Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." MONDAY, JUNE 10th, 1878.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXI, Issue 3684, 10 June 1878, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." MONDAY, JUNE 10th, 1878.

The Wanganui- Man awatu railway service is surely as pretty a specimen oJ official blundering aud mismauagemeu as the Department is answerable for ir any part of the colony. A service has been commenced — not in advance o\ the requirements of the district, bul far in advance of the provision whicl has been made for carrying it ink effect. The line is getting into disrepute, not from any fault on the parl of the Manager, but simply because the Government, yielding to Wellington pressure, hurried on fhe opening of daily communication between thai port and Wanganui before they were in a position to carry it out with anything like reasonable success. The experiment has proved most satisfactory, in the matter of traffic, besides giving indications of a much more eX' tended business in the immediate future. But eminently unsatisfactory has the experiment proved iv othei respects — and exac ly in those things which should have been controllable bj the Railway Department. How came it that when t.he li° e was openec through to Foxton, the Departmeni was so utterly unprepared for it. In sufficient accommodation for passengers aud goods all along the lineengine power utterly inadequate to the service — and trade almost at a standstill for want of trucks. Surely these things should have been in some measure provided for. It would have been better, we think to have deferred running a daily train to and fron. Foxton, until the Manager had beec provided with sufficient engines to dc the running satisfactorily. But the line having been opened, and the time table advertised, the Government should have hurried up with the engines to enable time to be kept. But the weeks and months go by, the people make little of their grievance and the authorities of course make nc sign. It was rumoured some time age that two additional Fairlie engines were to be forwarded almost immediately, one from Auckland and th< other from Wellington. What is the cause of the delay in their arrival we cannot imagine. In the meantime, the engines we have are being used sc continuously that they may be expected very soon either to break down altogether, or to have to go into the sheds for extensive repairs. Two oi three more engines would of course involve so much more additional present outlay on ascount of this Hue, but it would very materially decrease the wear and tear of machinery, aud would thus really be a saving rather than otherwise. The deficiency of trucks is another drawback. For present requirements, to say nothing of what may hereafter be needed, there is not enough by one-half. Something over a hundred is the total numbpr at present on the line, of which about two-thirds are available for the traffic Just aboutdoublethisnumbershould be provided. The timber and firewood aud other weighty traffic is heavily handicapped just now ; because, first, there are no trucks to be had for carrying ; and secondly, if they had abundance, the trains could not draw them. At present, trucks taken on at Palmerston, Feilding, and Halcombe, have to be dropped at Marton, Turakina, and Wangaehu, and it has happened that a period of a week has elapsed before trucks have arrived attheir destination. Before things can be remedied, it will be necessary to separate the passenger and goods traffic. With additional engine power, a passenger and light goods ti-ain could easily be run so as to keep the time laid down in the present table ; and a separate goods train, running at easy speed, could take a far larger number of trucks thau :;t present is possible. We think the present service would suit admirably, if the morning train from each end were made a goods train, available for passengers at reduced rates, and taking an hour longer in arriving at its destin-ition. In addition to this, there should be an early morning traiu into Wang -111111 for the convenience specially of Kangitikei settlers wishing to to do business in town. This would suit ail present requirements. Ke ferrin;;; to the matter of station ac commodation, we would particularly point out the necessities of Greatford, Passengers to and from Bulls have oi coui'se to study the time of the coaches, and arc thus often compelled to walk the platform at the Greatford station tor an hour aud an hour and a half at ti time, waiting the in-rival f the incoming train. This should be remedied. At r.o place on the liuc is there more urgent need for a waiting room j for passengers. We trust the matler ' will be taken in hand, and that quieUy.

Our Patea contemporary has the misfortune to be as suspicious as he is thinslrinned. This is his latest griev ance : That in the CiinONiCLS of the 6th inst., in which a Press Agency telegram appeared, referring to the case Black v. Ivess, heard on the previous day at the District Court, Carlyle, a paragraph also appeared, in which ii • was stated that •' plaintiff sued defendant for two hundred pounds damages i because of the falling off of subscribers to the Patea Mail." In the Press Agency telegram the claim was desj cribed as "for alleged losses sustained in consequence of certain advertise- ' ments and subscribers failiug to continue their support after Mr Black 1 became lessee of the Mail." We rather think the telegram is more damaging than the paragraph. Yet the reference therein made to the case, innocent though it was of any intentiou to injure in the slightest degree, is dealt with by theeditor of the Mail iv his heaviest sledge-hammer style. Had : we been actuated by any feeliugs of ill-will towards our contemporary, we t should have published in full the damaging admissions which its proi prietor was forced to make during his 5 cross-examination on Wednesday last. [ So as not to take any undue adt vantage of our contemporary, we will i permit him to speak for himself. This > is the mild way in which he puts his . complaint : — " The above paragraph s contains a statement about subscribers ) to the Patea Mail, neither warranted . by the telegram which was printed iv r the same issue of the Chronicle, nor \ by actual facts, as the proprietor of ; the Chronicle, who happened to be . in Carlyle at the time the paragraph 5 was written should be able to vouch _ for — he having been informed that in } spite of the daily coach bringing . Wanganui papers, that the subscribers 3 to the Patea Mail were steadily on the . increase. Erom commencement of ? present quarter (Ist April) we count 5 ' 25 new subscribers, which, for a thinly r I peopled district like Patea, speaks > volumes. The previous quarter shows [ proportionately satisfactory results. b The intention of the writer appears to - have been to do damage to the Mail. . Advertisers and residents within the . County who know the facts of the 3 late action are not likely to be misled. . Even as shown on the trial, it was not 3 for any failiug off of subscribers after 3 present proprietor was in possession, j that former proprietor was sued, but I that names given in as subscribers in i 1876, in some cases denied that they i were so, and in others declined to pay. , We think the proprietor of the > Chronicle will have the frankness to » acknowledge that there was no foun--3 datiou in fact for the damaging and . uutrue statement, iv regard to the ; Mail, made during his absence."