NORMANBY RAILWAY STATION AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 366, 19 October 1878, Page 2

NORMANBY RAILWAY STATION AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

{To the Editor of the Patea Mail.) Sir, — We wish to lay the following facts before the public, through your paper, in connection with the above olliees in this Township, and to make the matter intelligible to your readers, we must lay before them a short account of what has passed between the Government and ourselves from its first starling to the present time. On the 16th April, 1878, a letter was written by Mr C. E. Gibson, at the general request of the settlers, to ■Dr Lemon, the head of the Telegraph Department, stating the necessity of an office in the Township, and offering to erect one on their behalf, and also to guarantee the expenses. Dr Lemon replied, stating that a guarantee of £GO per annum would be required, also an acre of land for the site ; and should these terms be accepted the matter would be proceeded with. On the receipt of this communication, a public meeting was held on the 10th May, at which the. unanimous opinion of the meeting was; that the terms proposed were excessive, end that, a committee be appointed to apply again to the Government, mentioning that, at the high [nice land was then selling in the Township (some having then been sod at as much as T7OO the acre), the idea of the settlers giving so much as one aero was out of the question, and to see whether quarter-acre would he accepted. On the 10th June, Dr Lemon replied that, for the present, all action in the matter was deferred until the site of the railway station was determined on. So matters rested for a time, am! on the lltii April an olfe'r of 3 acres for a railway station was made by Mr Brett to the Government ; and, as the rural allotments out of which this quantity was to be taken lies at the. junction of the M.iwlnliwliiii road (leading to the Waimale Plains) and the main line of road and railway to New Plymouth, no better site could be found, and Ibis offer was accepted by the Government, should that situation be iixod on for the station. On liie 11th July, no .selection of any portion of his laud having been made, and Mr Brett wishing to have free control of his land, wrote to the Government again on the 11th July, slating that, as his offer had led to no i-coiilt, lu> whouM not consider it. hindmg after three months had expired, but, in

their reply of the 3rd August., lie was informei.!, that at any time his land con'd he taken by the Government as tin; former Oiler had been unfettered by any limitation as to time. We may state hero that .Mr Brett’s conduct met with the wannest approval by the inhabitants, and a favorable answei was confidently expected. On the 14th October, two letters were written by the committee—one to Dr Lemon and the other to the' Minister for Public Works—both urging- the imperative necessity thatexisted for a Telegraph station, pointing out the inconvenience that was daily fuff by the want of it. and expressing the unanimous wish of all, both in town ami country, that Mr Brett’s offer, which be then renewed, should be accepted. The offer was couched in the same terms as in Mr Brett’s letter of the 11th July. But a termination was put to nil these negotiations by a rumour which was first totally disbelieved, but afterwards found to be true, that (ho Government had accepted an offer by' Messrs Thompson and McGuire, of Hawera, of a sire for these offices on a block of land purchased by them some time since, and styled the “ Norman by extension.” This land lies on the Hawera side of Normanhy, and the name given it might mislead people who know nothing of the place with the idea that Normanhy was really extending in that direction, though exactly the contrary is the case, and the extension consists of one uninhabited house, while all lire Township tends towards the junction of the Mawhitiwhiti and New Plymouth road, before referred to. The action of the settlers has been open and straightforward throughout. They saw the advantage of the position offered, more - than the quantity of land wanted was willing!}* set apart, by the owner, public meetings held, and the Government appfied to, and now we find oursMves totally ignored, and our wishes set at naught. For what ? For the bom-fit of those who have no inti-vest in the p’ace, and who are simply trading on the industry, energy and capital of those who for years back, have been endeavouring to promote the welfare of the place. What is felt, by ns also as a most serious grievance, is that the Government did not even {JifnJc fit to send an to f*x> amine the proposed site, or to consult with us as to onr views and wishes, hut simply contented themselves with the opinion o f a gentleman who has been largely, emplojmd by Messrs Thomson and McGuire, and who can hardly be considered to be in such an impartial position as he should be with regard to a subject of such vital importance to ourselves. We must ask the public to decide whether the course of action that has been • pursued towards us is one which is lik'dy to produce a favourable impression in other districts, whether the treatment n j by the Government to ns, may nor bo j expected by other young .sertlonr-nfs, | whengsimilar wants may arise. The prosperity of a whole community is blighted, and labour and its results are thrown away ! liy the indifference of those whose duty i it is to protect them, and the progress of j our thriving township stopped. ■ , I

In conclusion, we may truly say, that the Government has treated this most important matter with neglect. They have shewn no readiness to meet our wants, in a way we arc-justly entitled to, but have placed ail the advantages we might have received in the hands of strangers. Chas. E. GIBSON, Chairman Nonmmby Telegraph October 17th. Committee.