The Hon. Colonial Secretary to his Honor the Superintendent op Nelson.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 15 February 1873, Page 2

The Hon. Colonial Secretary to his Honor the Superintendent op Nelson.

Sir— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter of tho 24th ultimo, on the subject of the Brunner Coalmin", and to state that it has received the caveful consideration of the Government. They greatly regret that you have not thought it right to concur in the suggestions contained in my letter of the 7th December last and its inclosure, which were made after much deliberation and with an earnest desire to insure the speedy development of mineral wealth, so certain to advance the prosperity of the Province and Colony. W'th regard to your Honor's renewed proposal, that the Colonial Government should advance to you the sum of five thousand pounds (£5000) io enable you to construct a wooden tramway on the north batik of the Hiver Grey, the Government, after again attentively considering this question, feel bound, for reasons already given, to decline to accede to the proposal. It appears to them more than doubtful whether, under tbe existing Acts of the General Assembly such an expenditure could be legally made ; and there can be no doubt that it would be altogether opposed to the iutention of the General Assembly in respect to the expenditure of the money it has appropriated for providing an improved outlet for this important coalfield. It is also in the opinion of the Government, pretty certain that the 5 attempt to construct such a tramway would tend to retard the complete development of the mine, which is being anxiously looked forward to in many parts of the colony, and which can only be effected by means of a locomotive railway. The Government have learnt with much regret that you are unwilling to recommend the Provincial Council to modify in any way the alterations it has made in the proposed agreement between your Honor and the Colonial Government. The only one of those alterations to which the Government took exception was the reduction of the minimum quantity of coal to be produced to thirty thousand tons per anuum. They admit the force of your Honor's argument that the amount of coal which will be raised from the mine will in reali'y depend upon other circumstauces than the terras of an agreement between the Colonial and Provincial Governments ; but it appeared to them that, while the Colony was about to venture upon the considerable outlay which is required to provide a proper outlet for the produce of the mine, it was but reasonable that the Provincial Government, as proprietors of the mine, should share to a moderate extent m the pecuniary risk which such ou.lay will entail. They have been unable to alter this opinion; but as a failure to arrive at any agreement upon this point would present an insuperable obstacle to the prosecution of this important work, as the plans and specifications for the railway have for some time been completed, as the material for its construction has long ago been ordered from Endand and as nothing but the conclusion of the proposed agreement now interferes wilh the commencement of the railway, which it is estimated could be completed within nine months, the Government are prepared to waive their objection rather than allow the development ot this important coalfield to be retarded and the colony left dependent to so great an extent as it now is upon neighboring colonies for its supplies of coal. The only other of the alteration proposed by the Provincial Council which calls for remark is the suggested limitation of the cost of the railway-works to the sum of twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty pounds. This is the amount which, at the time the Provincial Council dealt with the question, had been authorised by the General Assembly to be spent upon the work; but as this sum has during the last session been increased to fifty-four thousand four hundred pounds (£54,400), I assume there will be no objection to the latter amount being inserted in the agreement. I trust'your Honor will be able to inform me at an early date that the proposal above mentioned meets with your concurrence; in which case the agreement as altered will be engrossed without delay and forwarded for your signature. I have, &c, John Hall. Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, January 8, 1873.