His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary.

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

His Honor the Superintendent of Nelson to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary.

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Bth instant relative to the Brunner Coalmine and Railway. I will not recur to my application for £5000, for the purpose of making a temporary tramway further than to record my regret at the decision at uhich the Government have arrived, and mv opinion that by granting that application the Government would have done much to promote both the development of the mine and the success of the permanent railwaywhen constructed; and would have thereby carried out most speedily and most effectually the wishes and intentions of the General Assembly. I am Mad to learn that the Government withdraw their objections to the modifications made by the Provincial Council in the draft agreement between the Colonial Government and myself, as regards the annual quantities of coal to be guaranteed as traffic for the railway. In proof of the willingness of the Provincial Government to take upon itself any risk attached to the expenditure requisite for the complete development of the Brunner Mine, I may be permitted to recall to your recollection that so long since as the 26th October, 18,0,1 solicited the concurrence of the Colonial Government in a loan of £30,000, both principal and interest to be chargeable upon 4he Provincial Revenue, for the purpose of constructing a railway from the Brunner Mine to the Port of Cobden, and I must be allowed to express my decided dissent from the view you appear to entertain that the Colonial Government is taking a considerate risk in the construction of the railway, and that the Provincial Government has shown unwillingness to share in that risk even to a moderate extent. It appears to me on the contrary, that if the whole cost of the work and the interest and sinking fund upon the amount are secured upon Provincial property of far more than adequate. value, the Colonia Government will he taking no appreciable risk whatever, and that the whole will fall exclusively upon the Province of Nelson. I have however to remind the Government that it was agreed between the Hon. Mr. Yogel and myself when the preliminary terms of an agreement were entered into between us subject to the assent of the Provincial Council, that similar securities should be taken from the County of Westland over the coal-bearing land upon the south bank of the River Grey, so that in fact, Westland and Nelson should share the responsibility for the railway expenditure between them. Now that the contemplated expenditure is more than double the estimate formed at the date of the negotiation I refer to, this matter assumes a much greater importance, and I trust it has . not been lost si<*ht of by the Government; the more especially as I cannot, for the,reasons stated in my previous letter, look upon more than one half of the expenditure as being needed for the fuller development of the coalmine on the Nelson side of the river-the remainder being required for the prospective development of the mine on the Westland side, the improvement and security of the town of Greymouth, and the possible future extension of the line for purposes of general traffic If therefore the Government are prepared to. carry out the original arrangement in this ; respect with the difference of taking one half of tlie security from Westland and one half from Nelson instead of security for the whole from both, which appears to me to be practically the mmethWl shall be prepared to execute an agreement on behalf of the Province to secure £97 200 with the interest and sinking fund upon that sum, upon the tract of land already agreed upon the remaining £27,200 (making up the total sum now authorised by the General Assembly, namely, £54,400) being secured by the County of Westland upon the corresponding block on the south side of the riyer.: ;.,•.-.. I trust that the Government will not interpose any objection to carrying out this arrangement, which is substantially that originally agreed upon, the more especially as I fear that the . larse outlay, amounting to. £8000 per mile, which it has, I think .unfortunately, been decided '-to make upon the railway, will add to the cost/of transit to such an extent as materially tniucrease the cost at which coal could otherwise be delivered at the Portland will thereby seriously kmit

the demand, which a lower price would have ensured and render the prospects of the line being .-a-payable 'one less certain than they would have been had it been constructed solely with a view to the development of the Brunner Coalmine iv the most effective manner and at tho smallest possible cost. I have to assure the Government-that I ara quite as sensible as they can be of the importance of the Brunner Mine, to the colony, and quite as anxious for its more complete development, but it must be obvious to them that I have not the power, even if I considered myself justified in other respects in doing so, to enter into an agreement to burden tho. property of the province with a liability of £54,400 in tho face of an authority from the Provincial Council fco do so to the extent of £26,250 only. I have, &c, Oswald Curtis, Superintendent. Nelson, January 14, 1873.