The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, AUGUST 29. 1886. RAILWAY CHARGES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2380, 23 August 1886, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, AUGUST 29. 1886. RAILWAY CHARGES.

From Auckland now comes the cry for reduced railway charges. Encourage' neiit, it Is declared, must be given to town denizens to migrate to the country and become producers instead of consumers. There l is a species of rheumatism which flies about the human system, which, when ejected from a particular part of th# frame, quickly reappears in another limb. The colony suffers from a BQmewhat similar ailment, which, like its prototype, is the outcome of high living. . In 18T8 the disease was preralent in the Wellington Provincial district, aiid it: haa subsequently passed on to Canterbury and Otago,and still later the twinges have been felt in Auckland.. The ory for reduced railway charges''is one of the symptoms of the complaint, and a 1 feature of its regular diagnosis. We do not pretend to maintain that the management .of railways in the colony is perfect or incapable of improvement, but we feel sure that no 'substantial relief to the ills now suffered in various

[jails of the colony will come from a reform iri railway charges. First of all pressure is put upon the colony to make a railway, and after it has been constructed, tbe inhabitants of the district through which it passes, are c6ntented for a' season, but after a time,: finding that "all that all that 1 glitters is not gold," they put forth " pressure No 2," viz., a cry for a reduction of railway charges, We question whether railways costing from five to ten thousand pounds per mile can he made profitable in a country containing leas than a million of inhabitants, and we are quite certain that in the more sparsely populated portions of suoh a country, railways on such a scale must under any system of management be an absolute loss. Of course our i |>eriodical returns show us to a fraction the exact apparent loss on our own railways, but we question whether these statistics reveal the absolute deficit—whether tbey make ample provision for the wear and tear of tbe iron and wood, which are two of the principal items in our railway bill, and which year by year are depreciating in value. It is the exceesive original cost of a railway whieh kills profit and entails loss in this colony. We! have triad to make lines pay by reducing freights in the Middle Island, and the result has been that the increase of traffic has not compensated for the reduction in price. The colony is slowly but surely coming round to the conclusion that our publio works jiolioy has been a delusion; and a snare, and that however mush .it may benefit the feW'it is becoming a heavy burden' on tbe many. We believe inoheap transit for colonial produce, but this is obtainable with.out a ruinous public works policy; without. making unprofitable railways, and then making them still more; unprofitable! by a reduction in charges. ' Take the line between" Wellington and Masterton as an illustration, If at its birth some beneficent fairy had changed it : into a common horse tramway, what would have been the result I Would it not have been a cheap publio work'instead of an expensive one J Would it not have been a highly profitable investment instead of a had speculation? Would not the thousands of pounds now spent on the carnage of produce be retained in this district instead of going to London ? Wouid not a horse tramway carry goods as cheaply as the present railway? Would not a good local demand for borßes suit us better than the existing demand for coals 1 Of course railway travelling, if one i happens to escape a jolting 'carriage and is not poisoned with smoke, is a luxury, and we do not object to luxuries as far as we can afford them. We cannot afford railway travelling, and therefore it is a luxury which ought to be curtailed in the future. The policy of the colony should be in the direction of securing cheap freight, for this condition' is essential to. developing its resources, but in nine cases out of ten a sim pie horse tramway would securethis indispensable advantage far better than a railway costing seven or eight thousand pounds a mile.

Mcbsii Lowes Alorns announce thoir fortnightly stock sals it Carterton for Tuesday next, 24th Inst, ; Their liat will include fat and itore cattle, dairy cows, horses, pigr, .poultry, ete. Mr ,C, Wsfland, late, of Messrs 0. Wagland and Co., butchers, has an announcement in another, column . relating to prime beef and best quality mutton.

We, draw the attention of those Inter-, ested to a notification that the service of song" Reclaimed" will be reproduced at the Wcsleyan Church to-night. It is proposed to r#peat it next week at Carterton. Mossrs Lowes A lorni report a most successful general Bale on Saturday last. Horses made from £2 10s to £ I J 15s; fowls, 2a 3d to 8s pair; oats 2s 9d to 3a); potatoes, 80s ; fowls'wfieat, 8« 6d, after which they disposed of the entire stock-in-trade removed from Mr McDowell's promises, concluding with a very long catalogue of new ana second-hand furniture, etc. The promoters ot the Eketahuna school concert, held on Friday ovening lost contemplate holding a concert in that township at an early data, in aid of the funds of the Masterton Hospital. Judging from the success of thoir last effort, and tho laudable object in view, there is no doubt our Eketahuna friends will hare a pleasant gathering and the funds of the Hospital will be materially augumented by the re-union. Mr Yallance has leased the whole of hiß horses (Pasha, Rumour, Honeysucklo, Obed and Cupid, the two last named being two year-olds) to Mr A. J, Hoskings (his late trainer,) and thai gentleman hag this string of good blood at tho Taratlihi.. Mr Taricred's string passed through to Tauherenikau in charge of Mr! Seymour Tancred, on Wednesday. They commenced operations by putting, them into work. Mr Albert Lyford is now in charge, —Observer. ' ~' "

The latest news from Kiraberley, boing from a guaranteed source and of an encouraging natur#. has decided a gieat many of the doubting pnes. The "May," which is to sail for Cambridge Gulf on tho 27th August is already nearly full and will sail on the day advertised. There are passengers <K>iag in her from Duuedin, West Coast, Wellington, and Wairarapa. Mr F, W, Cottrell, of Featlnreton Street, Wollington, is the shipping agent; : -

