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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 41, 12 February 1876, Page 4

« .'. 'U 'JL' _- ' '.J.JJLJ'fJ.'JBI A correspondent of the G. JR. Argus writes as follows regarding an excursion trip on Boxing Day on the New Plymouth and "Waitara railway : —lt was most amusing to watch the crowd that thronged the railway platform endeavoring to obtain access to the carriages • children (squealing, women fainting, men elbowing, and boys howling. Thero was not sufficient cars to hold them all, so open trucks were attached, into which men, women, and children, umbrellas and dogs, were poured in and jammed like sheep, two locomotives were hitched on, and away we started after two or three preparatory shrieks. The railway station faces the roadstead just at the entrance of the town, and the line runs through the heart of the city, crossing the main thoroughfare en

route for the Waitara. Picture to yourself then our train, the interior of each car loaded with wotneii and childreu ; the male portion clinging outside to the 'guards or any other available space that offered itself ; no less than 600 of. ua borne hurriedly through the streets, waving frantic farewells to crowds pf onlookers as if we never expected tb ! see f them again. But man proposes and God disposes* The first steep gradient proved too much, in spite of the throbbing efforts of our two engines; before reaching the summit we were compelled to stop, and, what was worse still, a retrograde movement became necessary. Again we rushed through the town, this time backwards, greeted by our friends with jeers and derisive laughter, right to the station. The next effort, however, proved more successful ; our steam being now well up, we rushed through the town once more with great velocity, and surmounted that incline. Again, another grade would have proved too much had. not one of the stokers, with remarkable presence of mind, clambered on to the engine and sat on the safety-valve — rather a burlesque by-the-bye on our spublic works policy. Mr Ivess, the late candidate for the Egmont seat, threatend an action for libel against Mr John Ballance, the proprietor of the Wanganui Herald, for some statements published fin fhe latter journal during the election. In the present case, the ground of action, in our view, is insufficient. The Herald published the statement " that Mr Ivess was the nominal proprietor of the Patea Mail,'* and Mr Ivess thinks that to say a man is " nominal proprietor " of his own property is libellous- Tbis is straining things overmuch. Mr Ballance lives in an atmosphere of libels, writs, apologies, compromises, and payment of damages with costs; but it is ali nonsense to say that he has been guilty of libel in the present case. — Post.