The Evening Star TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3840, 15 June 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 1875.

If M ‘Dkrmid is not very wise in his obstructivonesa to the Harbor Board, he is consistent in it. In the Council and out of it he seizes every opportunity to thwart its proceedings. The interests of the Colony, and especially of * tago, find no place in Mr M‘ Dee mid’s sympathies; they are all concentrated on Port Chalmers and Sawyer’s Bay, and with the idea of serving the owners of property thereby retaining the loading and discharge of shipping at the Port, he would sacrifice every other consideration. We can hardly expect wider views from men of Mr M ‘Dkrmjd’s class : there is no future with them. They canuot be made to comprehend that increased faoilities for import and export of geods, when provided to meet an acknowledged need, as surely add to the value of the estate of a country, as the monopoly he desires to retain add to that of the special district favored with it. There is no denying that, by concentrating all the shipping faoilities at Port Chalmers, property would rise somewhat in value, supposing there were much increase in trade; bat the rise would be mainly confined to that district—the rest of the Province would not be equally benefited. Such a result might bo very satisfactory to a few in its neighborhood, for monopoly has a charm in it that has misled not only men but nations. Throughout the world’s history, until of very late years, the idea of becoming rich by one’s self was the leading thought, and to this end wars have been waged for the destruction of fancied rivals; restrictious have been imposed on the produce of other countries, and to this day it is sought to increase trade and production by protective tariffs. This is precisely the spirit in which Mr M‘Dkrmid acts : he wants Port Chalmers to be exceptionally rich, not seeing that in all probability property there will rise much more through the influence of general prosperity than through monopoly. Suppose him successful, and that through his adverse efforts the Harbor Board is deprived of the means of improving Dunedin harbor, what will be the probable consequence ? The already too heavy tax upon the traffic capabilities of the railway will be increased, and further delay iu loading and despatch of ships must inevitably result. This is equivalent to increase of freight and increase of cost of goods. This must be recouped by the extra price paid by the consumer, and that is equivalent to a tax upon the community specially to servo a few persons interested at the Port. Since Dunedin is the general terminus of the railways iu this parr. 0 f the Province, it is the height of absurdity to ask that goods intended for distribution from that centre shall be first discharged at the Port, and then, after an indefinite delay, owing to overwork on the railway, and after two or three extra handlings, find their way into importers’ warehouses. Common sense points out that if trade is to be successful, the cost of conducting it must be the least possible, and that can only be secured by the most direct and shortest route from the ship to the warehouse, and from the warehouse to the railway. Forgetful of these consideration?, Mr M ‘Dermid is not without supporters amongst the up-country members. It is hard to divine their motives. If their idea is that the opera rions of the Harbor Board tend to the increase and enrichment of Dunedin at the expense of Pork Chalmers, we look upon their theory as a mistake. If Duuedin advances, it must be because the Province of which it is the commercial centre is prosperous ; and it is morally certain Port Chalmers must share iu that prosperity: j they must advance together. A ad why such sympathy for the few iavestors at the Port, and so little for these who have laid out their tens of thousands in Dunedin? If Mr M 'Dermid could prove damage to Port pro-

perky through the operations of the Harbor Board, it would be better that he should boldly claim compensation, and vote for such measures as will facilitate the works being proceeded with, than fritter away the time of the Council and Harbor 'Board with frivolous opposition. The matter would then be dealt with directly, instead of by side winds.

The Government should have felt relieved last night when the Council so unceremoniously struck out a number of the smaller branch railways proposed to be constructed out of revenue or loan. The Council was told that these proposals were merely brought down in obedience to resolutions previously arrived at. Yet the Executive, as a whole, fought through every item except the Kaitangata line and the upper extension of the Palmerston and Waihemo line. So far from expressing a feeling of relief, the Provincial Secretary intimated that as so many of these lines were rejected, he would consider what railways could be promoted a stage, and placed in the category “ out of revenue or out of loan.” It would almost be thought that the C ouncil had £214,000 at its disposal for railway s instead of no money at all. The appropriations already exceed the estimated revenue by nearly £IOO,OOO. Yet, noising daunted there is to be no cessation from entering up liabilities until the Government have power to overrun the constable to the tune of £314,000. It is said the proposed liabilities are to spread over three years, and are not to be at once contracted : unless, indeed, certain cireumstances occur, they are not to be contracted at all. 'J his does not mend matters. Experience of the last few years shews that each year brings, in its train, liabilities more than sufficient for itself. Protest appears to be of ne avail. Provincial Councillors, as Mr .Driver stated, seem branch-railway mad. Members are in an agony of fear that should the Colonial Government step in and bring their little reign to an cud, without the Province being first pledged to construct a railway to their own doors, that the country would be ruined. Private members may be excused for over-valuing the importance of these local branchlets, but there is no exouse for the Government. Let Provincialism stand for ten years, or come to an end next spring, there can be no gain in plunging the Province into liabilities it cannot meet without the aid of a very heavy local taxation. Mr Beid and his followers cannot hope that all liabilities for private benefit, that in mad recklessness maybe entered into, will be accepted by the Colony. The rating principle will at once be put in force, and those benefitted by such a line as the Mosgiel and Outiam line will have to pay for io, if a County system is adopted throughout the Colony. Utago will find that she still will have to bear the burden she is now preparing for herself, and will have to forego works neo.ssary f-.r the prosperity of her settlers to pay for the private-beuefit-railway-greed now so conspicuous. The Colony has quite enough liabilities of its own without taking up those which, after due warning given last y?ar, the Provinces may choose to enter up. The action the Government propose to take in asking the Council to agree without any skilled knowledge to a further schedule of railway proposals, cannot be too severely condemned. Such a course is ruinous financially, and is converting the Council into nothing more than a huge log-rolling chamber.