Evening Post. MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1881.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 54, 7 March 1881, Page 2

Evening Post. MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1881.

THE WEST COAST RAILWAY. «. In referrring to the successful meeting recently held at Palmerston North in furtherance of the Wellington and West' Coast Railway scheme, we noticed the disclosure made on that occasion for the first time by Mr. Tbaveks, that the directors had determined to make Palmerston, and not Foxton, the terminus of the line and its point of junction with the Wanganui and Taranaki lines. We remarked that the change was somewhat important, because it should be remembered that the line condemned by the Railway Commission last session was not the " Wellington-Mana-watu," but the " Wellington- Foxton," which latter was now definitely abandoned by those moving in favor of a direct line to the West Coast on the distinct ground that it would go through "thirty miles of unproductive sandhills," while the alternative line now adopted would pass throngh " available agricultural country suitable for man and beast." We further pointed out that the directors of the Wellington-Mana-watu Railway Company had publicly declared their opinion, through Mr. Tbavebs as their accredited mouthpiece, that " the undertaking could not be made a paying speculation by takiDg the line to Foxton," while by taking it to Palmerston instead good country would be passed throngh, and the centre of a valuable district more directly reached. Obviously, therefore, this was not the '* Wellington-Foxton line," condemned by the Royal Commission on the ground that it passed through some barren sandy country, because this unprofitable country would be avoided by the route now intended to be adopted. It will be observed that we simply put forward Mr. Tbaveks' announcement of the directors' decision, with the reasons on which it was founded, and showed that, assuming the case to be as thus stated, it oleared away one difficulty — the condemnation of the line by the Royal Commission. We expressed neither approval nor disapproval of that decision, but simply accepted it as a fact. We were specially careful to avoid controversy on points of detail, when the fate of so gravely important an enterprise was at stake. The question whether the West Coast line goes to Foxton or to Palmerston is of very minor importance either to Wellington or even to those places compared with the greater question whether we are to have a railway at all. That is the paramount consideration, and all others must of necessity be wholly subordinate. We want tho West Coast Railway, whether it goes first to Foxton or to Palmerston, and if the good people of those places take to quarrelling on the latter point they run a risk of cutting a very ridiculous figure through the project being rendered abortive by their dissensions This is above all things to be most earnestly deprecated, and we entreat the minority to accept tha decision of the majority, on whichever side it may be. Otherwise we are in danger of losing everything, while we are disputing about the distribution of the property. The Manawatu Herald, which j represents the Foxton view of the case, assumes that we were converted by Mr. Tbavebs to the Palmerston side, because we simply accepted the decision of the directors without question, feeling the danger of fighting about details while the whole scheme was at stake. Our Foxton contemporary is prepared to prove Mr. Tbavebs wrong, and we are perfectly willing to give its view of the case, as we did the other side, merely urging that there should be no wrangling over a comparatively unimportant point until the main thing has been rendered safe. The company once floated and the line started, it would be quite competent to modify the route in any respect proved advisable. If the Herald can sustain by evidence its allegations as to the superiority of the Foxton route, there will be ample time afterward to make any alteration in the plans that may be found desirable. The Herald declares that it is prepared, if necessary, to offer irrefragable proofs that the line stands a far better chance of paying by coming into Foxton than by going further north. It asserts that Mr. Tkaveks is a most unreliable man, and that he put a false view before his audience at Palmerston, the following being our contemporary's argument to prove this: — " First of all, in his Palmerston speech he gave no date whatever to prore that the line selected by the directors was superior to the Foxton one. He simply described the Foxton line as going throngh 30 miles of sandhills, and said the other one would pass through available agricultural country suitable for man and beast. Where are these 30 miles of sandhills ? is Mr. Tbavxbs so ignorant of the ' question that he does not know that both lines to Palmerston or Foxton are common until the point of divergence at Paiaka is reached, which is about 8 miles from Foxton ? The question in dispute between Palmerston and Foxton has been whether the line should cut in to Foxton at this point or whether it should go to Palmerston. If we were to admit that all the country between the point of divergence and Foxton were sandhills, there would then be only eight miles. Where are Mr. Tbavebs' 30 ?" Finally the Herald says : — " Mr. Tbavebs forgot to tell his hearers these four things :—l.: — 1. That by taking the railway to Palmerston the traffic of the Sandon, Carnarvon, and Foxton districts, representing an already settled population of 3000 people, would be lost to the line. 2. That after the railway passed Foxton it would run parallel with the Government line, and only 7 miles east of it for 20 miles. 3. That the population between Foxton and Palmerston on the proposed railway route dooi not number 50 souls. 4. That it is

utterly unlikely Parliament will grant to a private company the risrht to construct a railway for 20 miles parallel with a Government line." This is the case set up on the Foxton side, and we leave the Provisional Directors of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company to deal with it as they think fit. We are really not concerned to discuss the matter at tha present stage. We can readily imagine that this subordinate question, may assume somewhat magnified proportions in the eyes of Foxton and Palmerston people ; but we entreat them not to make it a cotua belli,^unless they desire that the entire undertaking should be wrecked on such a trifling rock. Such an outcome of the present movement wonld indeed cover us with deserved confusion and ridicule. It will need all the energy .and the utmost efforts we can bring to bear to secure the success of the enterprise, and if we divert our exertions and waste our strength in disputing over minor questions of detail, we run serious risk of losing all. Such condnot would resemble that of a litigant, who, while quarrelling with those concerned with him in the action as to^ the disposal of its fruits, allowed judgment to go against him by default. Or it would be like the case — of not unfrequent occurrence in history—of a nation engaging in a civil strife while at war with a foreign foe, and so inevitably suffering defeat and spoliation at the hands of the latter. In this particular instance we must " pull together" at all costs, remembering the old fable about the bundle of sticks and its impressive moral that " union is. strength," nor forgetting the corollary that " disunion is weakness." Even the people of the Wairarapa ought to support the West Coast Railway. It is obviously to the great advantage of Masterton that it should be tho terminus of a railway, rather than a mere wayside station it would become if the line from Wellington to Napier were taken by that route, instead of via Manawatu. Masterton is in every way well suited for being the country capital of the Wairarapa, and this it wiU continue to be so. long as it is the railway terminus. We have no doubt that short branch lines of inexpensive construction will ultimately be made from Masterton into the fine country which lies around, and these will be useful feeders to the main line, while the Masterton-Woodville continuation, if made, would be of very doubtful benefit. It is the direct interest of the Wairarapa people that the present line should stop at Masterton, and be purely a Wairarapa railway, as they would reap no advantage, but rather the reverse, from its extension to Napier. Thpy may therefore fairly render at least moral support to the present project, which would take the line from Wellington to Napier by way of the Manawatu Gorge, leaving Masterton still the terminus of an important main line and the metropolis of a large country district. But the one thing needful is unanimity. It has been the lack of this which has thrown the Wellington district so far behind its felloes. We have always been " a house divided against itself," and we are told on the highest authority that this " cannot stand." Let us then nnite all our energies in pushing forward this great undertaking, and not weaken our cause or waste our force in disputing whether we shall go from Wellington to Napier, via Wairarapa or Manawatu, or from Wellington to Wanganui, via Foxton or Palmerston.