The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1887. OUR RAILWAYS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2525, 15 February 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1887. OUR RAILWAYS.

The New Zealand Times last week took the Hon. Mr Bichardsou to task for allowing all his .'promises and pledges to establish, a. railway board forthe Colony to lapse. "Is the measure wrote our Contemporary," to be introduced in the coming session 1 That question was put to the Premier at his late meeting in Dunedin and elioited. a very emphatic declaration against the rneasuro, on the ground that Boards, if appointed, could not do any good without having the entire control .of the railways, which would take the matter at once out of the hands of the Government. But this is exactly what the Boards were to be created for—to relieve the railways of the obstacle to good management caused by theh'abhV jity of tho Government to political pressure and interference, {'the Times) have never yetibeen able to see how tlie management of the State rail- •; ways could be relegated to a Board without relinquishing the control of 1 Parliament over an important item of revenue, nor how the railways could be managed without the power being conveyed' of controlling -the/railway revenue.' We have waited and waited in the hope that successive Public Works Ministers would [he inspired with some brilliant idea which might solve a problem hitherto insoluble. JBut it is evident that we shall have to -,?ss logger yet. Unless a Board had

the full power of raising or lowering the rates of fares, freight, salaries, and wages, and of regulating the traffic ,in accordance with economic considerations, it would be practically useless -a "man-of-war without guns," to quote the hackneyed Maori simile.-' "While agreeing very much with the views taken by our Contemporary, and while believing tliait a Foard ".properly constituted could make our railways pay far better than they do now, there' is one point that requires serious consideration. If a Board had full power, not only,to raise or lower freight's, but to establish differential rates in various parts of the'colony,, the result might be disastrous to the 'trade and commerce of New Zealand. .With such a > power- a Board, might by raising rates in one district .and' lowing them in: another, depress trade in one part of the colony andstimulate it in another, It would indeed havo it in, its power to make one man rich and another poor, one district wealthy and another • iiih povorished. It might indeed exercise its Amotions with so much discretion andjudgmont that tho evil which we apprehend would not really como about, but even if this were tho -case differential rates would be regarded with so much distrust and jealousy that a Board levying them would be suspected by the public. Wore, howover, a Board to bo established with full powers to fix rates and fares on a scale common to 'all parts of the colony, it might probably do. all that is expected to be accomplished from an independent and capable administration, and relievo the Government of a good deal of trouble and anxiety. No doubt in the item of free passes alone such a Board might, with one stroke of the pen, save the colony £20,000 a year. All our legislators travel free, and we fancy our small army of Civil Servants know whereto get free passes and how to got them, but this is only one point of many where reform is needed, and where we cannot hope to obtain it from any other source than an independent Board of Control,

The Town Lands Trustees, after professing for soma time past a desire' to meet the wishes of the Masterton School Committee in the matter of a second school site, have gono dead against them, and arranged to invest their money in the purchase of land in the vicinity of the gasworks. Of course they are justified in. buying any property they think desirable, but after pledging themselves to assist .the committee, they ought to have kept their word. Just when there was reason to believe that all difficulties in the way of erecting the proposed second school rae arranged, a breach of faith on the • part of the Town Lands Trustees hangs the matter up again.

Tenders are invited up to the 19th inst, For falling about Trconty five acres o bußhnear Maaterton particulars can be obtained at this office. Mesßrs Wriggleaworth and Binns, tho noted Wellington photographers, announce) that they have reduced the price of cabinot photos to £1 per dozon,

Latest reports state that tho English wool market is irregular and tho recent advance haß been partially lost. Only the beßt classes of combings, morinos, and crossbroda maintain tho highest rates. 200,600 bales bave been catalogued, of which 18,000 were withdrawn. At tho sales on the 12tb inst 25,800 wore offered, the market bemgquier. The Evening Press Sporting cowtribuMr" St Leper." writes as follows :-A novel compctitioawas witnessed on Saturday evening by passengers on tho racecourse train. A first-class trotter believed to be Kate Kelly, was trying her speed agaiuat the train, and although thVlatter " had 'em all on" the steed of flesh and bone had a decisive victory ovor tho iron horse. Both came from tho Hutt, but tho real race was between Raiwarraand town. A very good start was effected, but aftor traversing a couple of hundred yards or so the pacer had a slight lead which she gamely maintained until reaching the wide turn for homo, Here it looked as if Red Tape must win, but Kate stuck bravely to it. and coming in full of running won by several lengths, with a chunk in hand, Red Tape was steered with great judgment, but could not get beyond the" Government afcroko." Some persons wore of opinion that ho was not "on the_ job" but the knowinronos shook their heads and remarked that ho Was no doubt a goad horse but required to be in other hands to do well.

