Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1890.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 442, 1 February 1890, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1890.

* This above all—to thine own Belf be tru®, And it must follow as the night the day Thou caust not then be false to any man.’ Shakespeare.

The management of nur railways is a subject of the greatest importance in connection ivitli the progress and prosperity of New Zealand. So far, they hav< not been worked to the best advantage by a very long way, either from a purely revenue producing point of view, or as a means of Settlement. The close affinity between land values and-cheap transport of produce is too often lost sight o' - , which is a matter for regret. Were the railways of New Zealand managed morein accordance with common seuse ideas of progress and push, not only would the revenue of the Colony therefrom be vastly augmented, but a great, impetus would' be given lo immigration and land settlement, and farmers would be in a position to employ labour and cultivate on a much larger scale than they can do now, with prohibitive railway freights to pay ere they can land their produce at market or at a shipping port. The subject is one that has been so fully ventilated from time to time, that we do not purpose enteting into details with respect lo the glaring mis management of cur railways in this article. The fact is widely Unovn, that both in the North and South Island carters are frequently to be found success fully competing against tiie railway in the transport of produce, and fat stock are regularly driven. long distances to market over roadsru tiling alongside the railway line, whilst the engine steams along with a number oF empty trucks. We have built railways'oh a scale suit able to the requirements of a full i grown community, and were they I managed as they should be, the population of New Zealand would into ease at a much more rapid ratio that) lus yet been the case; and beyond question one of the great essentials of prosperity and advancement is an increase of population ; yet practically nothing is at present being done to induce people to come to a country that, is fully equal to snpport'ng in comfort very many times its present population. With even double tlie presgut-population, bow much cqsier wouJ«i'; ti»'e' necessaiy taxation be borne, would assist another tQti The; benefit of all concerned. We.Uawhften. led tu these rcina.ks by reading au aqtirfe: iu the Sydney Mail, showing different spirit the Railway‘jl siouers in Australia. :life discharging \ duties in conueiitfqist i with their We reprjnt the article in anotlvfr.tfqiaenr:, and commend it to theVcaTePoiqiiGehiuou i)f all our -