MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF LAND-PURCHASERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 49, 13 December 1851, Page 3

MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF LAND-PURCHASERS.

A special general meeting of Land-purchasers was held at Christchurch on Saturday last, to consider the Report of the Select Committee upon the best means of communication between the Port and the Plains. Mr. Brittan in the chair. The Chairman, in opening the proceedings of the meeting, spoke as follows:— Gentlemen,—The object for which this meeting has been called, is,' as you are all aware, to take into consideration the best means of improving the communication between the port town and the plains. Of the necessity which there is for such a communication I am sure there will be no second opinion among us. The want of it is felt by all to be the one great drawhack to the progress of the settlement; and has, I believe, caused more anxiety, dissatisfaction, and disappointment to settlers on their arrival here than any one thing else. lam aware also, (and I may perhaps as well briefly refer to this subject here) that dissatisfaction has been expressed, and complaints made against the Canterbury Association, that faith in this matter has not altogether been kept with the colonists, inasmuch as they were given to understand that a good and sufficient road from the port to the plains had been made in anticipation of their arrival. I will not deny that I was myself in some measure disappointed in this respect, and that I was not prepared on my arrival here to find themeans of communication with the plains so impracticable as we have since found it. At the same time, admitting all this, I do not think it is fair to charge the whole blame of this on the Association in England. There has, I believe, been considerable misapprehension on the subject on the part of the Association as well as the colonists, and I do not think that they ever properly understood the magnitude, the difficulty, or the costly nature of the work which had to be accomplished. I believe that from accounts received from Capt. Thomas, the Managing Committee in England really thought that the work was far advanced towards completion, and were led to suppose that the means which they were likely to have it in their power to place at the disposal of their Agent; would be sufficient to complete the road within a reasonable time. I have reason to know that such was the impression at the time I left England. It is needless for me now to tell you that those calculations were not well founded, and that these expectations were erroneous. At the same time Ido not think that it would answer any good purpose now to enquire where the blame —if any indeed there be—rests. The work it is now clear to every one is a far more difficult and costly undertaking than the Association at home ever anticipated, and very far beyond any means which they have ever yet had at their disposal to complete. It was therefore I consider in the exercise of a wise discretion, (and I think most of you will concur with me in this) that Mr. Godley, soon after his arrival here, determined to discontinue the great Sumner road until he could see his way more clearly to the requisite means for its completion, and that he decided on expending the limited means at his disposal on works and roads which he could accomplish, works, less in magnitude indeed, but scarcely second in importance, and which have now either been completed, or are in course of completion, to the great advantage of the settlement. I-have thought it right to say thus much in the hope of explaining away some of the misapprehension which seems to have existed in connexion with this subject, and which has occasioned, I am aware, considerable disappointment and dissatisfaction. But now should this explanation not appear satisfactory, or whatever may be the opinion of parties on this head, I do not think that this is now the question properly before us. It would be idle and childish, supposing there were ever so much ground for it, to indulge in useless complaint or recrimination. Now, the course for us is clearly, having the difficulty before us, to look it in the face like men, with the .determination to overcome it if we can. And I myself, for one, do not

despair, that by determination and general unanimity of will and purpose, we shall be able to overcome it. I say unanimity, gentlemen, for I attach great importance to your being unanimous in whatever course you shall this day determine on adopting. I trust that yon will be so, and that the whole subject will be carefully and dispassionately considered by this large meeting which I have the pleasure of seeing assembled around me for this purpose, and that no irrelevant matter will be imported into the debate to divert the one great question before us. I shall now direct the Clerk to read the Report of the Committee on the subject, and will only add that I desire very strongly to recommend it to you for your adoption. Ido think that if this Report shall meet with your cordial and unanimous concurrence, we may look forward with great hope and confidence to the prospect of being able to complete this great undertaking, in which all your interests are very deeply concerned, and on which so much depends for developing the resources of the country, and ensuring the future prosperity of our settlement. The Report was then read by the Clerk to the Council, the Chairman remarking that the Report had already been accepted by the Council, and that it was now submitted for adoption by the general body. The Rev. O. Mathias said, —I rise to move the adoption of the Report; although it is to be regretted that it has been so short a time before the public, in order that its recommendations might become well known, yet few persons will be found to deny the desirableness of some easier communication between the plains and the port town, for want of which I fear the progress of the settlement will be materially hindered, if not impeded altogether. The project of a tunnel through the hills alluded to in the Report, I consider as too visionary and chimerical to deserve any notice at present; that of forming a port at Sumner is too problematical, and while its practicability is in the least doubtful, it would be rash to expend money in such an attempt, which would very likely prove a failure, for in our infant state we can afford to throw away no money whatever. I have maturely considered the evidence appended to the Report, and see no other conclusion to which the Committee could have come ; —with respect to the proposed mode of raising the sum required, I also confess that I can see no better plan for doing so than that suggested by them. One thing however is certain, that the unfinished state of the road has hitherto tended to delay all public and local improvements. While speaking of these I may throw out as a suggestion that while we are borrowing thirty or thirty-two thousand pounds for the road, it will be wise to borrow a little more to be devoted to the improvement of the bar at Sumner. The subject of ready access to the plains is superior to every other consideration, and a subject felt equally by the poorer settlers, many of whom have lost their little all in bringing it round, and of the rest, many have delayed settling upon their land for no other reason than the risk of sending goods by boat over the bar in the winter season. 1 have therefore, great pleasure in moving the following resolution : — That this Meeting having considered the Report of the Council on the best means of communication between the port and the plains, decide on adopting the same. Mr. Read asked whether, if the Report was adopted, the width of seven feet for the road, suggested in part of the evidence, was adopted also. The Chairman explained that the resolution referred only to the general question of the completion of the road, and not necessarily to the details of the work. Mr. Read had great pleasure in seconding the resolution. (Carried unanimously.) The Chairman said that having adopted the Report, it would be requisite "to decide upon practical steps for carrying its recommendations into effect. The Society by itself had no right to meddle with the general revenues, a meeting of the inhabitants generally must therefore be called. Mr. Cookson moved, — That a requisition be forwarded to Mr. Godley desiring him to call public meetings of all the inhabitants of the settlement, at Cbristchurch and Lyttelton.at an early day, to take the Report into consideration. Mr. C. W. Bishop seconded this resolution, which was carried nem. con. Mr. E. J. WAKiii-iisiiD said, —I think we

shall hardly complete the business of the occa-sion-if we fail to pass a vote of thanks to those gentlemen who have drawn up the Report before us,aml I am sure that this will be marked with as much unanimity as our other proceedings. Every one who reads the Report, including all in the other settlements, must be struck with the capabilities of the settlers for managing their own affairs in a very superior manner. I therefore move— That the thanks of the Society be piesented to the members of the Select Committee of the Colony for the very able and complete manner in which they have inquired and reported as to the best means of communication between the port and the plains. This resolution was seconded by Mr. Cookson and carried unanimously. Mr. Brittan said he did not know that he ■was authorized at that moment to return thanks on the part of the Committee. They must, however, refer a great deal of the success they might have attained to the assistance of those gentlemen who had kindly given their evidence upon the subject.