The Invercargill Times MONDAY, MAY 18, 1863.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 33, 18 May 1863, Page 2

The Invercargill Times MONDAY, MAY 18, 1863.

At the close of this art'cle will be found the copy of a circular which hasbeea sent by His Honor the Superintendent to the merchants of Invercargill. From this document we learn that the plant for the construction of the Bluff Railway has already been ordered from Britain. We should scarcely think that His Honor and the Executive Council had a wish deliberately to insult our mercantile community, but, if such was the intention with which the circular "was penned, we beg to offer our sincere congratulations on the success of the attempt. Did it never occur to His Honor or his advisers that the men who are so kindly — and, in such first-class auctioneer'slanguage — invited to take advantage of the "unusual facilities" which are now offering to importers, might have something to s;.y about this plant which has been ordered with such expedition? Did it never occur to these gentlemen that perhaps some firms in town would have been willing to tender for the supply of all that was necessary, or did His Honor and the Executive Council think that the importers here were such very small fry as to be altogether unworthv of confidence ? Was it lost sight of that the public at large might feel some small interest in the matter, and might like to know, and might think they had aright to know, the firms from which this plant has been ordered, — if t indeed, it has been ordered, — or whether the agent at home had been instructed to call for tenders ? It appears strange that none of these little things should have been thought of at all, and yet such must be the case, or surely some notice would have been given before such decided action was taken. We know that some firms in town would have willingly tendered, and it is unfair in the extreme that they should ! have been deprived of the opportunity of doing so. There is another point to be taken into consideration : there is at present a very large railway plant in Australia, and it is by no means certain that the wants of Southland might not have been supplied from that source at a cheaper rate and with less delay than from Great Britain. Had this " hole and corner work'' beeu done in any other British colony, the Press would probably have launched out in unmeasured terras about government jobbery, etc., but to manipulate a "job*' neatly requires tact and talent, and therefore we must perforce hold our rulers guiltless in that respect. Speaking generally, we may say the motives cf our government are pure as water, and that their actions partake of a similar character, with the. addition of a strong dash of milk. In the particular case of which we are at present speaking there is, however, a, very objectionable feature ; an utter want of courtesy has been shown to the business men of the place, thinly veiled by the allusion to the " unusual facilities" mentioned above. We recommend our readers to lock up in the store room of their memories all these pleasing little peculiarities which from time to time are manifested in high places : to lock them up and keep them safely, to be reproduced on a day of reckoning which cannot be very far distant. We want in Southland a government which shall thoroughly identify itself with the people — with their wants and wishes — and at present that is not the case, and the little piece of impertinence which we print below furnishes a neat and convenient illustration : —

Superintendent's Office,

Southland, 13th May, 1863. Gentlemen, — I am directed to inform you that the necessary material and plant for the construction of the Bluff and Invercargill Railway having been ordered from Britain, it will occasion the departure from thence" of several vessels direct for the Bluff or New River, thereby affording unusual facilities to the importers of goods into this Province.

I have the honor to be, &c.