HUNTERVILLE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9340, 8 January 1909, Page 4

HUNTERVILLE.

From Onr Own Correspondent. The holidays have been, and now* that they are practically over, will be looked back on as having been conspicuously quiet, and one mighfe add decorously conducted. The weather on the other hand has behaved abominably. I don’t know whether onr paternal Government with an eye to increasing the probable surplus at the end of March, has reduced the salaries of the Weather Department or no, hut if such he the case, it is extremely bad policy at this time of the year. It should be hardly necessary to dor' more than thus {briefly call Captain Edwin’s attention, and one may reasonably expect better treatment, and that immediately.

It is rumoured that a motor-car party which left here for north, and returned a day or two ago, brought back with them tales of hairbreadth escapes and deeds of derring-do that would fill a small volume, the adventures being attributable to the villainy of the ro<»d and the objections thereto of the motor-car. A few—be it recorded to the credit of the town—so few indeed that a thumb aud two fingers are sufficient to point the number, acts of larrikinism took place at the seeing-in of the New Year, but as, I understand, the damage, if any, has been made good, and peace, love, and harmony reign so far in the year 1909. Which is as it should be.

Every one of their friends accord sympathy to the Dudding and Henderson families in their great loss through the. death, of Mrs'Archie Henderson, jnn. The deceased was the third daughter of the late Mr CJhas. Dudding and Mrs Dudding, who with her two sons resides here. Better known as Miss Annie Dudding, the late Mrs Hendersftu was born {in Hunterville, and two years ago was married to Mr Archie Henderson, then booking clerk here, but now occupying a similar position in Feilding. She leaves an infant child.

The first sod has jet to be turned of our waterworks scheme. Many other works of more or less importance hinge on our “health, and progress’* ; given a shove and a shovel or two, matters might have been in full swing by winter time, whereas and also whereby matters sanitary generally have been lately given the go-by. However, a benefactor from Marton has arrived on the scene, and a long-suffering public, are prepared to condone a lot, forget the past and shake hands on their good luck geneiaily. One cannot help noticing the general dissatisfaction with the running of not only the Main Trunk (it is hardly necessary to point out that from Marton to Wanganui and North is now only a branch line), but with the running generally of the passenger service on our railways. While on the subject, I think it only fair to state that as far as Hunterville is concerned, there has been no notice of increase nor any difference in charges on any one commodity made by the Manawatu since the Company has been taken over. Wool, grain, goods and passengers'are the same as ever, but the Rimntaka line has gone back to the charge per actual mileage. I think on investigation the same will be found to apply generally. The public are inclined ‘‘ to fall before they are pushed.” To return to our muttons, the passenger service at holiday time is worse than it was 20 years ago. There is a standing regulation against standing ou the platforms and yet there is insufficient seating accommodation. It is everyone’s experience to arrive at a depot crowded to excess (such crowding as would not be allowed on a municipal tramway with a tithe of the danger) to see cars standing empty on a side track and to find the train, unless insisted on by an indignant public, go ou still more crowded. The excuse is, to avoid excessive haulage; it would be far better to charge extra so as to allow decent accommodation and facilities necessary for a long journey than to compel women and children to put up with discomforts that I am told you will not find even on the most primitive railway systems. However, our Premier has travelled a lot and can speak positively when, he declares the New Zealand railway® to be ahead of anything in either t?»e new or old world. He is probably speaking from his experiences, travelling “an Prince” in a car to “his little self.” Put him in Ja car that is supposed to hold forty and lias sixty jammed in, all smoking, sixteen portmanteaus, twelve swag® and two oases of magazines, which should all be elsewhere, but are. taking up your room, and someone else’s, interfering with your legs and someone else’s, aggravating your temper and someone else’s, and with a constant stream of acrobat® and other aristocrats who insist on taking exercise every five minutes' to the verandah and back, and Sir Joseph would agree with me, that fora rottener run holiday service' the New Zealand railways are hard to beat.