THE Thames Advertiser. TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1876.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2334, 18 April 1876, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1876.

When Sir George Grey became a candidate for the representation of the Thames in the General Assembly he drew particular attention, during his election canvass, to tfhat we have long been agitating for, namely, the construction of a line of railway from the Thames to the Waikato, a work which ho declared was not only feasible and necessary, but one which could be carried out by means of a Government guarantee of six per cent, interest upon the cost of the work, if the General Assembly would not in any other way sanction the construction of the line, And since the period referred to Sir George has, in two or three of his letters to the Premier, drawn attention to this work as one of pressing and urgent importance, so that we may reasonably conclude the present Superintendent is in earnest in the matter, and will do all that can be done at the coming session of the Assembly to see funds provided—either by loan or by guarantee—to make a through line to the Waikato from Shortland. But we fear his -individual efforts will not suffice to secure an appropriation for the work, and if the people here hope for success they must take some energetic steps prior to the meeting of the Assembly to obtain every possible] support' for the project from other districts in the province; and they must show by a vigorous and united agitation that they do not any longer intend to bo put olf with fair promises, or the expenditure of a few pounds upon " flying surveys." That thispiojeeted railway would secure a large support in the House of Representatives, if properly and intelligently placed under the attention of members, no one can doubt, because members would see at a glance that the line would be highly reproductive, and would bo one of the best railways in the colony, opening up an entirely new and almost unpeopled district. In addition to this the line would form a means of communication between two settled districts of the first importance in the colony—the Thames and Waikato. We say that with all these facts them the now House of Representatives would be bound to listen to a strong appeal by a majority of the mcmbcis of this province for the commencement of the railway. But steps must be taken by the peoplo of the Thames and Waikato, to bring the question under the attention of the Assembly by means of petitions, and both districts must take joint and united action to impress their representatives with the importance of the work and the necessity of unity in the matter, prior to the oponing of the session.

"We are glad to see that our Waikato contemporary keeps the question prominently before the settlers in that district, and in his last issue a sensible letter from a Piako settler appears upon the importance of the work, which is worth reproducing. The writer says;

The Thames and Piako railway, though not a trunk line, is one, nevertheless, of such importance that its construction ought not to bo neglected by the Government, but unless not only the Press, but the settlers interested, the importance and necessity of the work upon the Government, it h more likely to bi loft undone than not. Neither the Thames nor the Waikato.Press has been negligent in calling public attention to the matter from time to time, but unless the public itself in both communities takes up the matter with spirit, and at once, another session and another year will pass by without anything being done.

It was only when the matter was urged upon the Premier by a committee appointed to agitato the matter, that the flying survey of Mr Simpson was niadc. This done, the matter was shelved, the bugbear of the native difficulty was made the peg on which to hang delay, and the matter has remained ever since in statu quo, That difficulty, however, no longer exists, or in so mild a form that it could aud ought to be easily overcome. It could at least lead to no serious complication, while the advantages to be gained by the construction of a railway connecting Grahamstown with the Waikato would be of such vast importance to the welfare, progress, and maintenance of peace in the already partly settled distiicts north of a ba o line drawn from Taurauga to Kaglan, that neither expense nor difficulty of negotiation should he allowed by the Government to stand for one moment in the way of the prosecution of tho undertaking.

In iomitting from tlio list of public works the construction of this line of railway the Government has, I believe, loft out one of the most important and reproductive schemes in the whole plan, and has not only been culpably negligent of the interests of the Waikato, tho Piako, and the Thames, but of the colony at large. When the Government refused the offer of Messrs Brogden to construct the various lines of railway by private enterprise on a guarantee, it assumed a responsibility of doing the work itself, aud in so glaring an instance of neglect of such la|go local, and colonial interests as are involved in tho construction of this work there is little doubt that if ouly a strong and steady pressure of public opinion were brought to bear upon them, the matter would receive the attention it deserves. Surely if political pressure can ensure the construction of a railway from Biverhead to Auckland, which, running side by side with inland navigation, will open iip land that on an average would not maintain a goat on every hundred acres, the vast fertile tracts to be benefited by the proposed Thames and Waikato railway have au equal if not superior claim.

This letter, we believe, fairly reflects the opinions of nearly all the Waikato settlers, so that there would hob bo much difficulty in inducing tliem to take oint action with the Thames in pushing the proposed work Into the next Appropriation Bill. Afc the Thames we should like to see the old Railway Committee revived, as it did good service ou a previous occasion by collecting a great amount of useful and valuable information respecting', the trade and commerce of the district. But the first step to take would be to call a public meeting, so that the people may express an opinion upon this and other subjects which are of common interest to every resident at the Thames. The harbour at present is a disgrace to the colony—steamers can only reach the ono remaining wharf afc certain periods of the tide—and yet the people here pay the same taxes aa those in other parts of the colony, and are entitled to just as much consideration as the people of Otago or Canterbury. But they have cot obtained it in the past, mainly we believe through the representation, or rather misrepresentation, of the district in the last Assembly. Will the people fare* better at the hands of Sir George Grey and Mr W. Rowe 1 Upon the constitutional question our members will be on different sides of the House, but upon all matters of local interest they will probably act together, and may perhaps obtain some concessions for past neglect. At all events, there are three matters which are of great concern to the Thames, and upon which we expect our members to. put forth their best efforts on our behalf, namely, tho opening of the lands for settlement, the construction of a railway to the Waikato, and the granting of funds for harbour works and goldfields roads and tracks. •