The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1889.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2670, 22 August 1889, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1889.

In our issue of Saturday last appeared a letter from Mr Samuel Vaile on the question of railway reform. Mr Vaile persistently continues his efforts to alter the system under which the railways of the colony are worked. Numerous letters from his pen appear in the press, making a lunge at the system whenever lie sees some new weak point exposed. Interest in his agitation has waned in this district; the public generally does not appear to follow Mr Vaile with the same keeness it formerly did. Perhaps the loss of moral support is due more to the manner of attack adopted by Mr Vaile than to conviction in the justice and correctness of his views. We refer to his letter bceause, in it, he appeals directly to the Waikato people to take specific action towards securing a reversal of the existing order of things in collection with our railways. He asserts that the time has passed when " concessions '' should bo solicited; he declares that the people should " demand rightsand quotes certain resolutions recently passed at a meeting of farmers at Gore, in Southland as displaying the sturdy spirit which settlers everywhere should adopt. Mr Vaile's chief contention is against the unfair operation of differential rating, which is felt to such an oppressive degree by long distance settlers. Mr F. I). Rich, of Patetere, gave the most glaring illustration of the effects of the tariff the other day, when he showed that it cost his company over three pounds per ton for railway transit of fencing wire from Auckland to Lichfield. As the Patetere Company arc expending large sums in reclaiming and fencing extensive areas of laud, to make it (it for occupation, such charges are the heaviest possible tax on the legitimate outlay of capital that can be devised. It is simply prohibitory of the settlement of the country, and so long as the present policy remains in force, it is absurd to talk of extending settlement, or of purchasing the King Country, or any other portion of the country far removed from the ons chief centre of population. It would bo sheer madness for settlors to ostracise themselves in such remote localities in the hopes of enjoying prosperity. The railways would choke them out of existence. Mr Vaile has always advocated the stage system, which would meet the circumstances of a colony with a population spreading further and further from the chief ccntres, and would equalise amongst near and far localities the facilities for reaching the principal markets, thus distributing uniform advantages to all alike. We accept Mr Vaile's statement that both England and America have abolished differential rating, though it is not clear how the State can exercise control over the affairs of purely private commercial enterprises as to make such rating penal. It is, however, a decided point in his favour that the Hungarian Government have initiated the stage system on their lines in such a liberal manner. What Hungary can do New Zealand should _ not show a less enterprising disposition to follow. Mr Vaile warns .the public not to go to the Railway Commissioners for any concession, or change of principles fixed like idamant in their minds. We do i.ot approve of the course pursued by Mi* Vaile in always trying to excite hostility towards the .Hoard of Commissioners, and covering them with contempt, It betrays weakness to do so, \Ve cannot blame the Commissioners for resisting the agitation and demands made from all quarters. I lie railway policy entrusted to their keeping is that which will produce revenue. They are required to finance the lines to secure the largest margin of profit, settlement, public conveuieiice

or the encouragement of local industries, are minor considerations. We will give a. case in point, the latest, for such instances are of daily occurrence. Mr E. Pftarson, of Hamilton, has successfully established a new local industry in the manufacture of carbolic sand soafi, Mr Pearson, after a visit to the Australian colonies, secured some large orders from public institutions and commercial houses in Sydney and Melbourne. The nature of the article requires economy of labour and saving of expenses to make it profitable and secure its permanence. Mr Pearson finds our railway tariff the greatest drawback, and he made an etl'ort to obtain some concession in order to encourage, his industry. He asked the Commisoioncrs to reduce the freight from Hamilton to Auckland from 30s to 10s per ton, guaranteeing to forward not less than one and a half tons at any one time. The reply of the Commissioners is that they cannot make the reduction he asks, but if he will establish his factory in Auckland they will carry the " sand from Hamilton in truckloads at 9s per ton." In his manufacture Mr Pearsou uses ingredients which lie imports from Auckland. The railway department in offering to convey the bare raw material at less than the manufactured article would actually be a loser. But soap is already engrafted in their tariff, and its classification is, to their minds, unalterable, as the policy has fixed them to that tariff. Sand, however, would be a new freight, and could be classed at any scale they please. And to save them from incurring a departure from their imrnoveable law they would sacrifice a most promising industry, or compel it to shift its locnle, to the injury of its place of birth. Mr Vaile exhorts us to appeal to the present Parliament to give us reform. It is hopeless. In this as in all other questions we are so stoutly contending for, we can hope for no remedies from this Parliament, nor from any other which may be similarly constituted. Public opinion is agreed that railway reform is absolutely necessary ; but, it will ask the present Legislature for nothing, because it is out of sympathetic accord with the people. It is anti-national. We must defer our hopes till the next Parliament, and we (press and people) must become thoroughly awake to the necessities of the country, and propare, by organisation, for the elections which will result in the creation of that next Parliament. We must ourselves fix upon our measures and then select the right men to make them law. Several letters havo lately appeared in our columns on political reform, and we hail them as the beginning of a healthy awakening on the part of the people of Waikato and Piako districts. It is the direction we desire public opinion to take, and we shall review the proposals put forward by our correspondents in due time.