THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Vèritè sans peur.” WANGANUI, FEBRUARY 4, 1864.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 8, Issue 377, 4 February 1864, Page 3

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Vèritè sans peur. ” WANGANUI, FEBRUARY 4, 1864.

Some time ago a memorial was sent to the Provincial Government by some of the inhabitants of Turakina,* for additional postal communication between it and Wanganui. The .supposed expence was given as a reason for not complying with the request. We believe that another attempt has just been made in the same direction, a settler from Turakina having waited on his Honor the Superintendent before his departure on the subject. But there is now great need for something more being done. There is at present only one regulai mail between Wellington and Wanganui in the week. To people arriving in the country from England this infrequency of communication appears amusing and absurd ; but to the settlers it is frequently injurious and annoying. We are agitating in Hew Zealand at present for a fortnightly communication with the home country, 14,000 miles distant ; and does it not seem absurd that at the same time between two comparatively important places in this country 120,miles apart, and the intervening settlements, there should be, only regular postal communication once a week ? Oms, Government is ready to vote £60,000 for ari additional monthly mail from New Zealand to England, but would hesitate to vote £3OO for an additional weekly communication along the whole of the West Coast of this Province. Indeed unless we make some strenuous efforts and use some extraordinary in fluence with the Government, it may be that ere long we shall have the letters of two mails from England delivered at pur Post Office in the week, and those of only ■one from Wellington. Thus we shall lose three days in the delivciy of one of

the English mails every week. Some effort must be made to prevent this. The new Inspector, of ‘Post Offices has been, ■here and knows this place, —-its com.merciaf importance, its central position in respect to the Hatives, its present population, and its attractiveness to immigrants.' Some influence might be usedwith him, as a leading official presumedly 'interested in us, to. press our claims. But in whatever way the thing is gone about, gone about it must be ; and vve must have immediately at least two regular mails a week between this and Wellington. These need not necessarily be overland mails. That would certainly be desirable. But we would be content with one being sent by sea. If’ the proprietors of the “'Wanganui” could arrange to run her on stated days so as to carry ti weekly mail, that would be a better arrangement for this place than an overland mail ; and it would not be worse for the principal settlements bed ween. For there must also be a twice or .thrice ►a week communication between this and Turakina and Rhngitikei. For ten years past the settlers there have had a mail once a week. Is tliex-e never to be an improvement 1 ? And if so, ■ when shall the wants of the population justify it 1 Obviously they do so already ; and the authorities wiil not be doing their duty to the district, if they do not at once give the inhabitants what they so much want. Hor need the expence be an obstacle. The carriers -between the places would take the mailbag for a trifle. Meanwhile, however, could the services of the Defence Force nob be put in requisition ? A small gi’atuitv to one or more of these troopers would no doubt secui'e volun teei’s for this service. There are fifty of them at Kangitikqi leading a life which must be exceedingly monotonous, and to which a canter into town, once or twice a week would be an agreeable l’clief. Why should h be necessary in this new country to follow so. much the routine formal system, which is- getting out of date even in the homo country 1 It would appear as if no maxi could carry a mail bag who has not the Post Office livery and is not a special servant of that department. ' Why should offices be multiplied in every department and those who occupy them have little or nothing to do, because their rf utine of duty does not nearly fill up their time ? Why should fifty horsemen lie idle in Rangitikei; while some, of them might be occupied agreeably to themselves aud usefully to othei’S. It is obviously the duty of the Government, at-a time like this especially, when so nuwh money is being squandered, we will not say needlessly, bub without adequate result, to get as much as they can for the expenditure. Then there is another improvement -wliicli should be made in the postal communication of this District. There are in different directions within eight miles of the town, well peopled districts to which letters should be sent, at least twice a week. We pn stance the Mataraua • Yalley, the district up the river, and the country out towards Kai-iwi. Central offices in these disti'icts for the reception and delivery of letters would be a great accommodation to the settlers, and could be maintained at very little expence. We doubt not that some settler in each pf those districts would undertake to receive carry and distribute the mails for a smaller.sum thaxi we like to mention. We have .only to add that the residents here, if they-want these changes must seud memox-ials largely signed, praying for them. And perhaps it may be as much owing to the supineness of the inhabitants as to that of the Government, that some improvement has not already been made in the postal communication. This excuse, howevei’, should nob be per rnitted any longer to be available.

