THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1906. PATIENT BUSINESS MEN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8313, 17 December 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1906. PATIENT BUSINESS MEN.

t Patience is, no doubt, a very excellent quality, and one that has to be carefully cultivated by the successful man of business, bat at the same time to command the treatment from others that be deserves be has to hustle for, himself, and in no unoertain manner. For some considerable time past the lack of adequate accommodation in the case of both the goods-shed and the yard at the Masterton Kail nay Station has been a serious inconvenience to the basinets people of this town. Complaint is constantly made, and it is beyond question that the inconvenience is so great, and has been borne for so long, that Masterton U rapidly developing a solid grievance against tbe Railways Department. The Department acknowledge tbat the work should be done, and, if we remember rightly, it is nearly two years ago since tbe Masterton Chamber of Commeioe took the matter up, and, a* a result of their agitation, It was then hoped that tbe work would shortly be carried out. The questions tbat now present themseles are these:—How much longer will it be before an alteration in the present state of affairs, which iu little less than ecandalous,is effected? and why has there been such an inexcusable delay? l'be importance of the town of Masterton entitles it to some consideration at tbe bands of the Department, but there is no necessity to go into this matter, for the justness of the oase presented by tbe Chamber of Commerce was acknowledged by the Decartment, The administration of the Railways Department was certainly good when in)the hands of Sir Joseph Ward,

| and the growth of business with which it has bad to deal during lute years has been icmaruable, but though the administration of the Department may be generally satisfactory from a colonial point of view, there is some reason to fear that inland uommercial communities do not reoeive the consideration to which they are'entitled. A glowing Statement at the end of the year is, of course, very," satisfactory in the eyes of the Minisner who presents it to the House, and is, also, i well received in the country, but it would not appear half so fine if all the year's complaints were tagged on to the end of it. Country business people and settlers should not be sacrificed, their very reasonable demands ignored, in order to demonstrate Ministerial excellence. However, shall we nail down the graves!: censure upon our undimiirshed bead if we say that it seems to us that the business people of Masterion have been rather too patient with tba Railways Department. A little vigorous and continued agitation would snrely secure what is wanted. Would it not be advisable for the Chamber of Commerce to oall a public meeting of business people, at which a large and representative deputation could be formed to wait upon the Hon. Mr Hall-Jones, Minister for Railways? As Minister for Public Works Mi? Jones has won a good reputation, and it Is unlikely that he will lose it while in oharge of the Railways Department. He'is generally regarded aa a sym pathetic Minister and a careful and ,ust administrator. If the business people of Master ton agitate sufficiently they will, no doubt, succeed in obtaining what is very urgently needed.