TO THE EDITOR

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 507, 10 April 1880, Page 3

TO THE EDITOR

[Correspondents are invited to discuss matters of public interest, with fairness and brevity ; the Wail being an impartial medium of discussion and advocacy for all affairs relating to the County of Patea.] THE RAILWAY QUESTION. Sir, —Having read the article which appeared in your last issue, on the “ Railway Conflict,” and seeing by the tone you have adopted that you are animated by a desire to arrive at a just conclusion on the true merits of the question, I am induced to lay a plain statement'of the case before your readers, ■who I believe never have had the reasons pro and con. fully laid before them. I feel quite confident that the general verdict will be that it was only right, when the Minister of Public Works came here for the purpose of deciding on the relative merits of the proposed sites for the Station, that the arguments in favor of each should be laid fully before him ; and all I ask, sir, of your readers is that the matter should be judged impartially, and fair play given to those interested, whether on one side or the other. My main argument is that whichever side of the river the Station is, it will only directly interest some dozen persons, as the town and district at large will suffer no injury, nor will property in Carlyle be depreciated to the extent of a five-pound note whichever site the Government choose. This being so, should not great weight be given to the arguments of economy and natural convenience of site? Now I contend that fair play has not been criveu in this matter; but those gentlemen deeply interested in having the' Station near to their land on the town side have been held up as public-spirited and high-mifided-indi-viduals, while any who ventured ’to suggest there might be arguments in favor of the Whenuakura side have been looked upon as pursuing only their own selfish ends. To prove my case, that fair play has not been shown, 1 will cite the last public meeting. A well attended meeting had been held on Thursday, March 25th, at which the following resolution was passed unanimously “ That the Government having now full information with respect to the relative advantages of the proposed sites for the Station, be respectfully urged to proceed at once with the

construction of the line from tWlyle, in accordance with the decision they arrive- at, to avoid any danger of the vote lapsing for this work, so important to the town of Carlyle and neighboring district,” I take this to mean that both sides agreed to accept the decision of the Government, and only asked that the work might be proceeded with at once. A reply to this resolution having been received by Mr Sherwood, tho> chairman of that meeting, another meeting was called _ by placard, at which I am informed about fifty persons attended; and. the meeting proceeded to stultify the resolution passed at the previous one, by nominating three gentlemen (one of whom is unfortunately laid up by accident, and the other two well known to favor the town side), for, as it turned out by their subsequent action, the express purpose of urging on the Minister the proposed site below Milroy’a wharf. This may appear politic and fair to some curiously constituted minds, but it did not to those who believe, apart from any private interest, that the Whenuakura side will prove the best site for the town and the district at large. A meeting of gentlemen holding this view was held, and Messieurs Goweru, Adams, and Tennent were appointed a deputation to wait on Mr Olliver on his arrival and bring their views under his notice. I may say, if any justification of this course is needed, that Mr Olliver publicly stated to the deputation that he would,have been much disappointed had they not waited on him and given him an opportunity of hearing both sides of the question. I would further remark that all (with perhaps one exception) of those who hold the view that the Whenuakura side is the best, own much larger properties in the town of Carlyle than on the other side of the river, and would be among the last to advocate any action calculated in their opinion to damage property in the town. And now 1 will endeavour to answer seriatim the points raised in your article above alluded to. With reference to your first question, as to whether a railway can be brought along the town side of the river as cheaply as on the farther side, although I might easily demonstrate that the latter would cost less by many thousands of pounds, I feel that as that question is now under the consideration of the responsible Minister and his officers, it should be left to them to answer definitely, and I shall not discuss it further than by remarking that engineers have been employed for some months past in testing both sides of the river, and have decided to cross to the Whenuakura side, the fair deduction being that they have considered it impracticable to bring the line down on the Carlyle side.

You next aak whether it is a fact that the farther side is in private hands, while the town side is public property, to which I reply that with the exception of the narrow strip along the river bank on the town side, the land on both sides of the river was disposed of by the Government at public auction; on the Carlyle sicie sub-divided into town allotments, and on the other side in small suburban sections ; both sides therefore are undoubtedly private property. Further, if the line is taken on the Whenuakura side, the Government have announced that they will take all the land between Portland Quay and the river, not permitting the present proprietors to retain one of those sections having river frontage. As to your third and fourth questions, relative to the advantages likely to accrue to the town of Carlyle by the selection of a silc for a railway station on either side, I may say that a good deal of confusion exists in the public mind on this point. It is not generally known that the site selected for a station on the Whenuakura side is actually nearer town, more convenient to the business portion of the town of Carlyle than the site where the station would have to be (as pointed out by Mr Blackett) on the Carlyle side, viz., some distance below Milroy’s wharf and adjoining cliffs on the sand-hills under Mr Carey’s house. On the other side, the station would probably be on Portland Quay in a line with the mouth of the small crock, just below the bridge. I need scarcely enlarge upon the fact that the sand-hill under Carey's is not a desirable or convenient place for a station, but the depth of water necessitates its selection. There would be no space for buildings without an enormous expenditure in cutting away the sand, which would be always encroaching, and as I have shown it would be further olf and less accessible than the opposite shore.

