PROGRESS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1636, 7 December 1885, Page 2

PROGRESS.

(Tothb Editor Ikatoahua Tram.) Slß.—lt is really a matter of astimisbraeiit in this the 19ch century toh.tdsoma people who still are adverse to everything in the way of progress, or iuipni? einent upon superannuated ideas. With them nothing appears to excel the trite and sleepy maxims of their ancestors. Anything deviating fr.,in wliat is n »t shron led in the c-»bwe!«i»f antiqimy is considered innovations imw »rthy of cunsi deration. But fortunately this class of thinkers an» but an i»c >nsiilerable minority, an I their once retarding influence is rapidly ciminishing, and no longer felt, and all progressive minds will hail the day which, O'» doubt is fast approaching, when it will i>econie wholly extinct, and only he reineinhered ai i"nor«.it errors of the past for ex im;» ewe hare a ;>r >ject ■at t net »re U3 for our a^». n <»vr.»( ai,] «uj>port, which ir> d-»ubt, if carried out, would effect a saving to the public of thousands i>f pounds annually, but it being a new thing, and no4-incru»ted with the rusts of an astral crudity. utoafjw miuils sufficient just ideation f.»r o>ndemn.itiou. Such reform would be tn» sudden, such progress too rapid, and altogether too radiod a change in the id^is of such pristine fosil*, who c usider all improvetnenti innovations not to be tolerated. But (be it to their credit) our County Council and the g.m^ral pn'uHc 11 with but few exceptions" ; r: in favour of adopting and encojrai/incr the project, nottrithstaudinv its novelty and pro gressive tendencies. I am alluding to a proposal made by a gentleiiinti t<» introduce a friction engine on the R^eftonGrey mad to convt-y freight <>f all des criptions both ways at reduced rates, an ' in nineh less 'ime thin our present nv>d>t of carriage, ifovr, this alone would be a Urge annual saving to the gone-\i ptjMic, without taking into Account th« hau-ireda it wuuld save the ratepayers annually in wear and tear of the road. I believe is wuuld well repay the present maintenance contractors to form sidelines or turnoff** along their several sections at their own expense, as it would not require more than half the labour or material to keep th-» road in repair with 16in. tiers rolling over it, in fact it would imptsire the n«<{ instead of tearing it »ip in ruts as th* present vehicles do. I will not occupy more of your v iluable space by referriu^ to the absurd arguments used by thnso hostile to the project, suffice it t<>say that it is utterly illogical, narrow, an-1 imbecile. NVe might as well object t<* railway o?i account that horses are liable to taka fright and bolt at the sight of an engine, and that railways would redact* enaebfare and carriage of all kinds. Such k tha gist of reasoning advanced hy primitive ideas in opp»i«ition to advmteed thoogbt, science, experience and pn^ress. I atu Ac., Oasßßvm. Reefton, Djc. 3rd, 1833.