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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5321, 16 April 1878, Page 2

It seems to be very generally considered that a railway from Wellington along the West Coast to Foxton or Palmerston is one of the public works which ere long must be carried out. What appear to be reliable data prove that there are ifo great' engineering difficulties to encounter, and that ,the, [line would pay, and would open up for settlement a large tract'of. level and fertile' laud. We understand' that'. Mr, Loudon,- of Foxton, waited yesterday upon the Minister of Public Works in reference to the desirability and importance of this railway as well as of further improvements at the port of Foxton, and suggested that a junction with the present line at or near Foxton would be cheaper and better than carrying it to a point further up the river. At whatever part of the existing railway the junction with the Wellington line via the West Coast is made, the great advantages of the latter work being constructed were brought under the Minister's notice. ' - Mr. Maoandrew, we are informed, expressed, himself favorable to the undertaking,: but stated what is obviously true, that the work would necessarily involve considerable expenditure, and that Government must have the sanction of Parliament before undertaking.it. The formation of this railway is a question of great importance, and we ■should like to see it again taken up, either by ■ the Wellington Chamber of Commerce or by a public meeting, or by both, and at as early date as possible, as .the next Parliamentary session is now fast approaching, and it is as .well that the matter should Come before the ' Assembly in a manured shape. This would strengthen the hands of the House, and if it were made clear that the people of the district were urgent in support of the undertaking, and that it was unquestionably demonstrated, as we believe it can be, that, the work -will be a reproductive,; one, there can bo very little doubt that it would be undertaken. The benefit to the West Coast and the capital by the formation of this line cannot be overstated.

The judgment delivered yesterday in the -Resident' Magistrate’s Court in the case of Snow v. Toohill is, we presume, sound in law, but it certainly seems rather a hard case for (die defendant, judging from the report before ns of the mailer. The facts appear to be briefly these :.A ; man employed asia butcher’s j‘ rider-out ’’ obtains leave, from his master to take'a .holiday ; ; another man, temporarily ‘fills the vacancy/ atld'whilst riding out manages to vide over a person crossing the street, knocks him down and -breaks - his leg. i'or this the master is held liable, and is mulcted in £IOO damages. The - rote* that a master' is liable for the acts of the servant seems in,our opinion a hard one in a case 1 in- which’ the former cannot be said morally to be to blame,

although technically he may be liable. In this case it is not contended that the occurrence was otherwise than accidental. There seems some discrepancy in the evidence as to whether the animal which bolted on the occasion referred to was or was not a horse given to bolting. One witnesS said that he : was addicted to'that bad practice, and another said he was not,-but on the contrary his only fault was that he would -never go- fast' enough.' The magistrate appears to have had no doubt of the rider-out being defendant’s servant at the time, and as his Worship did not consider the damages claimed (£100); excessive, judgment was given for the amount And costs. As we have said before, the judgment is legally in all probability a correct one, blit it is neverthelass in this instance, as it appears to us, a very hard one for the defendant. Everyone knows the danger of riding or driving furiously in the public streets, and we know that butchers’ boys, .and men too perhaps, are often conspicuous for this conduct, for which they ought to be punished in the interest and for the safety of the public ; but that a master, who has not morally contributed to an accident whereby damage was caused, should be made to pay for the act of another, does not seem fair or equitable.

We believe the Inspector of Nuisances has taken proceedings against some persons who are of uncleanly habits and allow nuisances to exist onj their premises. It is high time that something should be done to abolish the offensive smells that assail one in all directions. These stinks—the word is perhaps not nice, but it is expressive—have increased greatly of late since the water supply has been deficient, and anyone walking down the principal streets on a calm night has to run the gauntlet of scents that indicate a state of things calculated to causa fevers of various kinds. There is no doubt that in many instance the street drains are used for purposes for which they never were intended, and -as these large square wooden boxes are as a rule partially rilled up with road drift and other dirt, the foul matter collects and becomes a disgusting and dangerous nuisance, which is only removed by flushing, a remedy that iu the present state of our water supply cannot be obtained. A contract is in existence for removing certain offensive matter, and persons who, for the sake of economy, prefer to pollute the street drains which are only intended to carry off storm water and,surface drainage, rather than pay a small sum per month, should receive prompt notice from the Inspector of Nuisances to cease from their nastiness. This is a matter which largely affects the health of the citizens and of visitors. Strangers complain in emphatic language of the sickening effluvia by which they are annoyed when passing along our streets, and as no city in New Zealand has so many visitors as Wellington their comfort is surely a matter worthy of attention. If the Inspector would take proceedings against som: of those proprietors of large buildings who are guilty of offences against the good sanitary' condition of the city, he would be really doing his duty, and would render himself well deserving of support in carrying out his disagreeable functions. His office is not a pleasant one; it cannot be a pleasant one, for the simple reason that the only way in which he can perform his work fairly and satisfactorily is by making a house to house inspection, and by warning persons that should nuisances not be abated the occupiers of the premises would be proceeded against. If the Inspector will take a bold course and summon all offenders, he will have the credit of doing his duty, and will greatly lessen the noxious evils that render many parts of the main streets more malodorous than the outfall of a sewer in a properly drained city