The allotment! of the Town and SubI urban seotions of the Parkvllle Special : Settlement took place' on Saturday evening last at the Maatertori Temperance Hall. Great interest was manifested over the evoni, tho mombers rolling up almost to a man to leamlhe positions; of their respective blocks, Each member has two town acres and three suburban acres, tho formor being surveyed into ono acre blocks, and the late ip one block. The drawing for the town sections was bo arranged that each member received an acre in the main street of the township, and an aoro in one of the other proposed streets, After tho drawing had been successfully carried out, the following resolutions were carried: "That a balance-sheet be prepared and submitted to the next gonersl meeting." "That the names of the streets be the same as read, and marked on the plans produced at the meeting." An amendment to the'-effect that the streets be renamed was lost on a show of hands. "That tho township be named Parkville." An amendment that it be called 1 Ekctahuna West' was lost, after a short diseussion, "Thatthe Secretary receive a bonus of £lO, and the question of filing a salary for him be considered at the next meeting." An amendment that the whole question bo considered at the next meeting did not receive much support. The meeting then adjourned

Delegates from. Court Loyal Enterprize, A.0.F., left this morning to open a new Forester's Court at Pahiatua,

Charles Wood has been arrested in .Woadvillei on a Warrant from Madtertbn for the larceny of a pair' of trousers from one of the 1 , local boarding houses. '. He will arrive here by-the train'to-day.

The Grand Pictorial. Mirror of .the Hot Lakes and'Yolcanio Eruptions will be show.h"to-night at the Theatre Royal for the lost time in Masterton. In additionthere will bo exhibited several comic views and altogether the show will bo good value for their money. Nominations will take place at noon on Monday,-August 30, for tHo election ,of three Councillors for the Borough of Masterton in the room of Ors Williams, Hessey and Chamberlain, whose term of office expires by effluxion of time, but who are elegible for re-election.

Mr F. H. Wood's auction salo on: Saturday at his Masterton Rooms was very successful all round, the attendance was good and the bidding was fairly spirited. Tenders for the erection of the proposed drill shed were opened on Saturday night and the two lowest; were held in abeyance, pending further information as to the Government subsidy. Messrs Tlios. Chapman and Sons, of Wellington, intimate to saw millers that they have opeued business so long and successfully carried •out by them in Sydney, for the supply and repairing of all kinds of circular and vertical saws, and they hope to have the support of the trade. Mr D. Pickeriug, gaafitter and plumber, has just completed an addition to his business premises in Queen-street,; which is to be devoted to the gasfitting branch of his business. By an advertisement in another columu Mr Pickoring announces that ho has an extensive stock of. trade requisites, and is prepared to execute ariv kind of work connected with his long established business. :

There*are rumours about Masterton of the discovery of a hot spring on the limestone hill at Otahuao. A party from this town went yesterday to inspect thealleged j wondor, but so much water was issuing from the cave where the warm spring is Kuppoaed to bubble up, that they could not obtain access to it. A local resident ridicules tho affair as a mare's nest, ' •

The following is a list of players in the fancy costume football match that is to take place on the new. Masterton Football ground on Thursday afternoon next. The Masterton Volunteer Brass Band' will play during the afternoon, A charge of sixpence will be made for- admission.— H. O'Hara, H. D'Aroy, Hounslow, A. Vile, J. Vile, J. Polling, A. C. Hoare, R, Thompson, E, Porritt, A, Thompson, J. Hooper, W. Welch, I, Eaimett, S. H. Wickorson, E. Polling, A. Campbell, J, Williams, G. S. W. Dalrymple, A. D'Arcy, J. W. Leahy, G. T. Farmer, J. Sillars, A. Welch, A. Hoare, "E.; Wyllie, T. Dixon, H. Welch, F. Hill, L. Caselberg, Ellers, T. Brown, W. Welch. -

A somewhat Budden death of a middle aged man named Martin Johnson occured in Masterton on Saturday evening. From what we can gather the deceased, who has been in Eketahuna for two weeks, was suffering from a violent cold, and Dr. Williams, of "Woodville gave him some medicine, and ordered him to go home, He came down by tho train on Saturday afternoon to his home in Victoria Street, and expired the same night. As no medical man attended deceased in Maatorton, it is more than probable that an enquiry will be held, unless a certificate of death is given by Dr. Williamß. Decoascd is tho person who was found some few years ago on tho Taratahi bleeding profusely from wounds, th« origin of which wai enveloped in mystery, I am going to make a Bpeoiality of certain lines during the noxt months, At tho present time lam running Macintoshes and Overcoats at prices which defy any houso in tho Wellington District to approach. By'sending the length which you require in Inches, you can be supplied with a grand Tweed 'Macintosh for. 27/ d, honestly worth £3, Give me a trial, John T'hohbubn, tho People's Clothier, Willistreoi Wellington.—[Ai>vt,l Anyono requiring New Zealand Twoed Clething will save money by purchasing at the Wairarapa Clothing Factory, for their suits at 19s 6d, 255, 30s, 37s 6d, 45s and 50s, and tronsera and vests at 12s -fid, and trousers at 6s 9d are honestly worth double the money. Note the address,—Next to Empiro Hotel, Masterton —Advt.

y enotian Blind and Revolving Shutter mami factory, All Blind# guaranteed of tho very beat description. Price list on application to R, V, Honn (late Henn and Hanson.) Poneke Steam Venetian Blind and Revolving Factory, WoUineton—Advt.