;proceedings£lbf iPatliamont, so far r as the, qntstions affectiii,'' tKe;r;raee is concerned, .-i-strojng objection still per-] vadcj , their ..minds ji^ainstthe Native Lands Court 8A a , means '■. acquiring land titles,; the procffss bsing^vexatiouß . and . incompre-, hexpibW tb i^hem. 1 They . have,, ca' ni an y occasions of -vSiCtings T of the Court, with-' drawn their applications for investigations through this objection; and iii anticipation. of a more, simple tribunal ibeing substituted. Mortality during the; past year has not bten m the sime- ratio 4pf : preji pus^y^aisfj t-sie ; only deaths being those, of three 'or' four old persons. . ,i[ery feyr . cases JNatiyes avaU themsslyes of tbe idvaatage! of having th«ir' children taught at tae ' pjiblip sphppls ; m fact, mostpf aj'p«M ; en,tirelj ; indifferent on the "subject, (fhe bmldreninay be seen running about m quite a wildconditiop. The Native ,m,ind appears to be, occupied •. principally -by 7 land' 'a^putOTl andsocial questions, which they inquire into and i decide' at ■ meetings- held' periodically. '■ Tbje meetings are styled committees, whose decisu>ns^ are invariably,^ accepted, and., the^ fines, "itnppsed "are $*\&^ *? ,^w *WST?5 r 'l4> perspnsT;""' 'a y coiiinit^b. de.cidea' agjiinst-a-man- for eloping J with* anotnef m^n's wife,- and ''fined him £sp, w.hioh wasy at OHce paid by cheque to the'ihjur'edl'Husband, the wife forfeiting also her horses to him. After hwring disbursed the liability under this dictum, they departed, and now Hto tojetliei m m»» md wxf », wd wo r*

cognised, as such, tha former liusband being qufte/saii^fied withrtlje arrangement, I«* stances of similar acts the committee ar#~ pf frequent oocurr#ncer t ' : . , jhe first . number of the JToirarapa Valley Weekly Guardian has made its apt pearahce, and is a very neat and well-corn« piled; journal, of eightipages, which are well filled, with carefully; selected matter ; but I Question very much /whether it can live. One thing is certain,- that either it or tha Wairarqpa Daily must succumb. Still, j^ wish them well. "''