FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1934, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM « THE POST "

THE MANAWATU RAILWAY

"During the.late debates in the House on railway matters, the concessions made by the Government to the Wellington-Manawatu Company have been; held up on all sides as excessive, and the whole transaction has, over and over, again, been denounced as a gross job by which the interests of the colony have been sacrificed to thoso of tho shareholders in a private company," .remarks "The Post" of this dato;flfty years ago. "Anything more ■unfair or untruthful than these statements can hardly be imagined. It is the fact that this company is making the connection betwoen Wellington and Manawatu that enables the House now to consider and proceed with the construction of that great colonial work, tho North Island Trunk Bailway. If it had not been.for the operations and enterprise of the .company, the Government would now have been greatly hampered in dealing: with this subject. It is .the expenditure by the company which has prevented Wellington sinking into the almost hopeless state of depression which has recently afflicted Canterbury and Otago. . The company has pushed on its work with an oxpediJon,, completeness, and economy which as put the Public Works Department of ■;the, colony to absolute shame. It has, got better grades, easier curvos, »nd- shorter routes than the Government engineers could find, and it has got superior work constructed far below Government estimates for the ordinary kind of Government work. It has by /■rudeut and straightforward negotiation with tho Natives, and at a fair price, secured a largo extent of valuable Native land, which the Government had been vainly trying to obtain for years past. Yet with all these concessions, prudent administration, economical construction of work, valuable landed estate secured, and other advantages, the shares are only at par. If-half of what has been said about the concessions to the Wellington-Mana-watu Bail way Company was true, tho shares should be.worth 100 per cent, premium. But those who prate loudest on the subject, however, know least, and they do not exhibit any. anxiety to invest, even at par." THE MERIDIAN CONFERENCE. "An international conference has just decided that tho meridian of Greenwich, is to be accepted in future as the world's standard meridian. We feel'.;ijielined to add: 'Just so; why not?' Had.the representatives come to any.other decision it would have been very strange. In fact, wo are at a Joss, to imagine what were the causes .which led to the conference being held. Tie ( doctrine which, according to our cable message, has just been promulgated has to all intents and purposes been held for/generations by nearly all the nations, of. the earth.' The great exception has been France, which has adhered'to the meridian of Paris, and which has -always declined to follow tho lead of England. : That she will do so nowj even after having taken part in the conference, is extremely unlikely. If ..the' only business concluded at the conference, is what has been telegraphed, the: conference cannot bo said to have done much." TE ABO RECLAMATION. "On Friday evening, the ratepayers of .Wellington1 wilL be invited to considers'proposal to borrow £75,000 for 1 tho purpose of carrying on and completing the Tc Aro reclamation. We should be sorry to see tho loa.n^ refused, but under' tho circumstances 'we'-'cquld not Warne the ratopayers.'.-Tliey have' been bitten so often in regard to. this unfortunate .reclamation that they may now be well, excused, for any shyness they exhibit. We trust, hpweyer, that the municipal authorities may be enabled to put the matter in such a; light as to inspire/renewed confidence^ and justify the ratepayers in sanctioning a loan sufficient to ensure the completion of what all must admit to be a most desirable and. necessary work." ■'~-- .; ••• jr. After: the ratepayers' meeting^''The decision arrived at by the meeting of ratepayers last night will not surprise anyone!,. The mover and seconder of the'resolution failed utterly to give any good reason why tho ratepayers .should sanction'a loan of £75,000 to carry out the'scheme-as designed by;.the City Council, while the document-which ivas read" and circulated, giving a history of past transactions in. regard to theJTOclamation, disclosed such a record j of muddling and mismanagement as might ■well make people cautious about giving the council the wide powers they ask for. The Te. Aro reclamation isa most necessary work, but -\ve do not want any fancy schemes such as that put forward and unanimously turned down last night. It is to be hoped that the City Council will accept last night's expression of opinion, which was given with no uncertain voice, and modify their proposals. Any reasonable scheme, wo think,1 would receive, the' endorsement of the majority of ratepayers." HOT LAKES DISTRICT. "A meeting of gentlemen interested in. the development of the hot lakes in the North Island was held yesterday afternoon. Mr. Bobert Graham, the chairman, said that he had been greatly struck with the beauties of Wairakei, hear Taupo, arid he thought that something' ought to be done to make that region better known throughout the' world. The curative properties of the waters, both in the Lake District and at Waiwera, were well known, ■while the scenery in the Kotorua District could. not be imagined by those who had not tieen there. Wairakei was ouly two days' journey by a good coach joad from Napier, and steps, he thought, should be taken to develop properly what had been truly described as 'The Wonderland of New Zealand.' Another speaker said that if only invalids knew the good that could be derived from taking the baths the district would bo much' better patronised than it was at present. Tho chairman said that the development of the district was a matter of national importance. After somo further.-remarks, during which the for-mation-of a company was discussed, it ■was decided to hold a further meeting ■to consider the project." THE RAILWAY QUESTION. '.'The Auckland Chamber of Commerce is' now graciously pleased to say that it will not oppose the construction of the Central line if the colony •will commit itself to an extra expense of three-quarters of-»a million or so to conserve the commercial interests of Auckland by making a special branch line to New Plymouth. We appreciate the modesty and generosity of Auckland, but the House will no doubt jti&kly make it understood that the general interests of the colony, must be regarded as superior even to the mercantile interests o£ Auckland. The latter, however, arc not really endangered, as the Auckland merchants might easily perceive if they .were wise enough to look beyond their noses." COAL IN ABUNDANCE. "Mr. Holmes somewhat- startled the House last night-by affirming with the usual vehemence which gives so great a weight'to hi 3 utterances, that on the West Coast of, the Middle Island there ■were 245,000 square miles of coal-bear-ing land. Perhaps this statement explains' a former one of his referring to 245. tons of coal to the square yard I^ing -known, to exist in the P.runner conlmuw. The former is probably fceareiv-the-tsutta. than, t.helatte*,