REGISTER!. REGISTER!

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 298, 23 February 1878, Page 2

REGISTER!. REGISTER!

(To the Editor of the Patea Mail.) Slit,- —In view of the rapidly approaching time when for another year.it will be impossible for non-registered electors to have their names placed on the Registration Roll, a few words of caution may not be misplaced. ’ Settlers about’ here' are’ too much given to neglect their duty in this*

matter, forgetting that good representation means the advancement of the district, and the latter means substantial benefit to each unit of the population. Taking into consideration the present equally balanced state of parties in the House, it is more than probable that, at the , next session, a condition of absolute political chaos will supervene—the only remedy for which will be a dissolution; A general election would be the result, when, I am sure, many would regret having allowed the 31st March to pass by unheeded. In the event of the present' Government" remaining in office, they are pledged to a readjustment of the representation, in which case, this (Jouiity would probaoly obtain a representative of its o\Vn. This. alone makes it exceptionally advisable for every elector’s name to be on the Roll, as. the want of one vote might lose us a good man, and put in a dummy or worse. One difficulty I see, which I do not know how to get over : it is that the electors have no guarantee that, when they have forwarded the papers properly executed, their names will be placed on the 8011. I have known instances occur, where men thought their names were on the Roll, till undeceived by an election. I say that at least a large section of the community neglect their own interest and the interests of others in these matters. I remember once when a meeting was called at Waverley, to discuss the question of railway progress up this coast, only about a dozen settlers attended—the reason being, that on that night there was a dance at one of the .settler’s houses. Again, look at the late nomination for the Harbor Board. No one cared to come forward, or troubled themselves to ask any bbdy else to do so. There will be a large surplus of grain for export this year ; would not a railway or a convenient harbor be a great boon? Would it nbt mean many a pound in our pockets? Until the mass of the people stir themselves and press their claims, no railway trains will run up this coast. It is ■ notorious that the Wanganui people do not want to see a railway running from Taranaki to Wellington, lest they should be left out in the cold. Doubtless also they would prefer that our Harbor was left in its native state. If the desire was the other way, it is probable that our members would have done something in the matter, instead of devoting all their energies to the Wanganui Harbour and Local Option Bills—botli good in their way —but we up here, want something more. Still, I can hardly blame them, for the people have been blind to their own interests, in allowing themselves to drift with the stream, at the mercy of every eddy, instead of “ paddling their own canoe,” or in other words, standing up for their own interests, and pressing their claims, till the recognition of these claims became an accomplished fact.—l am, &c., JOHN W. KENAII. Waverley, 19th February, 1878.