HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE.
gIRg 1R _I am surprised tb.it no n >tioc lias as sret5 r et ft v ' ta k ( , n by you of ulmt h.is tran&piied between the W^ikato Steam Navigation Orcrfpiny and the bed, of tho K.dUfa* Povarl incut, duiine the late disastrous florol*. 1 would bare Tviitten on this subject before but >tb u I expected with evciy issue to pee lho matter icieitcd to in your leading Columns. However, better late than never. Complaints havo frequently been made as to delays m tlie shipment of goods GccniTt"g through nugleH or mismanagement in eonntcliou ■with tho Wailwvto btcam Navigation tJuinpuuy, but those who are aware of the uillieuliica uith Tvhitfh this company havo had to contend, njnsl. admire the spirit in -which the manugemeni have* carried on the business of flu- Cvuipuiv »» 'tlie .face of utmost otcrwhelming diniculties <Ho*9vn, I atn here only going to »poak of wh.it 'occurred during tho late Hoods, and show that the Company during that crisis did a gicat deal for the Waikato district, at tjonsidoiable loss and risk to themselves. From about tho 10th •of December to the 20th, all communication by rail was suspended between Mercer and A'ickland.^the train from tho Utter place only coming as far as Pokeno. As soon as practicable, the Waikato Steam Navigation Company arranged to put oa-dray« to- con»«y ge-octe as kar as the -Manugatawhiri bridge, from which place they •were with great difficulty taken up tho cicek to Mercer. r lhis however, was a very tedious Iprocess.-andin order to facilitate nutters lho W focal manager, (Mr R. R. Hunt) finding tho'luM — thtflgh tinder water— v, us not damaged j lmd -one of the goods trams pushed by hand fioiu -Mercer to Pokeno, and vice 1 ersa, with goods, thus keeping up a vegular tiafhe at great exjpense Had it not been for this, and the untiring exertions of Mr Hunt, the ChusUnas^oods 'forthe-variots staiions on the Waikato would ■ not havo reached their loveral dostinalioi'S till too late to be of service lamin a position to ■tate that the regular railway Uafhc might IJiaTe been resumed fully a week earlier than it """was. But then this would have b«'en a deviation l from the general principles under which the line las alwuys bi>eu managed. Mr McDonald, the -truffle manager, was not altogether to blame for • not allowing the traia to run, as if any nsk had been incurred ho would have leen snubbed by the ". local " head of the department, Mr Pass- ■ more, who resides in Wellington, and can know •nothing whatever of the woiking of the line i (even though he understood anything of railway 'management) further than what ia commum-cated-to him in' brief letters or si ill more brief tclegDams. Ho telegraphed to Mr McD.nal'd not to run the tram, und the lattor could only obty. After Mr Hunt had slarled the goods tram, Mr McDonald in a bullying tone osked him who gave bim authority to do so. Mr Hunt fc had no authority, but explained that thero was no other mode of getting Waikato goods to Aimer ; and in Rr'te of opposition he continued Mo push tho trucks through. The ' Company *llirough its local manager did at its own co.t, whut the Government ihould have dono for it. -And now to crown all, red taprism is to bo < carried still further, and an action taken 1 *q amht 'the Company, which threatens^ annihilution and all sorts of o\ her things, for daring to meddle with Ibe railway. "What next I wonder ! 'lho sooner Fatsmorc gets his ticket of leave, and tMneonr ■more atiquai'.tccl with the practical w«rking »f 'railways and lendent in Auckland is appointed the better. I think the people in tho Wmkato will commend the action (*ken by the WSft Co in their interests. The general workn.g of the line has been the eubject of itnach unfuvoroblo coma ent since Mr PuFßmoio look a heading; part in Us management (or ralht-r misniunugen.ent) ond it it probal le he >wlll llunk better of his threutened action and not atltinpt 'to pile the lost straw on the camels back, which Vtould probablj end in his own discomfiture. — I • «m, &.c, luvoßvm. Hamilton, Junuary 13th, 1876.
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Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 574, 25 January 1876, Page 3
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708HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE. Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 574, 25 January 1876, Page 3
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