CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, 2 October 1872, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

— — O *** Wo/are-j desirous' :of * allbrfHl.fr every reasonable facility for the'ehscussioh of- piiblic aiibjects- but it must be understood that we are iii noSviiy responsible : ; -foi'itlieopiciioQS expressed-by- oorresponaentß. ''' A-V-n y \ i kBUELER/TRA-MWAY; '; ''.* '■ ' O" '.-.* ' To^TEis^EDir.oji p-7'xuE.NEisoif Evi^iYii'MAiri. < Sir,— I am very pleased tqijnd* thati. you 'have cheated -* discussion, in ycur,;eph"p3ns ; pn- the ques- ; t.ori,*of aiiy.rnway.iDtp,* ths,.he*i_;t' i of ,tbe '.province, as I augur'from the, letters^. hat: tiaye^aircady ;:; appeared on tbe subject .that .tlio., people .of. Nelsbn are noh 'so dead^io' tiieirinterest-ias' I -feared was : the € .case.;.*rl .am, .lioweyer, nlmqst .that there is a tendency to .aim at too much, which, if not checked-, tnayrleacl to a failure, r The remark that w.-is' made J in. the \Muil on Saturday last to the efiect that the • construction of 'he proposed tramway <Bh.oujd.'commen,q*3 at ( r the terminus, of the present dray road was a very sensible one, and, if it.be recognised tha. the duty which lies before us is-to >gOj-ito u wqrk in a-humble and unassuming manner in Vrojortion to the means at oui* disposal, this tramway may, before another year has passed over our heads, become- an accomplished fact.' The suggestions that I have to make are those of an amtteur, and -mist' he tak- n ior what they are worth,; but if. all- who adniit -the,- desirability of the iiudeftaking will cohieto the front and offer to the public ; sud_i thoughts as have occured ,tq them; it is quite .probable that out of the opinions thus .expressed some definite plan may yet be arriye'd at. r' ' ' ' ' „_, ,- The country lying between where the dray road now terminates, a. little above the Devil's Grip, and the' Lyeli, 'ib one -that is'- peculiarly well adapted to the construction of a tramway, there being no, formidable gradients to be overcome, aiid plenty of r timber, well suited, fop "rails abounding along the whole line. The chief | difficulties that have 'to- 'fee met are the' rivers, the Oweh; the Hppe.andtlieiMatiri; the first two of these, however, can be bridged' at a .trifling; cost,- but. the latter is a more serious obstacle..., But iv, commencing this work, I would riot "shut my eyes .to, the fact that before we can run we must first jof all learn- to wal_c. : All ideas of grand bridges aud expensive works must be laid' aside, and although it would be inconvenient and 1 acid to the expense of 'carriage to have t'oshiftf goods fronr one -truck' to another,: I would' at tlie'* outset 1 be content to have a ferry over the Matin in^which-' everything might be planted across.- 'By. go doing you would ac once dispose of one of those heavy items ' : of* expense winch' so frequently, prove? j& bugbear:; -ahd are looked Mipon as 'insuperable obstacles, by those who, bw't-fbr them, would-be willing to embark in! such an undertaking a* that under jConsideration. The tramway, oncee^tjib--lished, even , on the . cheapest and ; ; n*-ost; Jiutnble scale, the 1 traffic would soon' increase to suclfan' extent ks to fully' -justify" 'the' construction '\ot. works of a larger and more expensive and-pei'ttia-nent nature than wasat fi.'st'at all. practicable. The- carriage of? goods j to., the Lvell by the present only-available method — namely, by pack- 1 ing— costs fourpence a pounds or about ,_£S7 a ton. Ovfcr^the fifty odd s from Nelson, to tha end of tbe dray road,- the charge, so far as I canHearn.'is £9 per ton, tlie remaining _e 2B -being' absorbed in. conveying-? them 'over the -47 .miles, that intervene between the'Grip'ah^'the^-Lyel..'