The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 908, 18 April 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1878. We return to the subject of the leader of ouv last issue. On the occasion of the late visit of the Premier we had an opportunity of hearing for ourselves the real policy proposed to be laid before the country. We have read from time to time reports of speeches uttered by the Premier, and have perused flowing accoant3 of receptions, pegeants, triumphal aroh.es ami banquets, until the whole thing has seemed to us something like the processions m a pantomime. But at last we have met facs to face the leading mind, and havo had an opportunity oC hearing from the lips" of the Reformer a plain un. varnished tale of wlmfc the whole thing means. la aU «»*» meters we cannot be too practical, and therefore it iaeafody from a common sense point of ri«r tlmt we mean to examine tl» ppn^ccted reforms. The fii-st and by no means the least important of them is announced ,is an intention on the r«irt of the Government to let the people know the views of the-ppweis, thafcjw» w

bring forward. f.»r tho welfare of tho colony, and generally m respect to all their action?. £lus>fvfeiiold, is most commendable. tfoWi'ng can be more destructive of public liberties than the professed so-called diplomatic seorcay, which has been tlio curse for centuries of the people of the old world, and has enabled the few, by keeping the knowledge of public nffiivs to themselves, to prostitute the interests of the many to theu* own advancement, aad render competition or intelligent criticism impossible. Knowledge is power, and powerful above all is that exclusive knowledge of politiciil affiirs which endue 3 the possessor with almasb absolute power over his ill-informed fellow men. For instance, if a man should know that upon a certain day events would tako place which would revolutionise the affiirs of a province, of a town, or of a district, and raise or depress the valuu of properly or securities within that district, if this knowledge should have come to that man by channels of which bis position as public trustee gave him tho comuiand, and that keeping this knowledge to. himself, ho should turn it to li's own profit, this would be monstrouslyyWrong. And, if by a continuation of this exclusire power m acltw?, through generations theevil should be perpetuated, revolution alone would replace the relations of the governed to the governors m its proper position. And revolution means something more than a phrase which can be rolled smoothly over the tongues of so-called popular agitators. It means the destruction of family ties —it means the setting of tVe father against the son, and the brother against the brother— the disruption I of an organised state of society — confusion and anarchy. Therefore we say, secresy m political affairs is not good. On the contrary, it is bad— it is destructive and ruinous. Herein the proposed system of Constitutional Government is, beyond dispute, very good. We ourselves have .been anxiously looking-, m pursuance of this principle, for the publication of' the doings of tire Executive Council which have been promised us. We had hoped*, also, for some statement of tlie -"treaty" we are going to make, and be bound by witk the Maori King. It might be conducive to bur general welfare. This question ' : reminds us of a story which we havo heard atoent a certain Cornish pajreon. The incident occurred at a time when "wreckers" were prevalent along the coast of Cornwall. The good. man was discoursing earnestly to his flock upou the danger to their spiritual welfare of the wicked practice of despoiling innocent, defenceless creatures of their worldly good.-? which might be cast upon their shores. The sinfulness of such deeds was strongly dealt upon, and tho worthy pastor was about to conclude with the usual exhortation when voices from outside were- heard breathlessly announcing that a ship was on shore, and plunder was at last sure to follow. The flock, who up to this period had listened with rapt attention to the arguments of the worthy divine, instantly rose, and rushed pell mell towards the scene of the wreck. The shepherd, who from long" association with his sheep, hud instincts after all m common Avith them, forgot a 1 his salutory precepts, and yelled " Start fair brethren, start fair"! We think, reversing the position, tlio flock ought to start fair. Howeve-, joking apart, we are certain that the policy of openness is the true method of dealing with a free people, and it commands our hearty and entire: support. The reforms of the method pf dealing with public lands, having particular reference to lands m Waikato, appeared next on the programme. We shall deal with this m our next issue

