The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1879.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 459, 17 September 1879, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1879.

Now that the excitement of the General Election is over, and members are on the eve of proceeding' to Wellington, to prove what the result has been, constituents will, no doubt, give their representatives a hint as to what they want done. As no constituency wants more done than the Egmont, a reminder may not be out of place at the present moment. It may be objected that wo harp on one string too much, but wo have never known persistency in demanding rights to do any great harm, nor have wo known modesty in politics to do much good. We submit willingly to bo a paper “ with a grievance,” if wo can in the least degree improve our chance of becoming a paper without a grievance. If the electors will make unmistakable representations to our member, they will no doubt influence his action—and his action is quite certain to have influence in the House, whether ho is in Opposition, or on the Government benches.

The Egmont District is peculiarly situated, and has peculiar wants. It is long and narrow, and therefore requires more main road and railway, in proportion to its present settled area, than pei haps any other district in the colony, excepting the west coast of the South Island. This is the reason why our Mountain Road and our railway hang firo year after year. The Government, less anxious to dispose of the public money to the best advantage, than to prevent the outcry of large and selfish constituencies, throw a scrap of each successive loan to this district. That Bmrp is suuu uuu ucs uupruductive from year to year, while other scraps are expended and cease to bo available for any useful purpose. By the time the railway line is completed through this district, it will have been from eight to ten years in progress, and the original cost of the work will bo enormously augmented by interest paid upon its cost during its incomplete state. The North Island railways during lastyear paid, besides working expenses, per cent, on the cost of construction, while the South Island linos paid 3 percent. A glance at a Public Works map will explain the difference. In the North we discover a lot of short black lines—these are fragmentary railways ; in the South we observe that nine-tenths of the black lines are in one connected whole. It is, therefore, obviously to the interest of the colony to complete our line, and complete the fragments that already exist. Were this done, the reproach of being a long and narrow district would soon be removed ; for the local bodies could then bend all thenenergies upon opening up bush roads, land would be taken up, bnsh would disappear, and the desert would blossom as the rose.

There is another peculiarity about the Egmont District—namely, that it is cut in two by what is, practically, a foreign power. In the middle of the district, and contributing greatly to its length, lies the best land in the world—overrun by wild pigs, and wilder men. Here, defying the law, rescuing prisoners, damaging property, and threatening violence, are all virtues ; theft is a joke, and murder patriotism. With such neighbors to impede progress, a district has a right to more than might appear to be its right on the basis ot population. In the quiet South, if a district gets its share on that basis, it can prosper and progress. Here such a share is barely sufficient to exist upon. As long as the district has this special disadvantage, which may bo aggravated from time to time by the action of the Colonial Government, it will also have a special claim to consideration and help. Soldiers for South Africa may be lightly and cheaply fitted out, but if it is desired to discover the North Pole, the outfit must be of a very different kind. To send off a crew on such a quest in pith hats and light clothing, and tell them that they had their share, would be utter barbarism. In like manner when we are told that, according to population, we have had onr share, that is, as much as a like population in treeless, hillcss, Maoriless Canterbury would get, we feel something like indignation at what is either the speakers mental obliquity, or his presuming on ours. Having several extra bairns, we want several extra spoons. It is worthy of note, that what is & remedy for one of these grievances, is a remedy for both. ' Railways and roads

will afc once widen our narrow and straggling district, and abolish the foreign and hostile power that at present oats it in two. Let onr member see to this ; let him advocate tracks and also wide roads through the bush about Parihaka, and round Mount Egmont; let him recommend that the thousands that are squandered on carrying favor with insolent savages, be expended on undermining their power, by felling bush, and encouraging settlement, and he will earn the gratitude of his constituents, and of the colony. There are some other peculiarities and grievances belonging to the Egmont District that we cannot consider in detail. Thus, for instance, we have a special arrangement respecting our Laud Fund. The settlors who have struggled through a war or two, and suffered endless hardships and losses, are rewarded by receiving, for their roads and other local works, one-third as much as those receive who have had no war, no hardships, and no losses. Again, these settlers, although they cannot get justice, are allowed to be very generous; one-fourth of their Land Fund goes to build a wall in the sea, where nature’s own wall would not stand. It is true that they have the prospect of this money being thrown away, but they are sustained against such a contingency by the hope of making a harbor at a distance, that will considerably lessen the prospects of their own neighbourhood. As, however, it is useless to cry over spilt milk, we will let the matter pass. But we hope that, in those matters that have not yet been settled finally, the member for Egmont will not forget us, but will remember that lie is in Parliament even more for the purpose of watching our interests, than for the purpose of ousting Sir George Grey.