The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1873.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 15, 17 January 1873, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1873.

The Wellington Independent has fairly gone mad on the subject of the Brunner coal mine railway. No assertions are too wild for it to make, no arguments deemed too preposterous to be advanced. The writer of the articles that have recently graced its columns is either in a state of the most profound ignorance of the merits of the subject on which he comments, and consequently is liable to be hoaxed by any absurd canard that reaches his ears, or he has deliberately set to work to wilfully misrepresent the action taken by Mr Curtis in the matter. At this season of the year, the virtue of Christian charity is enlarged upon to some extent from the various pulpits, and, actuated by it, we prefer to attribute the rubbish that has of late been * uttered by our contemporary to the former rather than to the latter cause. One of these utterances partakes so largely of— well, we will call it romance — that it is worth quoting. It runs as follows :- : — "Some few months ago a number of the leading merchants and others, of Wellington, met at the offices of Messrs Betbune and Hunter for the purpose of considering a proposal to form a powerful company to work the Brunner coal mine on the Grey River, and to establish a large and regular coal trade by means of screw colliers. C. O'Neill, Esq., M.H.R., was authorised by resolution to wait upon the Superintendent of Nelson with the view of ascertaining the terms upon which he would grant a lease of the mine. Mr O'Neill saw Mr Curtis recently, and he was led to believe that the proposition was favorably regarded, but he was informed that it would be necessary to lay the matter before the Waste Lands Board, which was to meet in a few days. Since that time no definite reply has been received from the Superintendent of Nelson, except that the consideration of the matter had been postponed. We have since ascertained the reason for this delay. It appears that Mr Curtis, becoming alarmed lest Wellington enterprise should succeed in developing the mine he has tinkered with for so many years, called a private meeting of Nelson gentlemen for the purpose of ascertaining whether they could not form a company, and so not let this valuable mine pass into the hands of strangers. A friend who was present informs us that a great deal of loud talking took place about retaining the mine in the hands of Nelson people, but that there ie very little, if any, chance of a company with sufficient capital being formed." The reply to this may be put into a very few words. Mr Curtis never "called a private meeting of Nelson gentlemen for the purpose," &c, but, prior to the application of C. O'Neill, Esq., M.H.R. being made, a movement had been set on foot to establish inland communication between Nelson and the West Coast, and, as the Brunner mine was likely to form a prominent feature in this undertaking, the Waste Lands Board was asked to defer any decision oh the subject until the Committees engaged in obtaining the necessary' information had brought up their report. Acquiescence in this request is the head and front of Mr Curtis' offending, and, whatever the Independent may think of it, we are quite sure that the people of Nelson will approve of the course pursued by their Superintendent in declining to give any positive answer to the Wellington applicants until those whose interests he has been elected to watch over have had an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the matter. As for the " friend who was' present," to whom the Government organ acknowledges its indebtedness for the valuable information afforded, we trust for the sake of our contemporary and of his readers, that he has not many like him, or, one of these days, he will be getting into sad trouble. Our Wednesday's telegrams state that this pugnacious journal has made another attack upon Mr Curtis because he had "invited the. Council to criticise and

amend the terms submitted to him in 1871 ," relative to the railway. The best answer to this will be furnished by an extract from the Superintendent's address to the Council in its last session. Referring to the Brunner line, he said : — " The draft agreement will be submitted tp you, in the hope that you will assent to its execution by me on behalf of the province, after it has received such modifications in tbe details as may appear to you to be desirable." The agreement was endorsed by the Council with-some insignificant modifications, to which the General Government have since agreed, but in tbe report of the Select Committee appointed to take the matter into consideration there occurred the following paragraph — " Your Committee recommend that tbe cost of the construction of the said railway shall not exceed £26,250," that being the estimate of its cost submitted to the Superintendent by the General Government. Since theD, however," it has been discovered that a trifling error existed in the calculations, and that the cost of these seven miles of railway will, if carried out as proposed, amount to, not £26,250, but £54,000. Mr Curtis naturally demurs to this uncalled for piece of extravagance, and hesitates to render the Province liable for twice the amount authorised by the Council. Who shall blame him ? To attempt to condense the lengthy correspondence that has been carried on with considerable ability on either side would be to do injustice to both parties, but we trust that, so soon as it has been brought to a termination, it will be printed, and the public will then be enabled to form their own opinion on a question which — accidentally of course — has been so distorted by the Wellington Independent. Church op England Sunday Schools The annual picnic which was to bave taken place to-day is postponed ou account of the weather until to-morrow, when the children will meet at the time - and places already notified . The Steamers Rangitoto and Alhambea arrived from Melbourne this morning, the former wa the West Coast, and the latter by way of the Bluff and Southern Ports. The principal items of news brought by them have already been anticipated by telegraph. The Customs Revenue at the Port of Nelson for the quarter endigg3lst December last was £8, 567 j the respective amounts being: — Spirits, £1,726; tobacco, £913; cigars, £147; fixed duties, £3,257; duties by measurement, £1,833; duties by weight, £617; gold duty, £71. The amount collected at Westport for the same period was £5,975. Collingwood. — The Lady Barkly, which arrived from Motueka and Golden Bay this morning brings the news of a heavy flood having occurred on Tuesday last in the Aorere river by which the wharf was much injured and other damage done. The Perseverance Company's water race was much damaged, but has since been repaired, and everything is in readiness to resume crushing operations. Supreme Court. — A woman named Mary Ann Woodman, from Westport, charged with manslaughter, was brought up before the Judge this morning under circumstances of a rather peculiar nature. Some short time since she was tried at the District Court for a violent assault on one Catherine Macarthy, convicted, and sentenced .to two years penal servitude. Shortly after sentence was passed, Macarthy died from the effects of the wounds inflicted upou her, and a coroner's inquest was held, when Woodman was committed for trial for manslaughter at the Circuit Court, the sittings of which have just terminated. She was sent up to Nelson and this morning brought before the Judge, when the Crown Prosecutor applied for a remand until the next sittings of tbe Court as the jury panel had been dismissed. The prisoner not objecting, she was remanded accordingly. St. Mary's Schools. — The anniversary of St. Mary's Schools is always looked forward to with pleasurable anticipations by the large number of pupils who attend that establishment, and the twenty-third, which was celebrated yesterday, passed off as satisfactorily and pleasantly as any that preceded it. The afternoon was devoted to games, and at 4 o'clock the children, to the number of about 200, sat down to an excellent tea, after which the prizes were presented by his Honor the Superintendent, who prefaced the duty he had under-' taken by a kindly and encouraging address to tha children as well as to the parents, impressing upon both the value of the educational advantages that were placed within the reach of the youth of Nelson. We regret that we have not yet beeu able to obtain the prize list, but hope to publish it to-morrow. The Rev. Father Garin having thanked his Honor for distributing the prizes, called for, three cheers for him, which were heartily given. Mr Simmons, the Head Master of the Nelson College, then addressed the meeting, speaking in

the highest terms of the excellent discipline that was maintained in the girls' school, which was the only one he..Jhad .visited, and impressing upon the pupils the debt of gratitude tbey owed to those jby whom it was so ably conducted. Mr Richards expressed his entire satisfaction with the boys in his school, and alluded to the truthfulness they always displayed, and tbe courtesy and politeness with which he was invariably treated by them. There was some excellent singing, the correctness and sweetness of which called forth the highest approbation from all present. The magic lantern was exhibited during the evening, and the happy party broke up about 10 o'clock, after spending a most enjoyable day. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of these schools is the high state of discipline that is maintained, it being quite clear, however, that it is the discipline, not of fear, but of love.