-What -would' be the; reduction supposing a;tf_.it_- ' way ran over '.that' ' cotiparatively ' short .'Jand' 1 insignificant distance? What 'would - "be : tlie : in- ' creaseqf -population in the district, and the con-, sequent advantages that would accrue to Nelson if people were enabled to settle Jhem infthe full assurance of being^supplied^w^hl the ijecessaries of life at'areasohaßlecbst ?' This is a question that very pearly affects, the merchants aud tradesT, • men of the town J and the farmers and graziers iii the suburbaa > districts,; 'in f-whlch* -I''.:inbltfde Motueka ai^d the -whole^ of the W.aiineap. Once open up your communications willi what' is likely to prove the best quartz-mining, district... in., New Zea).aridj— the l Ly,eg-/ana!.ilr*requii'ra *b.nt,|littiie prfst-ience to foreteil the effects that will be producedj.qn yournqw deser.ted .streets., . y ., \--.-_ yy We -ii*e*_rar too much disposed to look ito " the Government " to undertake these things for us, but surely the time has arrived for us .to get. rid of all ,->uph |in4ito|!Kelp!_pii|selves.' I.et tlie Government assist by making the surveys, giying-the^land^and subsidising the line, but it is for the people to perfbrra the main portion of the workv 3 ' f '' : '";-'-• J--' It seems to me that the hall is lying at our feet if we will but bestir ourselves to set it in motion, and to rpjl- |t, in -the desired direction. •., 'Merchants,'/ shopkeepers^.../ are interested. A little energy, a resolute effort to shake. : " off the lethargy in which we seem to be enveloped is all that is. wai_li^to>ecu.reia Ij^g^i-|' '§^^j^&ap^roi_^^ > t|i^_|i£ Is it to "be for ever wanting ?" Weary of Soth, tired of standipg^still,; I beai'ti]bvyßick;,pf f . inaction, and fearfbt of impending ruin, i J am for,. . .„„ „„.>.„. <K>lAl*m_t&D&liiiiAFor remainder of news see fourth, pays.

.'■•VriSirar-^-'--'- .V.i.'SS^'j^K-.' , *i' r .--— -»' —»*•■•- --■- ~-*~r.'~'T*-,-rm---i**rt*aMUtMaimt n nuir i w miThe Grepn 3Bay poat-office.ofncials don't like to answer questions. The following, posted over .thegeneral delivery, expresses their sentiments : -Price of three cent stemrs, three cents each; licked and stuck, five cents each; the clock will anewer the c question, "Has the r mail closed ?" . No Little Scandal haß been caused in London in civil service circles, by the discovery .that some of the successful candidates at recent examinations were not present at all, but seDt substitutes. just as young Parisians of fashion send substitutes to the confessional when they are aboutts be married. One " coach "is said to have gone up no less than three - times, andj and being afraid of doing too well, purposely bungled some of his *. answers,, and > did -it only too well, for he was " plucked," to the intense disgust of himself and his employer. The discovery js said to have come about this way. One lof the exat&iners, wishing .to sea a candidate whom he had examined, was told in reply to his enquiry that yonder - gentleman was the Mr. ~ — — - whem he . sought. " Oh, no ! that is not he," said the examiner. The rest of the scene-can * be better imagined that described. Twenty Years ago Hobson's Bay presented an appearance of great activity. The bay was alive with square-rigged ships. The number of vessels was not, - however, altogether evidence of commercial activity.; Many of them had their anchors in the mud for months, because the crews had run, and the cash wasn't always forthcoming to pay each A.B. £50 (in gold, on the capstan-head before starting) for the run to Calcutta or Callao. Occasionally there is a despatch, nowadays, which might compare with Liverpool or Glasgow. About noon of one day last week the first tea' ship of the season was at the Heads. By the following morning the .samples were in the hands of the trade; by noon nearly half the cargo was sold • before sundown.the ship had a swept hold, and about a hundred tons of her cargo had been transhipped, and was on its way to New Zealand. Commercial activity such os this gives character to the port, and helps,in part, to account for the scarceness of ships in the bay. — Australasian. The News Letter is responsible for the following paragraph regarding Mr Webb's subsidy bill iv the American Senate: — *• The bloater British Capitalist is often set upas a scare with which to influence