The French Emperor now goes as far in his peace views as Richard Gol den, Elihußurritt,or any member of the Peace Society. He is advocating, by pen and tbngue the very measures for maintaining peace, which for the last twenty or thirty 'years they and other peace loving spirits have recommended, and been called narrow-minded, one-idea’d, fanatical,Utopian dreamers, for recommending. The famous saving “l’Empire fait la paix” has borne fruit in the mind from which it sprang ; and the last man in all Europe from whom such a suggestion could have been expected to come,—the man-at the head of the most powerful legions on the Continent says to his brother potentates :—“ Let us reduce our armaments, and henceforth let us settle our disputes by arbitration.” For the congress which he proposes . in thq 'interests of-peace, differs from all ..similar preceeding conventions in this, that the parties whose quarrel it. is intended to settle have not exhausted their 'strength iu the contest and are not themselves parties to the proposal.-; and still more, in that one object desired by its convocation is the formation of an international law/which will make fighting an unnecessary and a disgraceful, as it is a barbarous mode of settling quarrels, and will make reason the umpire in,all disputes between nations, as it is already in civilised countries between individuals. Whether the Emperor’s suggestion be carried out or not; whether or not the Congress, if it should meet, will be able to frame a code of international law which will prevent in future the ultimate recurose to arms ; still it is certain that such a recommendation, coming from such a quarter, must have some influence on the future European policy. The' undoing of heavy burdens by means of a general, though partial disarmament will follow, if the French Emperor shews himself sincere by setting an example of what he himself recommends. And when standing armies, are reduced, sitting . arbitrators are more likely to appear, to do the work by reason,

which their militant friends effected, by force. The Emperor, in furtherance of .these views, has sent a proposal to the various European governments, that a conference shall be held for the settlement of the Polish question, and the resolving on the settlement of international disputes in future by arbitration. An exposition of his ideas is given in the following extract from his speech at tiny opening of the French Chambers on the 7th November last : ' Are we reduced to the ouly alternative of war or silence ? ISTo! without resorting to arms and without being silenced, one resource is open to us. This is to submit the Polish cause to an European tribunal. Russia has already declared that conferences, in which all the other questions which agitate Europe should be debated, would in no degree wound her dignity.. Let us take note of this declaration. May it serve to extinguish once for all, the ferment of disorders ready to burst forth_upon all sides ; and from the uneasiness in which Europe is in all directions traversed by the elements of dissolution, may a new era. of order and peace spring forth. ■ Is not the time como-..t0 reconstitute upon fresh bases the edifice undermined by time, and destroyed piecemeal by revolutions? Is it not urgent to recognise by new conventions that which has been irrevocably accomplished, and to carry out by common agreement what the peace of the world requires ? The treaties, of 1815 have ceased to exist.. The force of events has overthrown, or tends to overthrow them almost everywhere. They have been broken ‘in Greece, in Belgium, in France, in Italy, and upon the Danube. Germany is agitating to alter them. England has generously modified them by the cession of the lonian Islands, and Russia treads them under foot at Warsaw. In the midst of this successive alteration of the fundamental European pact, ardent passions become over excited ; powerful interests demand solution in the south as well as in the north. What then can be more legitimate Or more sensible than to convoke the powers of Europe to a congress, in which self love and resistance woftlcl disappear in the face of a supreme arbitrage ? What can he more in conformity with the ideas- of the age, with the wishes of the greatest number, than to address ourselves to the conscience, to the reason of statesmen in all countries ; and to say : “Have not the prejudices and rancour which divided us already .lasted long enough ? Is this the jealous rivalry of the great powers incessantly to disturb the progress of civilization ? Shall we be constantly casting defiance at each other by exaggerated armaments ? Are our most precious resources to be indefinitely exhausted in vain ostentation of our strength ? Shall we eternally preserve a position which is neither peace with its security, nor war with its chances of success? Let us no longer give factitious importance to the subversive spirit of extreme parties, by opposing ourselves with narrow calculations to the legitimate aspirations of peoples. Let us have eouraga to substitute a regular aud stable situation for an unhealthy and precarious condition even, if it should cost sacrifices: Let us meet without a preconceived system, without exclusive ambition, animated by the sole thought of establishing au order of things based henceforth upon the well understood interest of the sovereigns and of the peoples.” I cannot but believe that this appeal would he listened to by all. A refusal whuld lead to the supposition of secret projects which fear the light of day l ; but even if the proposal should, not be unanimously adopted, it would have the immense advantage of having; shewn Europe where lies danger and where lies safety. Two ways nro open. The one leads to progress through conciliation and peace ; the other, sooner or later, conducts fatally to war, by the obstinacy of maintaining a past which is' rolling away.