The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 120, 20 May 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1880.

The Christchurch Press has an article on the meeting lately held in Nelson to consider the decision of the Government to draw back from their pledge to proceed with the Waiiti contract of the Nelson and Greynjouth railway, in which it speak 3 of the indignation expressed by the people of this district " that tenders have not been accepted for the extension of what they are pleased to call their 'trunk' line." We should like to know where our contemporary got hold of the information that the inhabitants of this part of the colony ever spoke of the main trunk line of railway in the constrained sense indicated by the pronoun " their " which he has been pleased to put in their mouths. This, however, is a mistake into which all those who are in the habit of decrying this line seem to fall. Either wilfully or from not giving the matter sufficient thought they forget that what Nelson is clamoring for is nothing more than the completion of the public works scheme as originally brought down, its leading feature being the construction of a trunk line from North to South. Nelson is asking for no new thing in demanding that the original intention (should be adhered to ; it is those who would substitute the construction of branch railways for the main line who are introducing the element of novelty, and because the people of Nelsou are not disposed to quietly fall in with their views, and to suffer their own prospects to be ruined in order that their more fortunate neighbors in. the South may be rendered wealthy by the diverting of the public works fund from its legitimate course they are abused and riduculed by the Press and other papers which take the same line. Our Chrisfcchurch contemporary, who would fain see the money required to complete the trunk line devoted to minor works in. its own district, produces some figures to show that Nelson ha 3 already received more than her fair share of the loans, and states that, according to a return laid ou the table of the House, the sum of £807,676 has been expended in this provincial district. Now, to show how fallacious is this argument it may be necessary to point out how a large proportion of this amount is made up. For instance, we find among the " net expenditure to 30th June, 1879," "Nelson to Greymouth railway £318,525." This includes the cost of (hat monstrously expensive line from Brunnerton to Greymouth, which is not in this provincial district, aud, even if it were, could not be regarded a3 a provincial work, being nothing but a coal railway, and as such regarded as a purely colonial under' akiog. Another sum of £220,000— a150 included in the £807,176 — was expended upon the coal railways of the Bailer, and consequently is not to be charged locally but colonially, if we may coin a word for the occasion. Then, also, the provincial district ia debited with the cost of the extensive water races on the West Coast, but surely if coal railways are to be regarded as colonial, in contra-dislinc-tion to provincial works, these water races ought also to be placed in that category. The rent of the water goes into the Colonial Treasury, and the duty on tho gold goes to swell the general revenue, aud thus it is the colony and not the district that receives the benefit. The fact is that instead of £$07,000 it would be very much nearer the mark to say that £400,000 was the actual loan expenditure and liabilities in the provincial district of Nelson on the 30th September last. To the objection that the railway would have to be carried for a few miles through country which would not add to the traffic, we attach no importance whatever. Was it ever argued that the WelliogtonMasterton line should not be constructed because from tho Upper Hutt into the Walrarapa Valley was a barren district, and that the line could only be carried through it at an enormous cost ? The objection in the I one case would be as valid as in the other. ) If the Press is really anxious to stop this \ work.it must bring forward better arguments than it has yet adduced.

Tb Whiti, our telegrams inform us, has been lecturing this month at Parihaka on virtue, brotherly love, and road making. It ia to be hoped that his utterances on the two former subjects, upon which, it may be, he is in a position to speak authoritatively, will produce the desired effect, and that our engineers will not be too proud to accept a hint from him on the latter. A correspondent signing himself " Pakeha Maori " desires to return his thanks to Messrs A. J. Richmond and Pitt, M.H.R.'s, for the trouble they have taken in endeavoring to persuade the Government to find work for the unemployed, but complains that for a man with a wife and seven children, the 33 6d per day offered to those who are willing to work on the Pelorus Road is scarcely sufficient to keep the wolf from the door. He thinks that the money required to keep 200 or 300 Maori prisoners might be more advantageously expended upon providing employment for white men. The monthly inspection of the Town, Port, and Country Volunteers took place last night, when there was a good muster, the total number present being 301, distributed as follows.— Band, 13; Artillery, 47; City Rifles, 38; Stoke Rifles, 45; Waimea Rifles, 39; Naval Brigade, 49; Artillery Cadets, 35; City Cadets, 32; Staff, 3. As the sloppy state of the Botanical Gardens rendered it impossible to perform any movements correctly, it was decided to go for a march out, and accordingly the several companies, headed by the Battalion Band, proceeded round the outskirts of the town, and back to the Drill Shed, where they were dismissed. The country corps then marched to the railway station, and returned home by a special train at half-past nine. The Naval Brigade Ball, to be held at the Provincial Hall on Monday evening next, promises to be a thorough success, judging by the number of tickets already disposed of. We understand that the ball will be opened by a grand march, which is a novelty in Nelson. Although simple in character, the grand march when carried out properly is exceedingly pretty. The Hall will be profusely decorated for the occasion, while the catering will be of the best possible description. We remind our readers of the lecture to be delivered at the Port Hall to-night by the Rev J. Beckenhem on "The Blacks in Australia." There will be some songs, choruses, &c, by the Port Hall Singing Class during the evening. The proceeds will be devoted to the Port Hall Building Fund. At Mr Acton Adams' request we print the I following part of his speech verbalim> as he is desirous of showing the words used by bim in a material part of his examination in the case of Adams v. Boyes :— " When I was asked respecting Donald being in possession of Marahau I said ' I did not make the agreement under which he attained possession. I did not give him possession.' I was then asked ' Have you not made an agreement of sale with Donald ?' I said ' I have not entered into any written agreement with Donald. I have made verbal arrangements, but have yet to get the Maori lease to complete.' Judge Broad then interjected, 4ls there any written agreement within the Statute of Frauds ? Nothing else is of any use.' I said ' No. I have signed nothing.' Neither the Court nor Boyes' counsel troubled to enquire about the verbal sale, as it was of no legal value to Boyes, and I being on cross examination could not answer except what I was asked." Considerable dissatisfaction appears to have been created among the intending passengers from New Plymouth last night by the Wanaka steamiug away without wait-, ing to ascertaiu whether the boats could put off from the shore, and the Union Company, it is said, will have to defend an action for damages. Among those desirous of leaving weie the members of Bachelder'a Combinar tion Company, so that their appearance in Nelson is indefinitely postponed. i The report of an amusing scene at Sir George Grey's late meeting at Auckland, in which Mr Swanson, M.H.H., was the principal actor, will be found on the fourth page. The Wellington correspondent of an Auckland paper says -.—All the members of the 1 Cabinet are now in Wellington, and are actively engaged in the preparation of the Government measures for the coming session. Cabinet meetings are held daily s and many Bills are already in print. All the departments of the Civil Service are working very hard, early in the morniug and late at night, compiling returns, &c, for the session. There is every appearance of a vast amount of business being placed before the House immediately on its assembling. The Post says that the Government have some 20 or 30 Bills in type already, in preparation for the forthcoming session. Among these are a Bill for the redistribution of seats on the basis of population, a licensing Rill applying the local option principle to new houses, but not to the renewal of licenses, and the Premier's Hospital aud Charitable Aids Bill somewhat modified.