The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 909, 20 April 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1878.

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 uubribed by gain.

We cannot but express surprise that Dr Lemon, of the telegrap h department, or that the Government, whose officer be is, should -consider the extension of the te egraph to Ohaupo unnecessary at the present time, for "we can scarcely suppose that any other reason could induce them to refuse the very reasonable request of the inhabitants of Ohaupo for the axbension of the telegraph to that district. There are many reasons why this extension should have been made, and first and foremost is the one that no railway station on the line should be isolated for the want of such means of speedy oommuni cation as the wiie affords. It is. impossible to tell the hour or the minute when the possibility ot send-, ing a message from one portion of the i railway lifte to another may nob be thesayingof someterriblecalamity to 1 life and property. For some time, Ohanpo will be the terminus at this end ot the line, and it is monstrous « to think that m tke.so days telegraphic communication between the two termini should be cat off by n j break of nine or ten miles. Tlieie are other stations on the line, we are qnite aware, which are not counectpd witli the terminus or any i other, station by wire, but two blacks -tvill not make : a white, and, it the ttovernraent have neglected the pu'Mic interests and safely iv these cases, it id ro reason they should do so again., iv *h* case of Ohaupo They nii^ht, without much difficulty, have eombi»e4 w tlw QM ofom the

-qiia]lticatiou3''of station-master and telegrapfest, even though, the jdisbricb rftad not warranted the iappbmtmeiit of avi officer solely employed upon the telegraph. Really, ..however, there is a much greater necessity, for ii telegraph at Ohaup9 than at first sight appears. ■As the terminus of the line, the point to which the principal produce will converge for some time to come country, settlers, will need to use the wire much ofbner than they possibly can do now, and on certain days when the cattle sales lake place a very large proportion of business men and settlers of the Waikato are for the day cut off entirely from telegraph communication, with the rest of thecolony. We are much inclined to believa that .if the statistics of the several telegraph offices m New Zealand were before us we could put our finger on more than one where the business done is far less than niighb bs estimated to take place at Ohaupo, if the line were extended there. As our readers are aware from a letter recently published by us the settlers of Ohaupo aud others peli- ! tioued the Government m the matter.* The following is the reply received to their memorial : — New Zealand Telegraph, Head Oflico, Wellington, March 4th, 1878. GnENTwaiEN, — I have the honor, by dire'e- . tion of the Hon. the Telegraph Commissioner, to acknowledge the receipt of your petition praying for the establishment of a Telegraph Station at Ohaupo, and, m reply, to inform you that the Government cannot at present entertain the prayer of the petitioners.-^-! have the honor to bo, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, C. Lroiox, General Manager. To J. Gr. Germann, Esq., and others, Ohaupo, County of Waipa, Auckland.