THE COMMISSIONERS IN ENGLAND.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2494, 13 February 1871, Page 2

THE COMMISSIONERS IN ENGLAND.

Til addressing the Mataura electors the other uiglit, the Hon. Dillon 801 l dcsnibod the result of h : s observations in England with respect to the cinstruction and working of light railways. A totally new sy.-t m had been intro luced. Instead of costing 1.30,003 per mile, good serviceable lines weio now constructed at from L 3,00() to L 4 (GO per mile. If they had snub lines in England, why, he ashed should they despair of having the n here., paying, as they did, 15 per cent, on their cost ? He furnished other interesting information respecting the construction an I operations of these and similar lines, and in referring to the cost of working them instanced the ease of one in Norway. 25 miles in length, which was managed at the rate of 2s 7d per mile, including everything. With that expenditure it carried 32,000 passengers and 0.000 tons of goods per annum. The time had passed when tliey could afford to allow the Colony to hobble on with no plan for the development of its resources. He knew very well that the country would bear a large population, but they mu t also bring in capital with an increase of population. Why, he asked, was that not the case hitherto ? It was simply because they had taken n > trouble to develop their resources, nor any trouble to induce people to conic amongst them. While he and Dr Feather-don were In Drllaln, then had freipitutln hern told that If thru could only shot” a proper wham for colonisation, anji ntnnher of elli/lldc inirnlprants won!'/ hi at their dls/>osal. All they had to do was to show that the Government hid taken the matter in hand, and were pr.-pared to ? how a reasonable prospect that people coming into the place v/ou’d be properly treated, With an attractive immigration scheme, two essentials woul 1 not be wanting—the people and the mom-y. One of their objects in going to Britain, was to place the position of the country in its true light, and he had the satisfaction of stating that public confidence was raised so much that there would be no difficulty in securing any reasonable amount of pecuniary assistance. The Commissioners had taken care to put themselves in communication with the greitcst engineers in Britain, and he was at liberty to i/o no far as t<> Inform the ineethaj that offers had been recel red to eons'rnct piddle works, hath companies and capital hebuj found. It was certainly a piece of good foit :ne for the Gowinmcnt w.th which he was associated, that tliey were in office at a time when those large measures could be safely introduced ; still ho would not say but that if the same pro >i-ions CTcuns'ances bad been vouchsafed to the Stafford Government, similar plans would not have been undertaken.