1 A great dial ot tho difficulty which lay around the approach to the bridge question has been cleared : away since the meeting called on the 4th. instant to discuss the desirableness of raising a loan of £7,000 for the construction of the bridge at Hamilton. Any doubt which may have existed as to the certainty of securing the grant of £3000 from the Government, voted by the Assembly, has been set at rest meanwhile, and now, m the receipt from the Public Works Department of the Government plan of a bridge, designed for the very part of the river over which the great majority pf the burgesses are desirous that ft\G bridge should be built, the chief obstacle of all has been removed. In the very nick of time the plan of the bridge has arrived, and cannot, we think, but pvore exceedingly satisfactory to all who are concerned, supposing of course, which is not knownat the time we write, the outlay is not beyond the moans at tho ilisposol of tho Borough, namety, the sum of £10,000. The bridge itself, is m three spans, one of about eighty and two .of about ninety feet eacli. is strongly braced, and to judge from the drawings of section?, an 4 spcin*cations which accompany the plan js a thorough and substantial structure The width of the bridge is' a clear etglfteen . ieet with a passenger's footway on cither side protected from the road traffic, and : the floor of the bridge is placed sime thirty feefc aboi/o low water mark. •jFlje estimated cost was not sant with ■ fclie play, but has been telegraphed j for, iiWi VM it W Uopei} V? WN

m tirno to lay it, with the plan?, before to-night's meeting. , ! With tho w.ty thus smoothed , ; ' bofoie them the burgosses will on - I Saturday come to the poll, we trust, ' m a very different spirit to that ; manifested by many at the late \ meeting— not Jjnfc that; there was at : that time, we are, quite ready to ' adutil,' ju3b cause for dissatisfaction* at *,he unproparedness of the Council, in' a matter of ' so large ti public expenditure, j. for a neAvly-created Borough sxich as Hamilton, as that of the bridge m question. Still the matter is to them so large, so important, that under no circumstauces should they allow themselves to consider it other thau most dispassionately. The bridge is the turning point of the advancing prosperity of Hamilton. Up to a certain point the town has prospered m spifce of the want of this,tlie best means of communication not merely bet vecn tho two townships but between the town as a whole aud the country boyond. But the timo has now come when not to have a bridge means tho isolation of Hamilton from the traffic of Waikato, and to place her, despite her central position, on the shelf. It will be suicidal policy, therefore, on the part of any Hamilton man to do anything that would retavd so desirable a work, and to refuse to anthorise tho proposed Joan would indifinitely do so. It would be to decline the proffered grant of £3000 voted by the Assembly to assist our own endeavors, and would simply mean that sooner or later we must return to the consideration of the construction of tha bridge with £3000 less— and that £3000 other people's money — to build it with. We can build a £10,000 bridge now for £7000. It would cost us, then, £10,000, or else we should have to be content with a much inferior structure. But would the Borough then have the same security, to give 1 We very much doubt if it would. Tf we oncfl allow the traffic to be diverted higher up, «nd without a bridge at Hamilton and Avith one at the Narrows this woild undoubtedly be the cas»\ The very traffic, the toll to which we look to meqt inleres 1 ; and sinking fund, will be lessened and depreciated, and we shall find it no easy matter to guide t back lihe stream of traffic into its old j channel. Hamilton roust keep her j head on the crest of the advancing wave of progress, or she will be left to struggle alone m the trough of j the sea. We have alluded to the qnestion of the toll. We are aware that this ; is one of the sources of opposition to the bridge scheme. Ie is said that the lands of the Borough would be security sufficient for the bridge. The lands of the Borough may be j worth treble the sum required to build t c bridge, but they can offer no other security than their annual revenue will afford. They are inalienable, and consequently m themselves no tangible sesurity. If let at a rack rent to-morrow, the revenue Would fall far short of providing the interest and sinking fund on a sum of £7,000. The only other recourse is a special rate on Borough property, aud that would scarcely suit the burgesses, we think, though it might suit residents outside the Borough, on whom, after all, a large proportion of the toll will fall. By and bye we may get rid of the toll, but-, for a time, it is our only practicable and least burdensome source of meeting the debt, and thankful we ought to be that the traffic is so large that by its means we shall be saved the unpleasant ness of feeling the debenture-holders' fingers m our pockets every half-year.