The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 14,1879.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1023, 14 January 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14,1879.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever Btate or persuasion, religious" orToolitioal. • --,.,.,,......, Hero shall the Press the People's right maintain,' Uhawed.by influence and unbribed by gain. •■ •''--.'>" .. f

It is satisfactory to find that the importance of opening up the road from Rotorna to Cambridge; so' thoroughly recommends, itself to the attention of the Government that Mr Hetley, with a Maori guide and staff of surveyors has been sent to ascertain the practicability of constructing; a road or railway along the line or" country, receutly traversed by Mr Moss, M.-EJ-.U. the native chief Marsh, and others. If we were not already fully aware in this part of the country of the very great advantage to this district which] would ensue from the diversion } df the traffic between Auckland and the Lake country through Waikato, the . following somewhat amusing paragraph which we take from the ' Bay of Plenty Times' of the 9th inst. would awaken us to the fact:— " If only Tauranga people," says; that journal, " had one half the energy, "that distinguishes the residents of " the Waikato what a different place " this would be. Tn every news- " paper some contemplated improve- ■" ment at Hamilton or Cambridge '■ crops up; : and Cabinet Ministers " seldom visit Auckland without find- " ing time for a trip to the district. "This prosperity is in a groat, " measure owing to the unwearied " labours of the "Waikato representatives. Mr McMinni M.H.K., " stayed in Wellington for nearly a " whole month after the session •* closed, and during that time "secured several substantial favors "for his constituents. Mr Moss,. " M.H.R, has also done a great deal " for Waikato, aud as will be seen by " the letter in another column, "intends working hard to promote " the new route to the Lakes. Once " more we hog and exhort our fellow-- " townsmen to;consider this subject "before it is too late. Bankers,, " auctioneers, storekeepers, and set- " tiers are all vitally interested, for "if the talked-of road becomes a " fact, nineitentiis of :the traffic to "the Lake district must inevitably "cea«e* That the Waikato people "are in earnest, no one can doubt, u and, unless we take prompt steps " to prevent them moving in the " matter, they will, to use a slang " phrase * euchre us properly.' " The fear which the prospective loss of nine-tenths the traffic to the Lake district has raised in the mind of our contemporary would seem to have dispelled the use of ordinary caution in his remarks, or such a sentence as that which follows would

never have been given utterance to- until " bankers, auctioneers, " istorekeepers and settlers" had met JJfasfc\closed doors. Pity that the ' f ßay Plenty Times' did not itself a little further, and the public what are "the profit steps" the people of Taurapga can take •«to prevent VYaikato 'mining in the matter" of getting ;ois road opened up. The exhortation to the " bankers, auctioneers, storekeepers and settlers" has, to say; the -least, a-, very-.ug1y,....100k.,. That it can be meant to refer to political pressure, raising- of native Svorking •thenarvey•' ; dr vanyother expedients : foi ,r prevention! of Waikato interests, we cannot believe, but others might judge less* charitably than ourselves of the meaning of the suggestion. Of the, may rest perfectly satisfied. That is beyond dispute, for we have not only the,; direct eyidence of natives who know the line Well and of JMfc; Moss who traversed it \vith them, but' that of'-'tine' wrifer j, fo ihe * Herald,' who states that from the summit of Ngongotaha, a mountain near Hotorua, he has looked dojwm upon the forest between that place' and Maangatautariy near Cambridge, and the. land had the appearance of being .perfebtly level. The natives themselves are anxious to .see the road opened up, an/l'the question' indeed resolves jtself less into whether the line shall be opened ] up at all, but rather whether it shall be done by ordinary rdad or by railroad. Tauranga interest's 1 may possibly! be affected by. the opening pf .the new road and the diversion of traffic through 1 anbtheri distr'ioV but this cannot possibly, be allowed to inter : fere with the general interests of the colony or to prevent the people of Waikato from utilising those natural advantages of position which they possess,whatever the determination that may be come to by the bankers, auctioneers, storekeepers and seitlers of Tauranga. Their legitimate action to preserve their trade is to increase, if they can, Jtbe facilities for travelling by th.9 : old route—not to attempt " by prompt steps to prevent Waikato moving in' the matter/'whatever that may mean. To be forewarned, however, is to' be forearmed, and neither the Waikato settlers nor the Waikato Press will allow themselves to be caught napping in a matter of so much importance;;: by *theiri >"\ Tauranga