THE Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 1881. COMMUNICATION WITH WOODVILLE.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 114, 5 February 1881, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 1881. COMMUNICATION WITH WOODVILLE.

'• VvoVils are thing3, and n."Urop of ink falling like . dew uflon a thought, produces tlwt which makes thouainds, pei-kaps imllions thmk.V . „

Ouk Woodville correspondent in last issue expressed his surprise that the people of 'Palmerston w*ere not more alive to their own interests, and seemed: to have no care as to. the , scale of tolls lately fixed by tlae County Council.- We .must say that we. endorse the remarts of our cor'-espondent. and not only share hijj-su^pr4*e,-but-it-is-a-inattcr-oft-pei'fpat won*ler to us thafc the.yr have not taken scmo steps toward obtaining the long-: promised' bridge over the .Manawatuv We are perfectly aware that such an agitation would be -met with opposition, and be beset with gravn difficulties. When" the abolition of the Provinces took place, and the Counties Act came force; "tKe' J '-Gje'n'e'ral\ 1 -" Government i kashed itself free from all responsibility ;irith regard to roads andbri'Sgest in the future, but itwas tDoSt/distiuctly und<>rslbod that ail constructive works pending or promised should be religiously carried into, offset. Thiß, like mauy c,they of the liabilities assumed on be-

bpen most shamefully repudiated by stTe.ivessive Govornmcnts, and year after year^the claim has been unrecognised, libeperienoe has shown— and the people of %u) merston have given good pccfofJoEr the 'fa«t— that constant, persistent agifa^ lion of a legitimate claim is. very frequently crowned with success. - : It is now nearly two ypars since the matter wag last referred to in these columns, j aiid since that time the population- of 1 Woodville has nearly doubled itself ; the road-to WeUirigtdri r 'by "the.; Waira; rapa has been ppeno§ u,p, and we have a. daily, coach to .eith e.c.' Mas.ter.feon .-. or .Napjer v __That__ fch e b rid[ge_ is urgently noode.d there_cah be no qufstion'. ' B wiir serve three of the main arterial lines of rjjarl— those to Napier,' Wanganui. an'd Wellington, vid iVTasterton. Woo'djalle,JjidJ;he surrounding settlers, though geogra"phißally mui('l : r~Menrer to Wanganui and Poxton, draw their snpplies from Napier, to the detriment not only of? the. former^ ports, -but also of \ Palmerstoa, and the district of which this town may be considered the. centre. ■ If the matter be left much longer in : abeyance,* the trade with the 35ast Coast, will have become so firmly, e.sta- : blished, that it will, be a matter of di£&- --; culty to divert it irit'b/' a new. even though more' natural channel. The charges made for' crossing and re-cross-:ing the ferry operate .injuriously. -to 'tradegmen.,in_ Pal merston. who ? fin*d jtlrtmsel^e's too heavily handicapped to compete successfully with those on ■ the other side- of tne ; riyeri I -'which would not be the case if the river Were . - bridged. In this .cajse, . too, a-' considerable quantity of Manawatu timber would doubtless find its way into Hawke's Bay. As wp have pointed out it is utterly, impossible for the_C.Qunty ..CauxuaLji-JJlldeiitjite Jtlje work, but as it is one of , colonial importance, beinsr the highway between' the East and West Coasts, there is no rea'- ; son why th&bridge' should not be/erected and -^faith kept with settlers who T>ur- ; ; chased 1 v nd upon the faith of. sneft a ! promise being put into effect.' We think we have said enough" to, show the nnpp.rafcive necessity for renewed agitation 'and combined, action between the settlers, of Palmerston and Woodville— for it is a matter which-con^ernsone equally as much a~s"the "other,. We liave been given to understand that ]VTr. Or.rapnd, the representative of the Woodvillians; has promised to give the matter his hpalthy "support in the next Session of Parliament, and pressure should be. brought to bear on Mr. Johnston'e to back' up his pfforts. It is obviously beyond the power ofthe County Council to undertake a work-qf such magnitude; but a strong and unanimous expression of opinion, backed up by our parliampntarv representatives, should have sufficient weight with the Government. We trust Uie>idlQj&,.AhaL^^ out, delay with the view of achieving .so desirable an end as the bridging of the Manawatu.