CORRESPONDENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 169, 1 April 1854, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Lytlelton Times. March 27th, 1854. Sir,—-Without entering into the merits of the discussion, which occupies your columns, on the subject of the Association's affairs, I wish to correct an impression which appears to prevail with some of your correspondents, and which by constant and confident repetition is likely to mislead the public —-I mean, that the Government and the Provincial Council are playing into the hands of the Association to the prejudice of the interests of the colonists. This, as I understand it, is the charge which Dr. Barker intends to bring against the Provincial Legislature ; at all events, this seems to be the impression produced upon the minds of those, who, like your correspondent " Jacob Faithful," do not understand the real point at issue. I think a short statement of the facts of the case might be useful in removing any false impression, and would shew the public how the matter really stands at present, and how far the Provincial Government and council are liable to the imputations cast upon them. As soon as the accounts of the Association arrived in the colony, Mr. Sewell transmitted them to the Government, with, a proposal that the debts which had been incurred should be paid by the Province, the Province taking the property of the Association in exchange. The Government laid the accounts before the Provincial Council who referred them to a select committee. That Committee is now engaged in a minute examination of the items. His Honor the Superintendent, upon receiving a schedule of the property of the Association, wrote to Mr. Sewell for an abstract of the title under which it was held. This information has not yet been furnished because the deeds are in the registration office for registry; when supplied to the Government they will no doubt be laid before the Provincial Council. As soon as the Committee have completed their examination of the accounts and reported on them, the time will arrive for determining what the Association can in justice claim, and what the colonists ought in honour to pay. As soon as the titles under which the property is held are before the Provincial Council, the time will arrive for ascertaining in a proper and legal manner whether these titles are good or bad. v Before any final arrangement can be made these two questions have to be decided; first, What are the just claims of the Association ? and secondly, whether their title to the property is good or bad ? These are matters for careful and businesslike inquiry, but ought not to be dealt with in an off-hand and flippant manner. Ido not know what Dr. Barker's sentiments may have been, but it was certainly the general opinion at the elections, both among candidates and electors, that the Association's claims should have a fair and impartial hearing. This is the principle to which the Provincial Council are pledged, and it is upon this principle that they have endeavoured to prevent anything like a precipitate decision until they had the whole state of the case fully before them, and until every opportunity had been afforded to the public both to o-ain a knowledge of the facts and to express their wishes as to the proper course to be adopted.

To prejudge the question by making a forcible sale of any part of the property, —a sale which could only be completed by expensive litigation, even should the Association's title prove to be bad, but which would be illegal should it piove to be good, •^-seems not only a violation of those principles of impartiality which it is the business of the Council to carry out, but it is? also calculated to complicate the whole matter instead of bringing it nearer to a settlement. To repeat, as Dr. Barker does, the same arguments in every week's paper, as if no one could comprehend them but himself, may amuse, but cannot decide the public, both because he is not accurately acquainted with the facts, and because his opinion will liardly command public confidence as a lawyer. In order to arrive at a correct decision, the public ought in the first place to know the facts and then ,to obtain a good independent legal opinion. The Provincial Council are now endeavouring to arrive at the facts, and it will be the business of the Government to obtain such a Jegal opinion. This is the state of the case as it stands at present, and I am under the impression that the public will deem it the only right and ■honourable course which could be taken. - I am, Sir. Your obedient servant, A Member of ihs Provincial Council.

To the E.litor of the Lyltelton Times . Sin. —As the "time is now come when we are called upon to discuss the best mode of communication between the Port and the Tlains, and as it is understood that one plan, if not the plan to be recommended by "the Commissioners, is a railroad between Lyttelton'and Christchurch, I would beg your insertion of the following1 observations, feeling strongly as I do that to undertake such a work in the present state of the settlement would be nothing but a disastrous waste o f money. In entering upon any undertaking, reasonable men generally consider whether the object to be attained he worth the means 'expended in attaining it, and in this spirit I would ask what special advantage i.s looked for here in a railroad over a cart-road. It can scarcely be maintained, I think, (taking into consideration the great expense of-1 constructing and working a railroad and the .comparatively, small traffic to be expected, that goods or passengers could be conveyed at a smaller cost by rail, than by cart-road. The only answertheu will be this,that Lyttelton and ('hristchurch will be enabled to "exchange communications in 20 minutes instead, .of an. hour. . Now is that saving of tune so imperative a necessity, or likely to be for years to come, as to compel us to ■begin an outlay the end of which is not to be foretold by any %" most careful estimates," and to abandon tin- practical object of making a . enrt-ro..'d which would afford all we require, viz. : power to send produce and to and from the Plains. At what ex" pen si* the engineers estimate the work can. be done I know not. hut. we have examples enough, how litt'e sii'h esli"mates can he relied on even in Kn»-lnnd, where a'-mnda'M-e of labour, materiel, ike., ".would m ike an accurate calculation possible. no estimates coild probably approach correctness in (his country, where labour is scaiue. dear, ami fluctuating, and \vh -ye all the materiel for the construction an;l working the lailroul would have U> !>• im"ported ; moreo\er, should we exceed om'"means no money could he borrowed as in 'England to complete the unfinished work. It may be thought in ihe present ■•xcite:nient about land sales that al)iin'!ri<-..- oi' money will he at the co mnand of the Province, for this, and all possible iindei-.^kiuys. I should hope not. It is by no w a:is deVirable to have too-much money in ;':•' pnbh'c Treasury ; it would probably only induce