Congressional legislation. This unpopular individual, however, seldom consents to appear on the scene in propria persona. The exception to the rule appears to have occured recently. A good story comes to us from Washington, where a portly representative of John Bull made his appearance, dressed in the blackest of broadcloth, the neatest of kid gloves, and the glossiest of stovepipe hats. The New York Herald and other papers announced that he was a well-known British shipowner, engaged in watching the action of the Senate upon the Australian steam line subsidy bill. If that did not pass, they said it was well known to be his intention to put on English steamers between San Francisco and Australia. He was trailed as a red herring under the nose of Senators for several weeks — did his work well, and received 200dols. per month for doing it." American " Social Arts". — A passage in one of Mr. Duffy's speeches in reference to the Californian mail route,, in which he said "We want access to the United States, because they can teach us the industrial and social arts," furnishes the San Francisco Newjs Letter with the text for a very amusing sermon. After inviting Mr. Duffy to come and see for himself, by taking a trip " in one of the old- fashioned steamers w;e have, by the aid of one of our 'social, arts,' been; smart enough to flatter you into hiring, when no one elseiwould," it goes on :—" If -ye came among us and needed ah office, you would be pretty like to' get it, for in San Francisco Irishmen do a large share of the voting, though it is said they don't do quite all the office holding they ought to. The rart' of; 'jvotingje-irly: and voting -often,' is one, Mr. Duffy, you would Boon learn, -for Irishmen areusually accredited: with taking to it fas- congenially /as^dbes' ; t 'a duck to ... water.* t More to-lhem, for .it Js a useful as well as 7a social art. 1 ' '"'lt ' often ' ( elects 'med* who ; wouldn't Otherwise be elected. , r If you got -an office among us, you would have \p master our*;'; social art ' of stealing well. We all steal welt when we get into office; 0 ; 1 Men; honest in private business, l6ok( upon stealing as one lbf the, inaiien^ We v :sieldqm, .'■•; .-' or-apv^i.^^ ti^e/^tatfle^ .^7-he*ii_W-s!f^^^ ■ : : .. 7 to ; ,^e7#^ .7 privilef e.^ojF.^ptealfiDg -i!again r 7'^e^)^eEV^ : -77. in Mrv 7^ passing of^som •''■'•■' gojjd .7B^ '.'''- Bojii, viif:;^^ 7J::art_i ;^"btf7^ 7;: '^hingl^ ;^/givi^

less than two hours by the simple operation of reading |heir titles. f Wouldn't that.be a grand way, Mist^ Duffy,, of managing, your intraeiable Assembly.* : * * * -* Then there aro other ' social arts ' we can teach 'em, which in some down-trodden communities, are only referred to in whispered tones, but which in our free land aro thundered forth from the public rostrum. We can teach 'em the very 1 social art ' of free love. Last week we had. for four consecutive days a convention sittiogin this -city, made ' up mainly of I female free-lovers intent upon disseminating their doctrines, and they were reported in the plainest terms in our daily press. Then, sure, huvn't we our freelove candidate for President -of. theUnited States? . . ■:,;'• /Then .there, is • our often-practised 'art' of 'putting holes ' in one another, which is a playful ! way we have of describing pistol-shooting. That is an 'art' we are proficient in, though whether.it ought to be -classed. as,. an ' industrial ' or a ' social ' art, we are not quite certain. Perhaps it is a little of both, or six of one, and half a dozen of the other. The Presideutess of our Woman's Suffrage Association tried to practihe.the art the ..other .evening, at a public- lecture, iuppn the body of. one , of \ our' legislators. Her success was hot great, owing to an interfering reporter. We ' put holes ' in a hundred or so yearly. No one is ever hanged, and not one shootist in twenty ever goes to the State prison. It's a good way of geltingrid of polical opponents. Xes. ! by. all -means,. come over, Mr. Duffy, we can teach ye tho ' social arts.' "