The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 216, 14 November 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1866.

The meeting of the Provincial Council yesterday, furnished one or two topics of public interest which warrant a more extended notice than we were able to give them at the time. As we anticipated the members evinced the greatest auxiety to authorise the Superintendent to take any reasonable steps that would induce capitalists to enter into engagements for the construction of a railway. Several of the speakers were of opinion that the minerals found in the land would surpass the expectation generally entertained respecting them, aud that their development would be found eventually to compensate contractors for any outlay they might render themselves liable for in the construction of the line. The great object of the meeting, however, was to empower the Provincial Government to offer the line when completed at a nominal rental on such easy terms as should induce the parties taking it to regard the revenue likely to accrue from the passenger and goods traffic as a strong inducement to uudertake the work, even assuming that the land should be found less valuable than persons competent to judge, affirm it tobe. It was understood that the Provincial Government would be prepared to treat with coutrators in the most liberal spirit and impose no conditions on a compauy beyond the provision that the wants of the travelling public should be properly attended to. Of course all discussion as to the details of the arrangements are premature at present, negotiations will have to be entered into, and the Provincial Council will have to take further legislative action, before any arrangements can be definitely settled. The next step is to approach the speculators of the colonies with the " offer we have to make them, aud we doubt not that all requisite celerity will be employed by the Government in the use of the enlarged powers with which the Council has endowed them. The question next in interest, after the railway was disposed of, was that of the waterworks, on which some light was thrown by the Superintendent, and a cause assigned for the long delay that has intervened since his last announcement respecting them. At the last sitting of the Council, in May last, his Honor after stating that M> 17,000 worth of debentures had beeu sold in Victoria, and that he had requested £10,000 worth should be retained here, considering that the flourishing condition of the province would cause them to be sought for, said he had sent to Melbourne for such portious of the plant as would be first required, hoping soon to have sufficient funds in hand to enable him to send to Euglaud for the remainder. Stress was also laid on the desirability of commencing at once afc the Port and coming up to the Brook-street stream, as the pipes could be made sufficiently serviceable to at once repay interest of money and be of much service to the shipping, even should the money not presently be found to complete the whole design. We now learn that the letter which was posted to England for plant has been missent iu a totally different direction, and that thanks to the post office bungling, another long delay will necessarily take place. Nothing would so stimulate the public to invest in these debentures, as the arrival of the plant and the commencement of operations on however smalla scale. Out of sight out of mind, applies as forcibly to this as to any other public enterprise ; and after such long •delay the most ardent require their hopes to ' be revived, and, their faith invigorated by ocular demonstration, that the waterworks is not a pleasing delusiou invented by over sauguiue minds, and destined to be transferred to the limbo, of abortive schemes. Let us hope that no more hitches will occur respecting the plant, but that Nelson, one of the most favorably situated towns in the . world for obtaining a cheap aud abundant supply of

water from the hills that surround it, will not much longer be condemned to drink the impure beverage which is so calculated to undermine the "public health.

Another matter of great importance mentioned by the Superintendent yesterday, was the completion of the unfinished portion of the road that connects the Buller with the Grey. The sum of £12,000 was placed ou this year's estimates, for West Coast roads, and the sudden rush of population to the Buller renders it desirable that this road should be finished without delay. The people of Hokitika and the Grey are naturally undesirous to see the stream of population flowing in this direction, but miners will travel to the locality where there is gold to be got, and the Buller and its tributaries are, iu the opinion of competent judges, destined, ere long, to be the seat of a large mining community. There is no reason why the miners should stop at the Buller and we should not be surprised if in the course of the summer, they advanced further towards Nelson, and solved the problems iu reference to the nature of the country which have excited such differences of opinion among the savans of the colony. Dr. Hector is now, we understand, ou the West Coast, for the purpose of examining the country and reporting thereon to the Government. We shall be glad to receive his scientific report, and not the less pleased to witness the onward roll of population in this direction, which according to recent indications, is sure to take place. The announcement of his intended resignation by the Superintendent, though last was not the least important of tho things mentioned yesterday. He has done service to the province during his administration of its affairs, aud will 110 doubt receive some public recognition before he leaves the colouy. The question of the Superintendent's services and that of a suitable successor are too important to be dismissed iu a few sentences, they must form the subject of future remarks.