THE The Drey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1076, 9 January 1872, Page 2

THE The Drey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1872.

The most important portion of the Hon. Mr Reeves' speech at Leeston — which we noticed yesterday — so far as this district is concerned, was that alluding to the construction of railways, and we must say that unless some difterent arrangements are entered into for the conveyance of the rolling stock from homo, it seems as if, according to the Minister for Pnblic Works' own statement, we shall have to wait for another generation till the railways are completed. Apparently all the materiel will have to be brought from Europe ; nothing is said about encouraging native industry or getting supplies from adjacent colonies ; and so railways will have to be made at the rate of supply, which can only amount at the present ratio to about 100 tons per month ; and if the movements of the Government officials are on a par with those of somo in tho pay of the colony, we can well understand that it will fully occupy a period extending into another generation before even a single mile of railway is constructed. There is no colony where the " Government stroke " is so well understood than by the heads of Departments in New Zealand ; every step must be well considered over and over again, the ground must be surveyed and re-surveyed ; voluminous reports must be made, every gradient must be thoroughly examined, and before a single locomotive is ordered, time will be necessary, in order that every improvement might be made in its construction. Then again perhaps the native difficulty will crop up ; and should a railway line trench upon a single foot of native land, the services of the whole Native Department, from the lowest clerk to the chief administrator of the department will be brought into requisition, for the Govermentmustbesafe, very safe, before they move in the matter. Most probably, ere that time tho whole of the £4,000,000 loan will be frittered away in what are termed departmental expenses, or, in other w .rds, for the benefit of that great institution, the redtape and sealing-wax office. of ihe loan was allotted to railways — this included the sum of '$100,000 which was to be specially devoted to the Middle Island, and about which we have heard so much under the name of "the Middle Island Railway Fund," i 400,000 for making roads, and £300,000 for Water Supply to the Gold Fields. The Hon. Mr Reeves has told us something about the plan to be adopted about making railways — "Therefore you will see," he says, " that unless the Government adopt some very different method of -bringing out railway material, the construction of 500 miles at our present rate would land us well into the next generation." He did not point this out, certainly not, as an excuse for the Government, or with any idea of discouraging— the Government would avail themselves of necessary appliances, &c, as soon aa possible ; and this new Minister tells us most sagely that " these railways cannot be made in a day"— neither was Rome. But while the country is waiting for the 100 tons of material per month, officialdom will be in full swing, new offices created, and the loan gradually diminishing. The sum cf i 300,000 is allotted for Water Supply to thn Gold Fields, and to spend this new office* must again be made, and the fiountrv ■• ill be swarming; with surveyors. Vor'Oy, Now Zealand will be a perfect paradise for the gentlemen of the theodolite and chain for the next few years. The natives must not be forgotten on any account, so £200,000 is devoted to buying laud in the North Island ; telegraph extension comes in for £60,000, and i40,00Q is left unappropriated. These are the main features of the Act under which Mr Reeves is appointed. He has nothing to do with the expenditure of the £200,000 in the North Island, but he has with all the other money. We have already pointed out the conditions upon which the railways are to be constructed. The cost of railways in the Middle Island 13 to be charged against the land revenue of the Provinces. In the North^ lsland a different policy is enunciated — suffioiant land is to be taken from the Provinces in which the railways are constructed to defray expenses. The land revenue of the Middle Island will be left intact till the' railways arc open for traffic, when a charge will be made based upon the cost of con struction. Then, again, with regard to the Brunner Coal Mine, a different policy still is adopted, but as our readers are so well acquainted with the proposed mode, it would oimply be a tiresome reiteration to bring this matter again before them. Our only object in doing so is to show the complex and expensire machinery' under which tho loan is to be expended. We have seen what has been done by the<jfc

vernment in the matter of pushing on tho works, and which amounts to comparatively nothing, but the interestis running on, and time in regard .to our railways is indeed the essence of the contract. As we are committed to the scheme — visionary as some portions of it are, let the works be proceeded with, and if it is impossible for the Government to get more than at the rate of 100 tons of material per month brought out by vessels loading to New Zealand ports — let them charter and load vessels themselves. A great deal of the material can easily be produced in New Zealand should the Government chose to encourage it. Victoria has shown us what can be done in the Colonies in the way of railway plant and machinery, and instead of waiting for the slow process of obtaining supplies from Europe, let us manufacUire them ourselves, and there will be the satisfaction of knowing that we shall get the work done quickly, and if we pay the money out of one pocket some portion of it will go into the other. The speech of Mr Reeves, however, seems to indicate a "rest and be thankful " policy — he tells us in point of fact to wait and all will come in good time, or, to use his own words — "these railways cannot be made in a day," which we all knew long ago, but we were not prepared for the statement that " the construction of them would land us well into the next generation."