New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5017, 23 April 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1877.

The Editor of this paper haa received a a note marked “private.” It is of such a nature that, whilst perfectly willing to observe privacy as to the name of the writer, wo cannot in justice withhold publicity to the nature of the communication itself. It is pretty well known to our readers that an active discussion is going on in the Wairarapa as to whether the railway shall be carried close to Grey town or a distance away from there. People are found to advocate the one route or the other, and it lias seemed to us have had a fair right to have their opinions published. Accordingly tho columns of the New- Zealand Times have been freely open to tho partisans of either side, and as yet avo have not ourselves given an opinion either way. Some Grey town people may, of course, think that tho man who supported tho carrying of tho railway lino at a distance could be no better than a highwayman ; but ns there are two sides to every question, wo ourselves, whilst not prepared to prove that tho railway might, w-ithout danger to its permanence, be taken close to Greytown, should be sorry indeed to burke tho discussion of the question at issue, and to prevent those who think that a great engineering mistake would be made, and an interminable expense to the colony be caused, by running tho lino in the neighborhood of Greytown, from putting their views before tho public. And wo are confident that tho matter in dispute will be much more fairly- settled by this means than by hurling all sorts of abuse at those who are opposed to tho Greytownites, and preventing anything being said except that which may please the people of Greytown. But it would appear that this just procedure of ours is displeasing to certain gentlemen who would have us, in vulgar language, “go the whole hog ” in favor of Greytown, and close our columns to anything but what would be a sw-eet savor in their nostrils. For we are in receipt of the letter marked “private,” which avo have already mentioned, which is dated from Greytown, and says;—“Dear sir, — I fancy you are doing the New- Zealand Times harm by certain letters from a well-known individual at Carterton, pitching into Greytown. Mr. , who has much influence hero, is advising everybody to discontinue taking your paper on account of the unfairness of the attacks made. I give you this information for what it is worth. If you know your correspondent’s character as well as I do, you would bo careful before you would let him use tho Times to gratify his own private ends. I should be sorry to see your paper lose what little circulation it has in this neighborhood, as it is certainly the one which is most worthy of support of the three Wellington papers.” Now, wo may say at once that we are not to be intimidated by letters like the above, Avhich, under the disguise of a thin desire for the welfare of the New Zealand Times, in the meanest manner attacks the character of our correspondents, and endeavors to force ns to adopt certain opinions from tho basest of all motives, the desire of a little temporary gain. It would be invading tho privacy which we arc willing to concede to tho name of the writer, or wo could show that no small spice of trade jealousy influenced his pleasant statement that ho should be sorry to see the New Zealand Times lose what little circulation it has in the noighboihoocl of Greytown. At the same time, we are quite ready to thank him for his opinions of the merits of this paper. As to the matter of circulation wo leave boasting in that respect to papers which feed upon boasting. It is sufficient for us to say that our agents and publisher’s books show us a circulation in the Wairarapa of tho New Zealand Times so numerous that wo trust it is exceeded by the local papers, whose prosperity does not affect ns, and is cordially hoped for by tho New Zealand Times. Nor do the evidences above quoted show that our fairness in reference to tho Wairarapa railway dispute has in the least injured us from a commercial point of view. However, even if it did so, that should not cause us to swerve from a just course, and would have as little effect upon the New Zealand Times as the letter we have just quoted.