The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 175, 6 August 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1874.

The Inland Communication Committee, not feeling satisfied that the intimation they had received of the proposed change in the route of the railway beyond Foxhill was altogether to be relied upon, wisely determined to postpone tbe meeting originally intended to be held on Tueaday evening until they had obtained further and more authentic information from Wellington. Mr Curtis was therefore telegraphed to, and his reply has been placed before the public. The substance of it is that the Government are wavering with regard to the Buller Valley route, and have determined to survey the line via Tarndaie, which it is proposed to substitute for it. It is high time, then, tbat the people of Nelson expressed ao opinion on the matter, and we are glad to find that an opportunity of doing so is to be afforded them to-morrow evening. The most surprising, and, we may say, the moat suspicious feature in the position so very lately taken op by the Government, is the suddenness of their proposal to forsake the original plan. It was only last Friday week that the Minister for Public Works told the House of Representatives and the people of New Zealand tbat the railway scheme of the colony embraced certain lines in the North Island, and * * * « Thence from Nelson to Hokitika the main trunk line running through the Valleys of the Buller and Grey, and into the Amuri by the best routes procurable, and passing South through Canterbury and Otago to the Bluff," &c, &c. Now, it would be extremely unfair to Mr Richardson to believe that he would make an official statement of this kind without some data to go upon, and as i Mr Rochfort bas for some months past been engaged in surveying the line through the Buller Valley, it is only reasonable to suppose tbat his report had been sent in prior to the delivery of the statement, and, consequently, lhat Mr Richardson was at tbe time perfectly well ..waro of the estimated cost of tbe railway. And yet, a very few days later, we are told tbat the lin_ was likely to prove too costly, and therefore that the Government intended to look out for a new line by way of the Wairau Gorge. In our opinion there "is no occasion to look very far for the motive power that has brought

about this sudden change. Canterbury influence bna been brought to bear upon the Ministry, and Canterbury influence is very powerful. The Government, instead of holding the scales evenly, have allowed that influence to be thrown in against us, and the result is that Nelson is to kick the hfam. But the strength of our opponents is no excuse for our not going out to meet tbem. Our representatives should show a compact front, backed up as tbey know they are by the entire population of the province. If they do not, it is for us to sea to it, and to apply a remedy before the next session of Parliament. We have right and justice on our side, and the consciousness of this should encourage us. We have been promised a line of railway from Nolson to Greymouth through the valley of the Buller, which is known to be a vast bed of minerals, and only requires to be rendered accessible to the miner to add largely to the wealth of tbe colony. It is Row proposed to ignore this district altogether, and to spend some hundreds of thousands of pounds in constructing a railway through the rocky, bleak,.inhospitable gorge, through which the Wairau river finds its way to the plains below, where for at least three months in ihe year snow-sheds will be necessary to keep the line open for traffic. We want the first line which will confer on inestimable boon upon the province; we do not want the latter, which would be of no earthly use use to us. This should, and no doubt will, be stated in very plain terms at the meeting, when we hope that those present will not be satisfied with giving a silent assent to tbe resolutions proposed, but that many of them will step on to the platform and take part in the proceedings. The voice of the people ahould make itself heard tomorrow night, and there should be no uncertain sound about it.