large waste. But whether there were abundance of money or not, believing that a railroad would cause an unproductive outlay of it, I would oppose its application to sucli a purpose. But supposing it to be completed, I do not think a railroad would be as useful as a common road at present, for though we might possibly accomplish the journey in twenty minutes, when the steam was up, yet we could not expect the steam to be put on for every individual wishing to go between the Port and Christchurch. It would be certainly necessary to wait until the dozen or so were collected who would justify lighting the fire, and in practice we should probably be accommodated with one or two trains'out and in during the day, and between while all communication would be effectually stopped, but with a common road the traffic could be carried on at all times. "What I fear is, that if we undertake things either not required bjr our circumstances, or too great for our resources, we shall be deprived of means of doing even the little that is really wanted. We have one example already of this in Lyttelton. Had we in our church building not soared to the height of a cathedral, we might for the money expended on the present structure, have had a church which, if small and unpretending, might yet have been sufficiently beautiful, and in which we and our children would have delighted to worship. In place of this, the flimsy, ambitious structure has nearly fallen on our heads, and we have had to return to the temporary building from which in an evil hour we were tempted forth. In tin's matter of die railroad I cannot but fear a like result. We might as well throw our money into the sea, or what would be more profitable, we had better throw it for safety into Mr. Alport's unfortunately unproductive well, which, when filled np with earth, though the Provincial Council -might cast a longing eye at it, it is yet sufficiently deep to make them think twice before they attempted to dig therein for the buried treasure. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, Festina Lente.

To the Editor of the Lytlelton Times. Sir, —X is, I think, Fielding who says that'a man will write none the wor.-e for un 'erstanding something of the subject about which he writes ; and so the letter of your correspondent " Jacob Faithful" would have been quite as valuable if he had giyen himself the tro lble to get up the subject of his communication. The norn de guerre he has adopted is singularly inappropriate. (He seems to" have a fancy for the name of one of Capt. Marryat's heroes: allow me tc suggest that of "Peter Simple" for his next lucubration.) He is certainly not faithful in his record of public events. Whether this arises from a wish to mislead or from a-natural slowness of comprehension. I cannot say; but the fact is clear that from oneorother of these causes'he lias misrepresented the drift of the correspondent between His Honor and the Commissioner of Crown Lands. I attribute his blunder rather to the latter cause, because lie has, in his eagenv ss to make out his case, cut the around from under the feet of his worthy ally, I Jr. Barker. He has done that which the latter is too wise to do. He has quoted a passage verbatim from the CanieH.u"* papers. I mean that in which it is said t! a t llie to.vi; of Cliristuhinrh is to consist „ one I liwisand acres, bn.sid-s .streets, fyc. N,,v Jim is provirjr too much for t.ho D0c1,,,----)';c.i'is(; there are not a thousand ac n • wi »,i the bound;,,■»,.« ( ,f ,1,., T(Mv ; 'v. •■-i'l-vcs. hexi'ies Streets, &• • j '»•■!:■■• so PxtMnd ihMown to iis rcqnirvl si" •vo must e:,cro:,rh (i:>,, 11 )!,„ J),,,.,,,,.^ m v 1:111 ■• w!l!ch "huts'on tic town reserv ( . s Vlll

which has led him to-take up this question so eagerly. So Divß.uker has been jobbing in town reserves ! Will the public believe that he has absolutely bought laud for £3 an acre, for wliich according to his own shewing he ought to have paid £48 ? Fi e Fie, Dr. Barker !—lt was mean to have had a hand in such a job, but meaner still to have put on this noisy semblance of virtuous indignation in order to throw dust into the eyes of a credulous public. Would that you could get your bond and nothing but your bond without detriment to the interest and the character of this Province. It has been suggested to me, (but I do not believe it,) that "Jacob Faithful" is a malicious "but secret enemy of Dr. Barker's', that he has taken this opportunity of expo, sing a job which he does not like to accuse him of openly. For my part, I consider the exposure simply a blunder ; and from it I infer that the other mistakes which'he has fallen into, ought not to be considered as wilful misrepresentations. Poor Jacob does not understand the real question at issue in the correspondence which he attempts to criticise. The ground which His Honor takes appears to me to be intelligible enough. He merely requests that the question at issue between the Association and the Government may notbs prejudged, and points out that the Commissioner's own instructions forbid him to sell the Town Reserves until he shall have received further instructions. The Commissioner seems to have been so impressed with the soundness of His Honor's views, that he withdrew the announcement of the sale. He appears to have acted very hastily in this matter, and to have forgotten entirely the existence of a despatch from the central Government to the Commissioner to which His Honor refers him, and which, almost in so many words directs him not to take the step which he was about to take. Jacob complains that His Honor is not obsequious enough in his communications with the Commissioner of C:own- Lands. I hardly think that he could answer it to the Province, if he was veiy obsequious where its interests are so deeply concerned. Sincerely hoping foi their own sakes thajt Dr. Barker and Jacob will in future not meddle with what they do not understand', I am, Sir, Yours truly, Snakleyow.