FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 123, 27 May 1933, Page 11

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM " THE POST "

SOUTH ISLAND RAILWAY

"Wo arc glad to .find that the people of Wellington are at last awaking to the local as well as to the colonial importance of the South Island trunk railway question," remarks "The Post" of this date fifty years ago. "No other public question now at issue so materially affects the interests of this city and port and district. It is essential to Wellington's maintenance of 3«jr proper standing as a commercial entrepot, indeed, as the natural trading '.centre of the colony, that, by whatever xoiite it may be taken, the continuation of the South Island trunk line beyond .Canterbury should be to some point on Cook Strait. The rival routes may be left to after discussion when tho report of the Royal Commission haa been made jjublic. The best line ought to be- chosen •.irrespective of all local, personal, or jjrivate interests. But the vital ques•tion as concerning, not only Wellington Itmt the whole colony is that the line shall go toward, and ultimately to, Cook Strait, reaching the latter at the point most convenient ,for shipment to tho nearest point in the North Island. This, of course, practically means Picton on the .one side, and Wellington on the other. The colony stands pledged to this, and a portion of tho new' loan lias distinctly been set aside for the ■work. The colony is explicitly pledged to tho public creditor,to use it for that and no other purpose1. But a certain section of Canterbury agitatora are actually putting forth tho impudent and outrageous demand that the money ■borrowed aud lent expressly for the continuation of tho railway from Canterbury to Cook Strait shall' be deliberately taken and used for a totally, different purpose, namely for itho condemned railway from Christchurch to Westland, which its wannest advocates were forced; on personal inspection of tho route, to pronounce liopelossly unprofitable. That is the disreputable and indefensible proceeding which is cooly advocated by some of the Canterbury people. It is high time that the people., of Wellington ;wero up and stirring to defeat this - Jiefarious project by counter-organ-isation.".. •'.. .;'■..' ' i^E.EpUOAtION PROBLEM. ''Npthwith standing, the earnest' and Jjra^ing: interest excited, by' the; Education, problem, its satisfactory solution seems farther off |than ever. We deem the -problem to consist in reconciling the antagonistic claims of thpse»;?>wh'o uphold our. .colonial secular system,-and-the advocates of 'religious tiducationi' iuysbmo; shape, as an essential part"'of the State schools''curriculum. Most unprejudiced, persons feel that there is a serious hardship in:the Koman Catholics being compelled■.■ to. contribute to a system from which their religious consciences preclude -them from deriving any benefit. '. But how 3s ■ this grievance. to^be redressed without , breaking down the ■whole educational edifice, reared at such." enormous . cost ? Let some one of our ambitious politicians show'us how all the difficulties can be smoothed away, all the conflicting interests" and claims ' reconciled, and he may rest assured that he In-ill at once bp itho foremost man in fcho colony." ' , ' ' STOCKS FOB, WELLINGTON? "A novel and-curious departure for [these modern times, has been taken by some of tho^. ministers of religion, stationed in this city. They have met quietly among themselves and have arrived at the conclusion, that, as.what they term Sabbath desecration was uncjuly prevalent in Wellington, it was udviiable to appeal to flic '.secular arm' '"tiTput it down by~force. Accordingly Ihey directed the attention of the police authorities to the fact that tho law ■was being infringed in respect to Sunflay trading, and requested them to do iheir duty in compelling obedience. In.pursuance of this' representation the police made a preliminary visitation last Sunday and cautioned the peccant shopkeepers that continued defiance of the law would result in prosecution, jthe penalty in case of conviction being •two hours' exposure in the 'stocks.' [As this benighted colony cannot boast of possessing even a single specimen of these venerable instruments of 'chastisement, nor yet of a rack, a thumbscrew, or a 'boot' of the kind inmploved to convert the Scottish Covenanters—all these things being 'contemporaries of tho law which is now sought to be enforced —we fear that a sudden' and serious demand on the Colonial Treasurer's hard-earned surplus is imminent. Stocks will have to j»e constructed' at once. Certainly stock-making will be quite a new local industry,' and' possibly the starting of this may be tlio real object of those patriotic preachors of the Gospel. Still, we cannot say we altogether approve of tho way the,'thing has been done: it. savours too much of tho 'good old days.' Let everyone who thinks it wrong Beck to discourage Sunday trading by resolutely refraining from purchasing anything on that day, and let the ministers of religion.strenuously urge upon their hearers the importance of observing this rule. This is within the scope of their duty: setting the police on - offenders is not." ' POST OFFICE CLOCK. "After unconscionable delay tho City of Wellington was, a year ago, acaccbrded- the necessary, boon of a new Post Office. For .years Wellington had been the laughing-stock of all-comers, and a scandal to the colony by reason of the rotten, tumble-down, ramshackle, disreputable old shanty, which the parsimony of successive ministers had allowed to do duty for the Chief Post Office in the metropolis, while all other JS Tew Zealand cities, and even secondclass towns of the colony, possessed almost palatial structures for this purpose. At length the present Government mustered courage to propose the vote for this indispensable work; and it was passed,'the contract was taken, and operations begun. The new building is now rapidly approaching completion and presents a handsome and imposing appearance. During the past week or two a central tower has been ■uprearing itself above the roof of the edifice, and on each of the four sides ipf. the tower is a vast circular aperture. It was naturally -understood, and-cur-rently stated, that the equipment of that tower with a fine clock, of which the four faces would occupy those apertures, would, as a matter of course, form part of the regular fitting up of the. building, as in the case of other post offices in the colony. But now it is reported on what seems trustworthy authority that the Government have instructed , the contractor to board up the apertures as they do not intend to place a clock there at all. If this be true, and we have no reason to doubt it, then we have no hesitation in' characterising the proceeding as a piece of miserable- niggardliness and contemptible cheeseparing. It resembles the action of some miserly person who puts up a large and costly residence and then declines to goto the expenso of putting in glass windows, but insists on stretching calico across the window openings instead. It is too bad that in the rare instances when Wellington is given a decent public building it should be spoilt in this way. If Ministers remain inexorable, then we suggest that possibly the City Council and the Habour Board between theni might arrange to divide tho cost of the clock, or that, better still, somo wealthy and public-spirited citizen donate a clock, so that Wellington may l-ise up and call Mm :and his children , Pleased,'-!..... ..,.-., 1 -■ -■ - ..-.'.-