OPENING OF THE CHRISTCHURCH-TIMARU RAILWAY.

Evening Star, Issue 4040, 7 February 1876, Page 2

OPENING OF THE CHRIST-CHURCH-TIMARU RAILWAY.

. cannot compliment the Press Agency on its.vigilance in the matter of,the above event—one of the most important that has taken place' since the inauguration of our railway policy. Not only were the proceedings of Friday passed oyer by the Agency, on that day, but on Saturday we were favored with a message which was a; model of brevity;. From the ‘Lyttelton Times, which sent hj couple of special cor-' respondents to Timaru, we take the following interesting accounts of the trial trip and the banquet at Timaru

RAILWAY PROGRESS IK CANTERBURY. .The Provincial,authorities proceeded withthe extension of both lines, North and south,; as the means at weir command'permitted them ; but it was the introduction of the Public Works policy of the Colonial Government that imparted to railway-makihg ‘ here ? as in other parts of the Colony, the extensive proportions it assumed. It was not long before the necessity for the construction of branch lines to various portions of the Province presented itself, and concurrently (-with the progress of our main lines, the work of establishing safe, : certain, and expeditious means of communicating between the City and the settled outlying districts of the Province was prosecuted with an amount of vigor that wasi in keeping with the whole undertaking. The re-; suit is that.'for some time past branch lines have been opened to E> reton in the north, to Southbr.dge in the south, to Malvern in the west, on the way to Hodtika' and also to Oxford. The tinnk line North has already been opened to Balcairo, and on February 9 traffic will be established as far ■ as Amberley, three miles north of Leithfield, The trunk line running south was officially opened to-day aetiar as Timaru, a distance of 102 mi.es. It is not very many yea, b ago when; two: days ,'trorq taken in accomplishing the journey by coachfrom Christchurch to Timaru; how it can be done in six or seven hours, on a narrow-gauge line of railway. • • THE TIMARU LINE. It was expected that the line would have been opened at the commencement of the NefirYear, but circumstances over which there was Ro cont 01, coupled with necessary negotiations between the two ..Governments, delayed the official ceremony until to-day.. The preliminary inspection of the line was made on Monday, and at an Executive meeting on Tuesday it was decided that the official parly should proceed by the train, starting south at a quarter to seven o’clock yesterday morning, and that those of the general public who felt so disposed might also start for Timaru on obtaining second-class return tickets at single fares; and the consequence was that a large number 1 availed themselves of the opportunity. The whole length of the line is one bundtei and two miles, with eleven large bridges, two viaducts, and a considerable number of culverts intervening. Of the bridges, that over the ,gelwyn is I.oooft, in length, and cost L 36,000; that over the jo aikaia, 4,400 ft. ; that over the Ashburton. 2,000 ft, and coat L 22.09 0; while the bridges over the North and South Rangitata are each : 2,000 ft. in length, and cost L 50,000. An embankment of one mile in length across the island connects these two bridges, so that they may almost be , termed one comp’etas work. From the Christchurch side, the bridge over the Northern branch is approached through--* cutting about the third of a mile in length and thirty feet deep all the way.' -The spans of the bridges over both branches of the river, pleasure sixty feet, erected by Mr Wright at a cost of L 5,700. The Temuka bridge, about 1,000 ft., cost about L 32,000. The whole of the line from. Selwyn to Timaru. including everythin?, was made at a cost of between L 5,000 and L 6,000 per mile. There are twenty-two stations on the line from Christchurch to Timaru. When trains first ran to the Eakaia the broad gauge existed, but the line has been gradually converted into a narrow gauge, and broad gauge carriages only come as far as Koleston. The narrow gauge rails, however, have been laid all the way through to Christchurch, and in a short time the necessity-for a break of fauge at Eolleston will have ceased. On 'riaay part of the distance was done at the rate of twenty-four miles an hour. At THE LUNCHEON the chair was occupied by the Mayor of Timaru, who was supported on. his right by the Superintendent, the Mayor of Christ church, Sir J. C. Wilson, Mr H. J. Tancred, and Mr P. B. Luxcombe; on his left by the hon E. W. Stafford, .and the hon George Buckley, M. L. C. The speeches took a strongly political turn, as will be seen from the following extracts; — Mr Stafford (in replying to the toast of the General Assembly) ': It is not inappropriate to remember that it is to the action of the General' Assembly that you owe this day the opening of that line.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) . When yon consider the distance and the dangerous rivers to* be traversed, we all know that had it not been for the action of the General Assembly many many years must have passed away before that line wordd have been in operation.—(Hear, heir.) It is an epitome of what can be achieved by a country acting ’ together as one united people instead of being torn - up into isolated localities. But for this united action we could not have opened this line to-day, ' or carried on the other Works that ore now inactive operation throughout the country.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) The people of Auckland, tue people, of Wellington, the people of Dnnedia' have assisted you in the opening and construction of this line and but for this united pull together, bub for the deter-: minatlon of the Colony to make these works—great, and desirable as they are—they would not have oeen carried out except in a fragmentary manner. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Bearing in mind the connectionof the General Assembly with the works, the opening of which we have now met together to commemorate, I trust that what we have already seen is only the type of what, in years to come, we abniv find to be the result of ihe united action of the legislature of Now Zealand. It. would be very improper of ro© oo an occasion of this kind to go into" anything that may b© termed partisan politics, and I have endeavored to avoid doing so in wbat I have already said. We are approaching In the next session of the General Assembly, and those more immediately following it, n most interesting period' In the history of New Zealand. We have had the whole of the election returns, I believe, with the single exception of one representative for a Maori District, 1 have watched with very great interest —as 4)1 Of you have watched who take an Interest in . politics—the ©ours© Of the election, and I am very glad to say the result has been that -opposite opinions will be very fairly represented in ihe Parliament, no doubt, on both sides, -by earnest audintclligent men. That the . best men may win ■ we oU hope, ft will, I believe, certainly be so: Each aide—and there is BU use .concealing tiie fact that there are two very strongly opposing sides —is no doubt prepared to. fight its best. l aid strongly bound up with' one siae/ond, am very sam guine about the nuccess'of my own side. Those of ;■ the opposite side ore equally sanguine of success! We have a great battle to fight. It should be fought fairly and properly; and vrith Ub feellhg of partl. ' ality towards any particular district, or the reprej- >) sentative of any particular Province.—(Hear, hesr,, , and cheers,) It should be so fought that all New ■ Zealand will he the hetifir for the fight—(loud ' cheers)—and I believe the* if It be go fongfit. qof- i side will be triumphant. ' That dUferenoe ofophupn exists, is to me a healthy sign,—(Hearjhear;) That