Captain Widomtroni, of tho schooner MaryWadely, just arrived at Wustpwt from Napier, reports that on the 9th inst,, Kourangi Point at the time bearing fivo milea east, he saw a large number of beautiful watorspouts, and had to get out of their track. The focua in tho sky at firat appeared like a dot, gradually increasing .in size. Tho clouds were revolving round it at a tremendous rate from right to left in a circle, and the water could bo seen continually ascending in brilliant stripes, forming a most lovely notwork on a great pillar right to the ocoan. At the Burfaco of tho sea the water was boiling and smoking, sendin? white spray in all directions, The spouts disappeared at sunset.

At the village of. Quernes, France, a wake took placa which in point of jollity haver could be equalled in that land of merry wakes-Ireland. An old man named Aferle died. Two men were omployed to watch the body; ; they wore supplied with two bottles of brandy. In the course of tho.night fcjjo neighbors, disturbed by mirth from the house of the dead, desired to know the pause, They looked into the room. The corpse was seated in a chair with a glass of brandy before him, and his friends drinking his health. Fext they took the dead' man by' the arms, and walked him round the room, The ppllce.arresfcod the two drunken wretches (or thoir "violating the Bepulchro of the dead." About that #sb 10 bb given AWAY - To the Editor-Sir, Will you allow me throusdi your columns to let the people of the Wairarapa know that I am going to soil all my stock, consisting of men's, youth's, and boys' clothing, shirts, hata, hosiery, Ac, at a great roduction in prices up Wl'the end .of the year; and also to remind ,th.em that overy one who buys goods to the .yalpe .of 2s fid-gets a ticket | l " ™y .# competition, think' of that I By spending 2j fid with me, you may win money enough to jjjrjy ypu for a trip round tfew Zealand.-' Jm'tiaowjai, Clothier,§c„ Willis Bt' M Welllh?toh." AWoxDwraflOT.*-Ma 9 y'aro the Instances cited of the antoniahing fecundity of the n«i mm of domestical fowl: but tosay, is of the wascjjjijw gender) abovethomereproduotumofeggs. mwhwhhe turns out Venetian Blinds, otcTiJ the wonder and admiration of everybody from the Governor downwards. Tho namo of this wonder ul bird is E, W.jHtaH, and his well known fowl-house Is thePoneke fitcam Window' Blind Factory, Mokworth-jtreet, Wellington. —Advt,

.The Hon. Ox. M.-Waterhouse'tiaß given a donation of £4O towards'the funds for forming an ocean beach from Isliind Bay to Kilbirnie. \ ■;.-•;■

Tho Secretary of -the . Benevolent society, Mr J. Brown, acknowledges with thanks the receipt of a parcel of clothing and boots from Mrs H. H. Beetham; Rrancepeth.

rhe Good Templars' quarterly meeting' takes places this evening in the Mastertbn Temperance Hall at 7 o'clock. Messrs 'Williams- and' Beetham are making preparations for boiling down operations, at their.wwka 'on the Waingawa. '■ . ■ ■■"•■ ;■'-

;Mr A. J. Rawsdu advertises some: valuaMe bush land for sale in the neighborhood of 'Mastertoh j also improved farms aud building allotments. . Wo are informed by a well known Mastertoh settler that the Natives are causing wholesale dostruotion of trout in the rivers and small streams in the vicinity of Masterton, by fishinp with Btnall mesh nets.' We wore also informed yesterday that tho practice of killing trout by means of dynamite was successfully carried oat by an individual in'thoWainoua last weok, as many as ten large fish boing deatroyod by one charge.'

■ A very successful', rehearsal of the "Sorcerer" wa& held last ovening, the solos and concertod parts : being rendorod with confidence by the performers. The orchestral accompanyment under the direction of Mr Koisenbor? showed preat improvement and add materially to. the choruses in this splendid musical production.' The' first performance of the Opera takes places in the Theatre Boyal on Thursday evening 17th the dramatit fwrsotiacof whioh appears be an inset in to days issue. < ;

At the Greytown Post Office; on Sunday morning says the Standard a man named William Flowerß smashed two windows and four batteries, and the connecting wire, doing damage to the extent of several poundß. Had Mr Black been working the telegraph instrument at the time he might havo been very seriously injured. Fortunately communication was restored without delay. Constable Eccleton arrested tho man and on boing brought before the Mayor yesterday morning, was remanded until Wednesday. Ho was discharged from gaol on Wednesday last.