The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1914. THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 256, 27 March 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1914. THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

General satisfaction will be felt in Taranaki at the decision of the Government to put in hand forthwith the construction of the Opunake railway line. The route chosen will, however, please very few. There were three routes which were thought to be "in the running"— Stratford, the old reserved route coming out just below Eltham, and the one recommended by the Royal Commission. The: line selected is nearly mid-way between the latter two. What has actuated the Government in departing from the recommendation of its own officers remains to be explained. One would ! have thought that if any divergence were to be made it would be in favor of the old reserved route or Stratford. As it is, the State will have to purchase the land requied for the line, whereas the State already possesses the land on the old one. The Stratford route would have entailed a little additional expenditure, but this would have been more than made up by the saving effected in functioning with a junction station and by serving a much wider district now beyond convenient reach of a railway. Stratford, in point of fact, is the natural junction for the Opunake line, and in time to come this, we feel sure, will be generally conceded. No useful purpose, of course, can be served by reviving the "battle of the routes," but the Government should at the first opportunity certainly give its reason for overlooking the recommendations of its own officers and adopting a route the advantages of which over the others is not apparent. It is something, however, to know that {he line is at last to be commenced, and for his efforts in connection with it Mr. Wilkinson, M.P., is to be heartily congratulated. The Opunake people are not concerned about the point of junction. They want railway communication just as soon as they can get it. The Government, it is stated, intend to lose no time in carrying the work through. The country is particularly easy for rail-way-making, and if the 'Government will only get a "move on" it should not be long before our Opunake friends will be able to welcome the iron hone in their midst.

national orkatxess. Til one respect, what is usually meant by the wo I'd greatness, as applied to a nation, is akin to the application of the same word to n man who stands out head and shoulders above his fellows, and therefore it is needful to look up to him. There are, however, other qualifications that a nation must possess besides mere physical prominence, mid thus it comes about that few nations arcgreat, though many may be or mighty. Many factors are requisite in order to make a truly great nation, and the first of these is that the" people shall not only have lofty ideals, but they must be far-sighted, possessed of breadth of mind, and capable of taking a wide and intellectual view of all that concerns the common good. It may be said that it is unreasonable to expect any nation to be so highly favored as to have tlie generality of its people ea-. dowed with such exceptional virtues, and that only the few can be relied upon to come up to the required standard. Admitting, for the sake of argument, that this contention is fair, it remains to be seen whether it is convincing. All tilings mundane have a beginning, and to become great a nation must first possess a nucleus of the right stamp ijf public men; then follows the process of evolution. Much time spent in researches spread over centuries lias thrown but little light 011 primary .111.111,

but it has been clearly established I hat human intelligence has developed as the ages rolled on, but only in those places where study has been possible. The students have produced the sagos, and they in turn have exercised considerable influence on the people of their time. Where that influence has been in favor of peace and justice it has exercised a marvellous elevating force on national life, and had it been continuous I her; would have been at least one great nation to-day in the fullest l.ncaning of the word. As it is all tlitf present nations fall short of true greatness, though we may be pardoned for giving prior of place to the British. At the same time the most patriotic champion of Great Britain would not hesitate to point to numerous cancerous growths in the national life. Why? Because politics have become debased by being utilised for party purposes, for advancement in life, for personal notoriety, ant! for every other motive except that of the good of the people. We have only to look at the woeful state of affairs in Ulster to see how. for party purposes, i great nation may be rent asunder.

Look again at the havoc caused by the action of the Labovites in ami -Vew Zealand. Tile one grr ' *utstand'ng Haracleri--tic is the ir -ire for ower, to altain v.'iich all . ;-tegimate nr. 1 '-rise-ai; rcgir ■■ ju~t>ible. • - Vyttnrs of the » 's the ?tn;g2le '-jona for siipiitid I not the uplifting physically, .» ri!!y, and mentally of the people. V may the question be aske.l—where will it end? There must be something radically. deficient or wrongful in the system of present day education, otherwise tlm

prevalence oi so much perverted, intelligenee cannot be accounted, for. What striken the impartial and open-minded observer must is the persistence with which eaeii party faction proclaims the fact thai it is actuated by honesty uf purpose and is working for the well being of the whole community, but in reality there is a far greater resemblance to the tactics of primeval man, who only preserved his existence l>y the exercise of craftiness reduced to a fine art. What then is the remedy? According 10 Karl Grey, national greatness must be based on the enlightenment of a country's citizens, and on their determination to follow a policy making for the end in view. To accomplish this a wide national outlook is imperative, and this aguin is only to be achieved by securing the service in positions of high responsibility and trust of the most pub-lic-spirited, disinterested, independent and enlightened men. It is a sign of the times and conditions of public life that the sensitive and peculiarly well-fitted men who could lie relied on to attain the high ideal of greatness in national affairs are mostly deterred from offering their services for the reason that they could not face the heckling and abu3e so freely meted out to public men. As a consequence, it is only those of grosser make—case hardened democratic windbags—who mostly push their way" to the front. Of course there are exceptions, but these only prove the ruler Even in municipal affairs it is extremely difficult to obtain the services of the test meh available, and for the same reason. The pity is that the trend of public life is the reverse from upwards. There ia something radically wrong when the self-seekers have it all their own way at the expense of the permanent interests of the nation. "There is no denying the truth of the impeachment, nor the need for a new departure in the methods of securing greatest good of the greatest number, but the difficulties in the way of securing the right men for the conduct of State affairs is considerable. If the proper means are used the desired end may in time be attained, but at present these means are not in sight.