tendent and BMwf—- - IwiTi T ( who ™ defeated Tdr'dieraldUne) ox 6 epenmg of the railway was, as Mr to action of the General j v that if the construction of entirely left to the ProvincM wonla have been constructed l&wTSwf G “ TC ™“>ent had, to his mind, made " Sfw 8 ! in the southern hemisphere.’ He to the Lyttelton line. If S b^| left alone 116 it wtwdd bC^moS* I <* hi » sipeWhi saiao; n^S'T® , ?i^T B looked upon my office rather as an« a Pcbtioal one, and.l*cannot •• bUt e JP r esß what I very strongly feel. *.w+. the evils »». «»4 thVSiTwhkll S V “ hetwemi Generaland Provincial Govern- <? a mixture of the admiSs- ' Jf bpenatendente with poll- ■ unctions in the General Assembly. (Heat, peoi^e ' not onl J of the Worth ana South, but throughout Wew Zealand art a ;■ 'Kg* to workontgreat destinies in thb* Pj*”®* Wither we have Provincialism. Central. formof Government. J believe wo y Mve got the nucleus of a population that will woSfcl* out IB this country such a future on hnlnncta +r» iSm’ other Colonies in toe British Empire. ' ; ..... , extraordinary sceh*. +b a J caas, auctioneer, rose for .gSffgJsa mssrttn i fusion followed the announcement, and Mr Jonftfc. who declared in emphatic terms that he hadjwSd speak his J& i? w6 ??.? fra,ld to do 80, was several times teW' to sit down. ‘This he most positively re™ssf.to d°i “d confusion followed.' Cries of. .Chair and “ Sit down” resounded from all parts ‘ of toe room; but Mf Jonas still kept bn his' ten amidst deafening cries of i?;”* toot he would speak his xnind. The ohamnan tried to restore order by telling Mr Jenas toathe could do so at the end of the meeting, but ,M * JoMa all the more demoustyav J‘ e * .Y“ J 11 ® olJ y opportunity he would mve, he soid, of .TSpealdng his mind, and the chairman was not fit to occupy the chair >'i£ “® declined to hear him. This assertion waS toe signal for increased uproar, and finally n nolioe--5J??! the scene. Addressing* tibfl .coustable, toe Chairman told him to remove MrJonoa ‘ from the room. Mr Jonas defied the Mayor, add x ot tlx 6 courage to give him in charge, • and declined to accompany the constable unless ne Wm given in charge, mtimately Mr Jonas lefttho coUfitabl©©company« The proceodingfl / were about to be resumed, when Mr Jonas rushed mto too room, and declared that he would remain yhere until he was given in charge. fHere She ■ entire company rose from their chairs and walked Obt-i After the lapse.of some time a numbetoa. . toem .returned to the hall in order that tooprogramme might be gone through. Mr Jonas: attempted a re-entrance, hut was not allowed to cross the threshold. ■ Under these circumstances toe proceedings recommenced.. ~ itfofrtoufl? 88 * ** m ° r ° axxaute desoribbs too ; Mr Moss Jonas, who rose to speak amid loud up“A Wraes, said that he desired to teU fis iionor that those who were now soft-soaping him to his face were the very ones who, at meetmgs in spoke worst of him,— (ljoud uproar and The Chairman; Mr Jonas, you cannot speak now : yon are out of order. If you sit down -until too. Speak? Jnmo gone through you oan then' i^ 01^: , ®. u t they, will all he gone then.— {.Laughter uproar.) I have paid ’my guinea—now's the proper time for me to speak, and 1 will do it.—(Uproar.) .• 1 * V I The_Chamnan.—You,cannot do it now. ■ Bfr Jonas still persisted in attempting to spCok. Chairman: If you dp not be: quiet, 1 shall bo to order you to bo removed; ’ ■Mr Jonas •. That yon cannot do. Tour Honor. I‘ .wwattoteUyou— fnpreatq. »^ he -o a Pobooman who had been sent ior): Remove that man, in charge? If so. will have to stand too responsibility.—[.Upspeech, amid hisses and uproar. This continued for some tune, and ultimately .toe party broke up. the guests leaving the hall. w