Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5366, 8 June 1878, Page 2

The Pahautanui settlers have a grievance against the Government. They havener some time,urged upon the authorities their claims to have a telegraph station l in the locality. The wire runs through the township, but there is no station between Wellington and.Otaki, a distance of 53 miles. , The actual nearest telegraph station to Pahautanui is at the. Lower Hutt, 12 miles distant, on the Wairarapa line ; but the road , being little [ better than a bush track, the nearest station is practically Wellington, 20‘ miles from Pahautanui. The, matter was brought before the Hutt County Council at the last meeting, and will probably be mentioned again when that body meets on Tuesday next., In, reply to a communication from the secretary of the Board, the General Manager sf the Telegraphic Department has [ replied as follows : —“New, Zealand Telegraphs, Head Office, Wellington, 26th April, .1878.—Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 4th inst., and in .reply beg to inform you that the establishment of a station at Pahautanui can only be effected upon the following: conditions ;—l. ‘That a guarantee indemnifying the department against loss to an amount not exceeding £6O per annum in any one year be given by six responsible settlers.' 2. ‘ That such guarantee remain in force for, five years.’ I 3. ‘ That the settlers convey to the. Queen, as a free gift, a site upon which to erect a station, also two acres of. land within one-quarter of a; mile from the office site.' As the terms men-, tioned in paragraph 3 may appear stringent, it should be mentioned that a station at Pahautanui can .only be, used as a lineman’s • station, and thus a smaller area of ground than that mentioned would be useless to the department. Should the terms set forth meet with the approval of the settlers, may I request you to be good enough to forward me the names of six responsible gentlemen who will be willing to ■ become guarantors,, upon receipt of which, and an assurance as to the conveyance of the land, steps will be taken towards the, establishment of the station. I have, &c., C. XjEilOK, General Manager.” The settlers,we understand, are willing’to comply with clauses 1 and 2, but consider the conditions of clause 3 altogether too hard. If we are correctly informed, they are willing to lease a site, for a station , on. reasonable terms, or to exchange land with the Government, but to make. a free gift of. a site, and two acres of land in addition, within a quarter of a mile of the station—land being valued _at Pahautanui-at: about £3 per foot, and having been sold , lately at that , figure—the landowners at Pahautanui decidedly object, and apparently not without reason. They also do hot see the force of . the . statement that “ a station at Pahautanui: can only’be used as a lineman’s station.” Their opinion is that a telegraph station in ■ the ’ township could be combined with the post office, and that one officer could discharge the duties of both departments. This is . one of the oldest settled places in the .-.provincial district -of ;Welliugtou, and is by no means the: least progres-. give. 1 Perhaps, - on : a reconsideration of the matter, the authorities may be disposed to arrive at less arbitrary terms with the settlers, who do not ask the Government to do everything in the’matter; - -