The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 603, 14 August 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, August 14. The road question will undoubtedly be the prominent one at the next session of the Provincial Council. Our representatives must make up their minds to face a very heavy expenditure on account of thoroughfares; as no half-measures will do at the present stage of the progress of the Settlement We have now seen enough of the evils of a false economy. It will not do for the public to say to the Government "you must keep our roads in proper repair," and then to send representatives to the Council to cut down the necessary estimates. Pateli-work has been tried, and patch-work, as professional men well knew, has failed. A thorough system of drainage and metalling must accompany the formation of roads, or else they will be of no use. There are means now at our disposal, and we do not think that .there is any inclination to flinch at the expense,—although some of our main roads "may cost us £1000 per mile to put them into really permanent order. When j this is once done yearly contracts may be ! let for keeping them in repair. Until the ! the foundation of the roads are'thoroughly drained, and a substantial coat of metal well settled down upon them no men in their senses would undertake such contracts.

.Without any feai* of extravagance, or exceeding* our resources, voles niay be taken ; this session for widening1 and thoroughly completing the road from Christchureh to the Ferry; and -from thence to the foot of the hill, y The North | Road as far ■as Kaiapoi, the Rangiora Road through the- agricultural district, and the Riccarton or South Road till it opens out on the hard plain. As cultivation closes in the country, the roads must be thbrorighly formed, or, else they become mere sloughs. Beyond the limits of the agricultural districts the best plan for the present is to make thoroughly good shortbits of road through bad places rather than to attempt to give an appearance of formation to whole lines of road. ■ Such attempts are worse than a waste of money, they are a positive nuisance when bad weather sets in.

If we add to such works as these tlie laying down of an Electric Telegraph from the Custom House at Lytteiton by the Ferry and Christchurch Quay to Chvistchurch, and thence to Kaiapoi and the head of the navigation of the Waiinakariri, present necessitirs as regards communications may"be satisfied. But, at the same time, we must not be negligent of tlie future. Cart-roads, however good, will soon be insufficient to meet the increased requirements of the province. How soon we may be able to boast of a railway system, it would be difficult to say; but the rapid progress of the Southsea Colonies, the daily steps made to annihilate the distance from centres of civilization, and the evident tendency of population, towards New Zealand all seem to point to a very early date. However that may be, when the time comes for railway enterprise, just blame will attach to the men of the present day, if, through Want of proper foresight, unnecessary difficulties are created. While most of the lands in this province are still waste, a proper system of railways should be laid out, and the necessary lines reserved. These lines could, as opportunity offered, be either ceded or leased to companies under certain conditions.

Of all the Provinces of New Zealand, Canterbury is essentially the one best adapted for Railroads, the Port Hill is the only obstacle that would require a heavy expenditure to overcome. When it is once bored through, Railways might connect all parts of this Province and

large portions of Nelson and Otago with Port Lyttelton, at as small an expense as Railway works entail in any part of the world. So that although a tunnel through the Hill would: itself be an expensive work, the expense would be nothing when spread over miles of Railway on a plain, connecting wood, coal; and water power,— collecting the whole export of the country and carrying it through the tunnel to the shipping 1 in Port. ; The advantages of securing lines for a complete and well-matured scheme of Railways whilst we can yet do so cheaply will strike any one who considers the subject. The benefit derived from the laying down of a uniform system by Government has been exemplified in Belgium j that little country being able to boast of the most complete and best managed Railway communication in* Europe. We are indebted for much interesting information as to the history and statistics of Belgian; Railways to a work written on the subject in 1842 by Mr. Dobson, the Provincial Engineer of this Province. It appears that in 1837, when private companies; in | England had set the example and the, continent began to follow in its wake, the Belgian Governmeut passed a very short but comprehensive law enacting that Railways should be run from Mechlin as a centre north, south, east, and west. When the lines were once secured, the Government was at liberty either to carry out the works itself or to give up the land to companies. : Amongst Englishmen public opinion is decidedly in favour of leaving any thingapproaching to mercantile enterprise in the hands of companies or individuals; but this is no reason why the Government should not take the preliminary step, whilst it can yet be done, cheaply, of laying down a uniform system and securing the necessary land. : ■ We shall then be in a position from time to time to take advantage of any offer made by private companies to construct any line or portion of a line ;,:and, without interference on the part of the Government beyond its legitimate sphere, those evils may be avoided which have accrued in old and wealthy countries, from a want : of uniform system. In all important matters, it is better to be-too early than : tpo. late. We will recur again to this subject and consider what lines would best develop all the resources of the country, and afiprd : the ; readiest, means of communication and transport, and facilitate the; shipping- of'our staple' exports. ,■,.; : v i-;: