THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 1880. CRAB-LIKE PROGRESSION.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 69, 8 September 1880, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 1880. CRAB-LIKE PROGRESSION.

" Words Ma' thing*, and a drop of iak falling like dew upon a thought. yreduc«i thut wkioh makes thousaa^f 1 periiapu Millions thmk." r }

It may be 1 reiedilected that \ some two 1 months' ago; iii ? bur : l6adingi columns, we made a statement that .the -Go-; nrfipnmen^hadiit-in contemplation to Revert; back; to tb^e. old }^>rder p£ a tri-%eekly^ni^il to. Wellington , The step,. jfas. bo supremely (ludicrous, -jfjliat l although we had it from' a source which was beyond dispute, Cbut^ewtwho put any faith .m its correctness. All doubts are, now set aside by the publishing of -an? advertisement' calling for tenders, am'dngst' other serviqes ? of the carriage of the mails "between Wellington' and't^Foxtbn. ; It is true that the proposed alteration does not take : place until the commenceanent oi next Tear-^-that is, if it be accepted Jatall-ri-but/ as straws jße;r7e ; tQ r show which way the wind blows, tHe very mention: of such a proposal will gi^e^the^peopTe of this Coast an idea of what^ they^areto expect from • the- preSent G-overn-iiient,^ It may possibly appear strange that -with a meniber for. xthe Ooast^'in the MinTstry that such an would "be cojitetnplated :fpr " a^^m^nj^ j^Qji lef^t witb^ut, tri- \y^ekTy T r poß;tai' communi- T Ration with the Capital. r Those who feel such surprise' or 'wonder at the proeeediiigj appear to forget that there is.alßO water pommuni cation between the two ports, and m fa^et . the ar^ rangement 'wduld be jpst playing into the hands of the Wanganuites, who wish to develop their harbor, and the ; fact of having a regular mail service running would be a iwtfm m ite w% wA % %tcp \% teat?

direction. It is well known that m the matter of the West. Coast Bailway the sympathies of the people of Wanganui are — if we may use "the expression —decidedly aatagonistic, aud all the influence which they could bring, both iv the House and out of it, would "be to retard, if not altogether defeat, the movement. N"or can they be blamed for such a feeling.""" Communities as well as individuals '-. are essentially selfish, aud providing that they progress, they care but little'at whose expense that progression is made. At the present time all the Wellington c'raffic north of the Rah2;itikei River ia shipped from Wanganui, but once through communication with rail be opened with the Capital, every ton of loading south of the Wangaehu will be forwarded m that manner. It will be seen, then, that the County of Wanganui has but little m common with either Eaugitikei or Manawatu, and that it is to the interests of each that both should pull together, at all events m the matters of "postal and railway communication. When we announced the contemplated change by the Government, the accuracy of the information was somewhat doubted. Time has now proved that we were right. We now assert that iv order to, have but' a tri-weekly mail to Foxton, and still give a daily inland mail to Palmerston and all the towns lying north to Wanganui, it is further contemplated to run a tri-weekly mail between Masterton and Palmerston, and so arrange the days that the mails" and passengers would ,be delivered here upon the off days 1 of the Poxton ; contract Private tenders were called for some months ago, and the contractor.' who was asked for an estimate then informed the Government that m three months from that time he would be. prepared to receive mails and passengers at the "last stage of the Eeatherston railway, and by driving all night, and not stopping at.Ekatahuna, laud them m Palmerston next morning m time to the morning train irom Epxton> By that arraflgemeut Palirierstori and the towns all along to Wanjganui would be as well, if not better, served than hitherto, but our Poxton friends would be left out m the cold.; We would have no objection to the triweekly mail via Masterton, but on principle we do most strongly object to the retrogressive stdp involved m abandoning half the service to Puxton. We take some credit to ourselves for our persistent and determined advocacy of a daily mail m the past; -and certaiuly all the! arguments and statistics which coiild be and were produced might be used with double force now. It was said that m the first place neither Mr. •MiCA-BA. nor any other contractor could perform the service with a degree of punctuality which would be of the slightest value to thje community ; and further, that even if he did, it could not be done without either a very heavy expense, to the country, or a loss to the tenderers. It is perfectly needless for us to say one word aB to the manner m which the contract has been adhered to by Messrs. Hastwelli and Macaka. Wet >or dry, flood or freshet, the coach caught the Foxton train with- a regularity which was truly wonderful ; and "unless upon, one or two occasions when there were slips near Wellington or injury to the riv«r punts, the mail was delivered. to.. the minute. With regard to the second, we have heard from Mr. Macara's own lips that although^ he^ made nothing great out out of ; the contracty still' he'was not dissatisfied, but having incurred ha, deal of expense by the erection of extra stages^ he naturally looked to the future ito be m some way recouped for his outlay. To revert back to the old order) of things would, therefore; be not onlyia breach .of faith .with the contractor, but a grpsjs injustice to the people ef the southern part of tKe Coast, who have naturally been expecting increased .postal -.•' and other . progressive advantages, not a return- to the darkness of the past.< :