On tlie other hand, the Whcauakuia has a deep-water frontage from the bridge to the point, a distance of 1,500 feet, and a quay might be constructed very cheaply the whole length, affording accommodation to a large number of vessels which would lie in water of sufficient depth to enable them to leave at any time of the tide. It appears, sir, to me that the town of Carlyle will be best consulted by placing the line and terminus in the best possible position, and who can be better judges of that than the professional gentlemen entrusted with, the work? If a wrong place is now chosen St will not be an error to be forgotten or given, but will be a lasting memorial ofiucapacity for all time, aud when petty squabbles and interested motives are forgotten, the work will still remain, and will point with scorn to those who are responsible to the public for its accomplishment. The present agitation, although it may have delayed the work, will, I hope, have this good effect, that the whole matter having been fully ventilated, we may now with confidence leave the issue to the Hon Mr Olliver and his responsible professional advisers. I would say one word more. A great deal has been made of the argument that the construction of the works on the town side would enhance the value of the harbor endowments, and thus help construction of the breakwater. To this I would point out that the harbor endowments extending from the bridge towards Milroy’s wharf, between the street and the river, contain but a very small portion of land. Take away the width of one chain for the railway, aud there is very little left. But I am told that the Harbor Board intend to reclaim down to low-water mark, and then sell the reclaimed land. Now, Mr Editor, this looks to me rather like entering into a very doubtful speculation, and one that the townspeople may not approve of. Reclamation is generally supposed to be very expensive, and of doubtful propriety in places where there is plenty of land available. Do the public not require the money for a more legitimate purpose, namely, the construction of our breakwater, and consequent improvement of our bar ? If, on the other hand, the Government undertake the reclamation, we know, from what fell from the Hon Mr Olliver, that the Government would themselves retain the land reclaimed to recoup expenses. In this case the Harbor Board would have given away a valuable endowment for no compensation, which I contenci, in the interest of the public, they have no right to do. 1 have now the honor to subscribe myself A Sincere Well-wisher to the Town op Carlyle. [Note. —It will be observed that, in the editorial comments on this question, no motive was imputed to individuals; and when the writer above complains that “ fair play has not been given,” he must be referring to matters antecedent to the article in Wednesday’s Mail. Let it be stated, once for all, that no dishonorable motive shall be imputed to individuals through the medium of this journal. All opinions on public questions shall have fair aud equal treatment.—Editor Mail.]

On the hist trip from Melbourne, the Botomahami brought 30,000 sovereigns tor vlw Bank of New Zealand in Wellington. Major Willis lias resigned his seat for Rangitikei. • Sir William Fox is in the field, and Mr C. E. McLean is also a probable candidate. Why Major Kemp was Dismissed. —The Mayor of Wellington is thus “ corrected” by the Post :—“ Mr Hutchison is singularly careless, to say the least of it, in the statements he makes at public meetings. Last night he volunteered the allegation that ‘ Major Kemp had been dismissed from the public service because he had refused to allow a ring, consisting of Mr Studhohne and others, to get hold of the Mnrimolu Block.’ Mr Hutchison is, or ought to be, perfectly well aware,that Major Kemp was dismissed for lawless violence, turbulent 'behaviour, and gross misconduct generally. He, while in receipt of a salary of £4OO a year as a Government officer, deliberately set all law and order at defiance, threatened to shoot various people, deliberately disobeyed the orders of his superior officers, and set at nought the urgent representations of his own tribe in favour of peace and quietness. Ko question as to the possession of the Murimotu Block arose at all. Major Kemp was very leniently dealt with in being merely dismissed from office, having laid himself open to much severer measures.” Raising the Wind. — A borrower on his way to seek accommodation from the bank, met a friend, who said, “ You must not go in that hat. The bank is sensitive on these points, and would altogether shut up its bowels of compassion against a man who wouldseekits aid in a slouching California.” Moved by this appeal, the suitor repaired to the nearest hatter and bedecked himself in a brand-new belltopper. Crowned with this talisman, he confidently entered the bank, bis friend the while waiting for him outside. After an interval there was a scufflingheard within the bank, and a sound like the irregular beating of a small drum. Anon out flew the hat closely followed by the accommodation-seeker, now livid with rage, still kicking the unhappy beaver. For a few moments the friend looked on in amaze, while the hat was quickly assuming the limpness of a jelly-fish. Then, taking in the situation, he turned and fled. — Manawatu Times. Holloway's Pills. —Sick Headaches.— Thousands suffer from this worrying annoyance when the body and brain are depressed in warm, damp, weather. Holloway’s puri£yii*& present a reaily means of cure for indigestion, biliousness, and flatulency ; in debilitated constitutions and nervous habits these Pills are the best restoratives ; they correct all the unpleasant consequences of torpidity of the li\ er, they remove distention, and never fail to secure regular action. For all abdominal ailments Holloway’s Pills are the safest possible medicine; they at once give ease and comfort, and naturally strengthen the whole series of organs concerned in the process of digestion, and will be found useful in every household.