The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 548, 2 February 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1878.

We committed an error in our paragraph, last evening, concerning the meeting of merchants and others. Mr. Scmfter, in speaking of the reply of the Government to the Harbour Board, regarding trucks, said that the Government had promised that several hundred—not 700— would be placed on the line between Oamaru and Christchurch within the next four months. " The Government " unfortunately means some wretched official, and we are therefore as likely to get 700 as several hundred. We have already had a surfeit of broken promises with regard to trucks, and our experience leads us to suspect that the last promise will be no exception to the rule. There is no reason in the Government leaving the conduct of weighty matters connected with our railways to an individual who cares as little for the convenience of the settlers and the commercial prosperity of the country as an Icelander. His unpractical notions have landed us into the thick of a dilemma, from which, at this late hour before the harvest, it is difficult to discover a way of escape. But those who are interested in the proper management of our railways will suffer no more temporizing. If those super - excellent trucks that were ordered from England what appears to those suffering inconvenience for want of them, an age ago, can not be reckoned upon to arrive for a certainty in time for the harvest, and no others are in course of construction to take their place, orders should and must bo given at once for a sufficient number to compass the present extremity. The Hon. Mr. Lar->-ach, who has already shewn his abhorrence of the officialism and officiousness of certain railway bug-bear, is just the man to " take the bull by the horns," and dissipate the present difficulty. It can be done; but there is no time to be lost. The construction of trucks should be offered to those capable of making them, and that quickly, at rates similar to those that have heretofore been paid for such work, it being stipulated that they must be finished by a certain time. No valid argument can be urged against this suggestion. It may go against the grain of some people in high places in the railway department, to see matters connected wtih that department dealt with in a common sense and practical manner. The official easy-chair, from which mandates went forth in the good old days of Atkinson, will now be filled uneasily by certain railKay officials. They were amenable to [nobody but themselves in those times; now they are expected to give reasons for !all their extraordinary actions. It has been the custom in the past to decide weighty matters in connection with the management of our railways from the official chamber. Some people have such exalted opinions of themselves that they seem to think that their hasty conclusions I will be accepted and no questions asked. This has been a prolific | cause of all our railway difficulties. Bepresentations may be made by local officials in reference to local grievances and requirements : but these obstructive wiseacres have been in the habit of stultifying the actions of local officials until thelatter havebecomemere machine*. Mr. Smith was subjected to rough handling at the hands of some of those at the meeting yesterday. We will not assert

that he is entirely exempt from blame. Unfortunately, all men are not blessed with the knack of making themselves popular; but we do say that Mr. Shtth's position is by no means a bed of ro3es. He has no say in the management of our lines—although he should have—whilst he incurs all the opprobrium which official-blundering in Christchurch and Wellington call forth. If Mr. Conyeks was the sole head of the railway department in this island, all difficulties would melt. He has proved himself a thorough practical man, has a very fair idea of the requirements of each locality, and possesses sufficient common sense to listen to reason. But, unfortunately, the system of railway government is intricate. Our destinies are ruled from Christchurch and Wellington ; and so long as this is the case we can never hope for the realisation of our desire for the efficient working of our lines. We have every belief that the present difficulty will be dealt with promptly and effectively by Mr. Larnach.