THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1879.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 70, 1 February 1879, Page 2

THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1879.

AT first sight it would appear as if the erection of Cleopatra's Needle in Lond:n conveyed no special lesson to colonists, -mnpir t>i Trnav private enterprise can tic. Of course individuals have spent much larger sums of money upon objects tending to the public welfare aod to the prosperity of communities. But the enterprise above alluded to is a specially distinct example of what an individual may do for a nation. The removal cf the Needle from Alexandria to England came fairly within the range of Government action, for as the Needle was presented to the Nation it ought certainly to have been removed at the public expense.

What however has all this to do with the Australian colonies.? This much. Not a week passes in any one of those colonies but deputations are received by Ministers requesting Government aid, Very many of these attempts are merely selfish attempt* to obtain for local purposes pecuniary assitance from the general revenue of the colony. The deputations however are only the outward and visihle sign of an inwaru and serious evil. This consists in an absolute reliance on the oentral governing |>ower. It becomes visible in many ways. At a parliamentary election the admittedly inferior candidate is chosen, becauso he will get Government money spent in the district Unless I man pledges himself to try and "do something" for the district he need not dream of success at the polling booth. A bridge or a punt is required ; deputation after deputation will ,go to the Pubh': "Works Department; not a man will put his hand in his pocket or his shouldor to the wheel. A wealthly settler will daily drive over a dangerous bit of road passing through bis own property; at small expense all could be made right; this cannot be done; it is a Government road, the Inspector who lives fifty imilcs distant must be written to; the member for the distriot communicated with; the Publio Works Department remonstrated with This is no imaginary picture ; the readers of Town and Country, for instance, will bear us out in the statement. Here is an extract, giving an account of on accident which happened last Septembor in New South Wales. ." The Hay coach came to grief . . . the horses shied at some sheep and capsisod the coach down the side of the approach. The passengers exonerate the driver from any blame I and state that the accident could not have < happened, it the embankment had been ' fenced. The wonder is that an accident J has not occurred there before, but now that attention has been called ...

tho Govorumcnt Engineer for this district will probably do something in that

directim without delay." From personal knowledge of the scene of the disaster we can testify that nine yean ago the above accident was foretold, pa in those days the embankment was just as unprotected as it was in September last, and as it not unlikely is even to this day. The expenditure of £lO would ensure perfect safety. It is almost incredible, yet it is perfectly true, that among the passengers on the coach at the time nf tho accident was a gentleman resident in the neighbourhood with an annual iucome of many thousand's, who crosses and rccrosscs that bridge many times in the course of the year, and yet with a fub knowledge of the danger incurred 'ie ..us been waiting for more than aim years for the " Government " to do something. In all this is there no nioial for the

foreign residonts in Apia ? It our ears do net deceive us numerous Complaint* are made on trivial publh matters, which a little personal, or ia soma cases combined, exertion would set right. The existence o;- non-existence of ■» " Government" does not affect tho question. f A bridge was nearly swept away i few days ago , it is the only monument of individual enterprise i-i Samja, aid , r e m-jri ...•= found mean enoiiga to refuse co pay toll After the disaster,*che owaer, so.we-an-

deistand. actually exp r esseo s ih.tß' :r . to take tile framework :■■ aieces and ap ply it to ether purposes. Happily ,j t. i good nam* ci Apia in tne -~:\ es : ( • outer world the necessity nas o-ea. obvi

ated. Buc tne idea aione. much more the expression ol it, tends fjrcioly -•: prove thai public spirit in Apiii is not quite so sensitive aor so aotive as might be desirable.