The Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties' Gazette. TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1911. Redress for Rongotea.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 1469, 18 April 1911, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties' Gazette. TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1911. Redress for Rongotea.

Rongoxjea has two distinct and genuine grievances, and we agree that they should be thoroughly ventilated. Like most country districts up this way, there is a great dearth of Justices of the Peace. In our cities and large towns there is such a plethora of Justices that a J.P. therein has no honour whatever. But in Feilding it is somewhat difficult at times to find one of the Great Unpaid to witness an important document, whilst in the country centres round about Feilding many miles have to be travelled to got. a J.P., as wo have again and again pointed out. By the way, the longpromised new list of Justices, which was to have boon published just before the Hon. Dr Findlay sailed for London, has at last made its appearance. On it appear gentlemen who live in districts round about Feilding that have long needed Justices of the Peace. But the list doe 6 not assist Rongotea, Glen Oroua, Rangiotu, and some other centres of settlement out that way that want a J.P. each. Tho newly-organised Rongotea Chamber of Commerce took tlie. matter up, and wrote to the Minister of Justice thereanent. The same old reply is forthcoming—a reply that has been received again and again by numerous bodies all over tlie Dominion during the past two years: "Your request will receive attention when the question of making new appointments comes up." City folks may scoff at the prevalence of the J.P. in their midst, but his absence is a distinct inconvenience in tho country districts. Is the Injustice Department listening?

The second want of Rongotea is a station master at Rangiotu. x\s the "siding" is now fed by a rich area of country, the Rongotea Chamber also took this„ matter up., and made an effort to improve the anyhow methods that prevail there now. A letter was the result, and to this the Railway Department wrote regretting that "until such time as the traffic warranted it" the department could not see its way to recommend the increased expenditure that would bo necessary in appointing a station master at Rangiotu. And butter- alone to the value of something like £45,000 per annum is railed from this siding, whilst flax is also a considerable item. Apropos, in his article on Rural New Zealand, which appeared in Saturday's Star, Mr Eames told us that the Rongotea Co-operative Dairy Co. has 65 suppliers. If the Minister would only make a list of the wayside stations in Now Zealand at which the business done docs not nearly pay for the services of their station master —there are some of this kind in the far southern parts of tho South Island—we are sure he would soon find how he could effect some of his muchdesired economies, and also be able to transfer a man to Rangiotu. Or the Minister might promote the courteous porter who now has charge, and make him station master, with an assistant. Are you listening, Mr Millar? In tho meantime, our advice to the Rongotea Chamber of Commerce is: Keep on pegging away. Do not be discouraged by Taihoa replies or refusals from departments or Ministers. Your member of Parliament is a gentleman who receives attention from the powers that.be—as witness a notice in another column regarding the Rongotea Town Hall—and if a local deputation could make it bheir business to go with him to the city to see the Ministers, they would find such a word in time would save ninety and nine letters.