THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 10, 11 January 1872, Page 2

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1872.

In advocating tlie construction of wooden tramways in the Upper Buller district in our article of Monday last we hoped that the remarks then made would lead to a public discussion of the question, believing that some valuable suggestions might thereby be brought to bear upon the subject, but it certainly never occurred to our minds that what we then said was lo be the means of drawing from Mr. Lightband such an expression of opinion as ihat which is to be found in his letter published in our Tuesday's issue. Indeed, had we deemed it possible that any remarks of ours were likely fo lead one of our represents ives to commit himself, as Mr. Lighthand has done, to so sweeping a condemnation of the Nelson and Foxb.il 1 railway, we should have hesitated before offering him a text upon which lo base so unfortunate, so injudicious a communication. ■ The expediency or otherwise of establishing (hceo tramways is e:;st completely into the shade by the means suggested by our correspondent for raising the necessary funds for their construction. '" Would it not be better to divert the money for the Foxhill railway," he says, " involving as it will, say £100,000, to connect, us with a country that, will maintain a town if necessary?" Divert the money! Did Mr. Lightband comprehend the full import of what he was writing when he penned these unfortunate} words ? In cbarih' to him we are bound to suppose that, he had not fully considered their meaning, and that he did not understand all that, was involved in his proposal. In order to obtain a diversion of this money, the people of Nelson province must go to the General Government through the medium either of their representatives or of their Superintendent, and say to them : — We really are very sorry that it has been resolved to spend a large sum upon this railway because we now have some indefinite idea that, a better investment is to he found for it. It is true that a very large public meeting held iv town, and which was specially called I'uv the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion upon the merits of the scheme was perfectly unanimous in recommending that it should be undertaken ; we do not attempt to deny that, at meetings held iv the couutry districts for the same purpose, similar views were taken, and equally strong opinions quite as unanimously expressed ; we must admit, that we arrived at this conclusion alter duly considering (he matter, and carefully going into calculations Ji-i to the, probable traffic, calculations that at timt time convinced us that the work would prove remunerative ; we are noi, prepared <.o slate that anything that has since been adduced has led us to doubt the correctness of the views we then entertained, but we have a fancy for changing our minds on j the subject, and we therefore request that the mouey may bu spent in a different manner 10 that originally intended. We know that the Foxhill railway, to obtain which wo were so anxious three mouths i*2o, is an instalment, of one large Colonial scheme, however, in our present temper, we dou't. care to take this into

consideration, but, having an idea that j woodcu tramways iv the interior will ani swpr our purpose better, we should like to try the experiment, with the funds that have- beeu voted for another purpose. Thip, so far as we can see, is the only way in which a diversion of tiio money can he procured, and one of the members of the town has tho temerity to come forward and ask his constituents to Jcud themselves to such au absurd piece of child's- play. Whether or not tho people of Nelsou are disposed to humiliate themselves to such ian extent before the whole colony is another question, but giving them, as we do, some little credit for common sense, I aud a desire to be consistent, wo will take i upon ourselves to answer it with a most j decided negative. Imagine the expression that would come over the countenance of the Minister of Public Works on such a request being preferred ; consider what would bo his reply to the deputation that j should be rash enough jo make it. It I might possibly bo couched in terms of ofli- | cial politeness, hut the teuor of it would j undoubtedly be — Gentlemen, since you j admit that you are snvAi fools as not to know | your own minds for three months together, the Government will for the future take j upon themselves the responsibility of de- ! doing what works nhall or shall not b? undertaken in your proviuce without rej feiring tiie matter to you iv any way whatever, and it now becomes my duty to inform you that to any representations you ! mr»y henceforth make on matters of a similar nature, we shall foci ourselves fully justified in turning a deaf car. This is the kind of snubbing to which their representative would expose those over whose interests it is his duty to watch, aud should they listen to his advice, we cau but sny that in receiving it they would simply meet with their deserts. But Mr. Lightband is not content with suggesting that the Foxhill railway should give plnce to another scheme. In his earnest wooing of his new love he feels compelled to speuk iv depreciatory terms of the old one, and we now find that iv his opinion the railway, the construction of which he supported in his plnce in the House, is a complete mistake. It is compared, in somewhat foggy terms certainly, to a bubble raininj: company, in which the directors are constantly making calls and never paying dividends. The analogy is not very clear as the case is put by our correspondent, but there can be no doubt as to his meaning ; and herein he stands self-convioted of the most glaring iuconsislency. How, we shall proceed to show. It will be remembered that at the time the meetings to which we have alluded were j being held, aud public opinion was very I strongly expressed iv favor c,i the railway, rumors got abroad that Mr. Lightband was averse to it. Of this he was duly informed by his friends in Nelson, to whom he im- { mediately telegraphed back, requesting ] them to contradict the report. At the end | of October we had his word for it that he | was in favor of the work; less than three months later he voluntarily comes forward and publicly slates thai, he looks upon it jas a bubc-le scheme. No arguments have I iv tlie meantime been brought forward to show that, he was at that time mistaken, nothing has been urged against a scheme which he then approved, but because n new idea has in the intervening two months entered his head, he is prepared without the slightest compunctiou to withdraw the approval he then expressed, aud to decry in the most unrnistakeable terms a great public work which he felt it. is duty to support when urged to do so by tha pressure of public opinion. Either the mtnor to which we have inferred was altogether without foundation, or Mr. Lightband is one of the most vacillating of mortals. He has, of his own free will, placed himself between the horns of dilemma, and it now only remains for us to cougratulate him upon the fact that be has not yet met his constituent?, but that the opportunity is still open to him of explaining his real views upon a subject that to the Nelson public is one of the highest importance, aud upou which, having thoroughly, aud alter mature consideration, made up their own minds, they are naturally desirous of knowing what are the honest opinions of ' those who represent them in the colonial Parliament. What we want in'our representatives is, not that they should be blown hitho"' and thither by every breath of public opinion, but that they should under all circumstances be cool and sensible, and show that they are fully couvinced of the desirability of pulsing such measures as those for which they give their votes iv Iho House of Assembly. Those who support a certain proposition in Parliament, and on their return home condemn the action they themselves had taken are not of that stuff of which our legislators should be made.

Government schools : — Morris Buchholz for dictation, Louis Buchholz secoud c'.uss prize. Nelson Institute. — It will be seen by advertisement that Mr. Alfred Saunders has kindly consented to deliver a lecture at the Provincial Hull, to-morrow evening, in aid of the Institute funds. The lecture will be one of morethau ordinary interest, from the fact of its being given by so old and valued a Nelson settler as Mr. Saunders, who for a, long time took a promiuent part iv the politics of both the colony and the province, ani has now returned from England on n short visit, after au absence of some years. The well-known talent of the lecturer, the low price of admission, and the object to which the funds are to be devoted, should ensure a crowded audience.