The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1878.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 264, 14 November 1878, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1878.

In looking over an old file of Nelson Examiners we met with a leading article, the following extract from which will at the present time be read with. interest:— " The bill now before Parliament to authorize the Government of Nelson to contract for the construction of a railway from Nelson to Cobden and Westport, by grants of the waste lands of the province, has excited a good deal of attention in Wellington. The bill was regarded at first with but little favour by Members of the Legislature, some of whom were of opinion that two million acres of land held by a public company, which could compete in its sale with the Government, would be an evil of no small magnitude. A little inquiry into the character of tbe Nelson Railway Bill has dispelled most of the objectious held against it. The Bill has been referred to a Committee of both Houses, by whom the subject is being thoroughly investigated. The evidence of our city representatives, Oswald Curtis Esq., has been taken on the subject, as also that of Mr Elliott, who was last week on a visit to Wellington ; and at its next sitting the Honourable J. O Richmond, who has travelled over most of the proposed line, would attend to add his testimony both to the practicability of the scheme, and the absolute necessity of such a road to open the country, and render it ayaUa'ble to tbe digger as well as to ttje

settler. The real character ot the measure is now 90 far recognised, that a very general desire hds been manifested to extend the provisions of the bill to the colony at large, so as to allow other provinces to partake of I the advantages if: will offer. In particular, several of the Otago members, regard the proposal most favourably* believing that the line, iE carried from Nelson to Cobden, may easily be continued through the western district of the Canterbury Province, and brought, through a low pass at the southward, to Dunedin, and so form a trunk line ol ! railway through the island. In the North Island also, it is considered that the principle of paying for the construction of railways by grants of Crown lauds may be made applicable, and it is therefore highly probable that a bill authorizing the dealing with waste lands for railway, purposes . will meet with the approval of Parliament." The foregoing Was written twelve years ago* oh the 11th September, 1866, and shows very clearly that even so far back as * h ~ ' i people of Nelson fully - . , -*"**tne portanceof - ' - iccogmsed the mi011 1... • „ ana were stirring themselves to -«un, communication by rail with other parts of the island. It is interesting, too, to compare the ideas chtertajned by Otago members at thftt Udifc with Ihfc public works statement recently made by Mr Macandrew. Then Otago looked with favorable eyes on the proposal to constrqct a railway; from Nelson to Cobdetytecausath'ey reguirded it as tb^e ""gjjafr^j^aeht ox the main trunk ne taa^^^^^^te re date was to connect i"c n Q|gjigi|||PK st > and west of this i s ' an JaMESfi|pP|p^lacaridrew proposes to '"ail^^^^ypft every other part* of the Cg|UaNg|H^ in Otago— except in that &BSSrag|proposcd to open up by rail. PflfffljjffifPfc time is not far distant when we f«HH|||pr again find the southern members ■J9ffi|*™" n B fc ' le P ro P O3a l most favorably," fl£raN a t the line would prove not merely a splf but a colonial benefit there can be no