The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1879.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 41, 17 February 1879, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1879.

The deputation appointed to wait upon the Minister for Public Works will probably leave by the Taiaroa to-morrow morning, Mr Macandrew having returned to the Empire City on Thursday Inst., No time h to be faftt ih bHhfcifa& eVetf feoSstble frreSsii^tb j oeftt Upon the Govefrnuienl in order io sfechre j the speedy fconipletioti of the Port line- and | the commehcemeht of the Bell Grove and Spooner's Bange extensions before the close of the present financial year. Unforlobatfely, the present Government appears no more willing to fulfill its pledges so far as regards this portion of the colony than its predecessors have done. After many delays, accounted for by the most paltry excuses, a deputation, sent to the seat of Government to urge our claims, received tbe strongest assurances that the Port line should be at once completed, and the advertisement inviting tenders was accepted as an earnest of their desire to deal fairly. However, by the mistaken zeal of our late member, the six months in which the work should have been completed was extended to nine. The reclamation work so far as Mr Lukins' wharf is all but finished, though it is now apparent that whilst the City Council was assured that the Haven lload would be provided to its full width, yet in the narrowest and most inconvenient portions of that road little appreciable improvement will be effected, and moreover the railway will form an almost complete barrier to the further widening of the most important of the city's thoroughfares. Beyond Mr Lukins' wharf the short distance to the Government wharf remains, we believe, unsurveyed, and although some eight months have elapsed since the commencement of the first contract no steps whatever have been taken to carry out the connecting part of the line necessary to enable freight by the railway to be placed on ship board. So much might be said of the injustice under which we arc laboring, but for the time we leave the matter in the hands of the gentlemen deputed to wait on the Government, trusting that they may be successful, and more especi ally so, in securing the commencement of the Bell Grove and further extension before the vote of last year lapses, for otherwise we cannot but forsee a difficulty in the direction of shortness of money caused by the falling off of the Land Be venue. Thk usual monthly meeting of the Permanent Building Society will be held this evening at seven o'clock. A meeting of the City Rifles is advertised to be held after drill to-morrow evening. The Naval Brigade is ordered to parade in the Botanical Gardens tomorrow night. The monthly competition by the members of the Naval Brigade for the company's medal took place on Saturday morning, when it was won by Seaman Edwards with a score of 31. As he has won the medal four times at intervals it now becomes his property. Of the Nelson boys who passed the recent Civil Service examinations we leam that three received their primary teaching at the Bishop's school, three at Haven Boad, three at St. Mary's, and two at Richmond. Lower Moutere, Hope, Upper Wekefield, and the Valley schools were each represented by one successful candidate. Attention is directed to the sale to-mor-row, at Brightwater, of Messrs Langford and Son's stock.