ORIGINAL CRRESPNDENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 673, 22 May 1867, Page 2

ORIGINAL CRRESPNDENCE.

ITS D 0 ITOT EDENTIFr OtTBBBIiVES IN ANT WAT; r ; WITH THB OPHaOKS BXPBESSBD BY OTJB ; COBBESPONDENTS. ; :■■:) i :■ ■) '.'■ —*> ' i .1 THE" KAILWAY PROPOSITION— WHAT • WTLIr ■'•'THE'" PROVINCIAL COUNCIL DO WITH IT? No. ii. ?■'■ ::y:)---(TO THB EDITOB OP THB SOtTTHIAITD TIMES.) SiJE.— ln my last I endeavored to poin# out some "of tte disadvantages — I may* say dangers— to We welfare of the Province, which would accrue from a rejection of the G-eneral Grovernment'g offer"; I will now dilate on some of the ' advantages. The arguments which may be urged on behalf of the Oreti Bailway, though -possessing the same broad basis with that of the Eastern Line, will probably be slightly' different.' It will be a work of completion rather than the initiation of a fresh undertaking. So much money/ . has been already' spent on iirA? the most expensive parts, the earthworks and bridges, being nearly finished—that the further expenditure necesssary to. perfect the work can hardly be objected to ..on the most . selfish grounds, now. that the opportunity is affor.ded.__Of the £152,145 spent; on roads in the province, since .separation ; by far the largest portion has been expended oh the Kbrth Eoad, and yet, from Oast- accounts it is almost impassable, and .that after an exceptionally fine season, ,at the very commencement of winter. In fact;' owing to the' want of repair, and the difficulty of draining it in some parts, it would require, a further expenditure of some £50,000, with constantand carefulrjenovation to bring it once more to its quasi passable condition • for notwithstanding aU it has cost, it never has been a good roadj fit for heavy winter traffic. , The completion of the rail to "Win ton, bridges the worst part of the road from Kingstown to" -Inyercargill, and by taking off. all r , : the , traffic ■ from ,thej , IJafce and ■"-stations, materially assists in . making the present road: virable for. the ordinary requirements of the-settlers r located between- the terminus an 4 capital,; if th,e Jieavy traffic is provided for, the >eco^r^iow_at..present necessary can „b,e,-m et by repairs, which will be cheaply 'effected by the facilities for. the carriage of good metal afforded rby the, railway. .(.Unfinished work's of such importance, irrespective <jf the loss entailed by the capital uselessly sunk, have, a tendencyitp^de^sr persons from investing in the Province; — a view of -the'^ubject -not uhwortKy' of- rconsideration^ Tney imply 'either a country so financially prostrated, that it< cannot turn tq useful account the: money. expended in instating a work, or, haying the -means at its disposal, its rulers lack t&e energy to compass ~ their completion,^ jand the foresight to 'estimate their "advantage. TJn'dfer 'either Circumstance : a stranger desirous of choosing ' nis r futufe home, -will doubt the; advisability' ofnMsting in hjsr lot- amongst such.. In, our- -^case the means o£. preventing the^ disgrace and 'dagger, of suCh r an impijession^ gaming ground, is placed at piif 'disposal by the (?4neral. Government [it to be seen %nether the^ Provincial- Council is sufficiently ' alive to ith'e public interest, sufficiently ? dead to^selfish considerations, to, avert it also. _ : . , ,- , r ■^However 'necessary :ii;,may- b« ; for the reasons assigned to comp^lete tie Northern' Line, me ii appears of equally imperative importance, that tfie opportunity offered^ us of constructing a line of rail to the banks^f the Mataura should not. be lost ;! Itqpens up no^onjy^ some of the best land .in the but what is o^morpimportance, lanCnot purchased for iner^^; speculative ''purposes, but held by mei^who TBiave given evidence % the» past "expenditurej'that 'their object is to utilize it to . the outmost extent which capital and skill-will admit of. Irrespective;, of the smallerr; land holders along; .who .have with patient toiLconquered^he wilderness, in the hope of laying sb^p means Vpfbringmg their produce to market;' the breadtli of land brought; under cultivation, the : capital in-vestedv--the • expensive and -elaborate machinery at:the disposal of tha wealthy compapy .through .wapfie .land, tjie line of raii will for the greater part run, surely warrants an expenditure such as that contemplated. . Indeed, \it depends .to a great eitentVoa .^e 1 ;; oiitlet to this district, ' wnerher the operations of the company will be expended* td-tHosQ: proportions at; present intended. These ~I -am given to understand, 4 inclu4ei,4s^pectiye. of,-, bringing Mo jp?dihary cjiitivationt.heja.rge J)reMth of their purchased land,; the of a flour-mill^ brewery, anct malting establishment, for the malaufacture of produce, not - merely ; for^ local consumption^:' but export. This, to pay, will require a. cheap meant pf transit, while ,-itbe iraJße^it'' will ensure to the line safforda a^'guarantee; of;its paying, 'To retard the ' Advancement '-"'of such industries^ ought to be a matter of grave consiijera. tion to.tUe ' Cquncil ; jfiheir. deyglopijaent should' outweigh ; „aU f splfisli ,;mptiveß. It is an- objact-of no little moment for a<>, fqn%. a .^roviAce to become the ' aeai of a naanufactviriag ind.us-' try bo l^Tge | p?pmpt§4 by a wyitti, ao

considerable, such as would stimula^ the; growth of, : and absorTbthe ppo<Jticis\ of all the small settlers for^%ilesTrpuncEf In one article alone— thai; of malt^wjß ■could obtain a ! large \ share pf the-ra3Qioii of money aniiuallj- remitted' .--to Br||ain> from the Australiani;;jcolonie^p: a result is worthy of afciteni iioh. Beneficial as it would be to afd y dn developing the rescrurcesr'of" ptn? own '■■* territory, the Railway 'will do more; it will 'liap \» la.rge ipart of Otago, one of her ..best,, agricultural districts. Al rea 4y Qe Eastern bank of the Mataura is being settle^' but_ tiie difficuii^:- of shipping prodace, from, r pr obtaining supplies -to it are more :thai ordinarily considerable. ; Once the rail placed at their disposal, settlers w0u1.4 swarm along its bank, ,the< trade with whom would be monopolized by ourselves, and the best^ and most stable!; -of all revenues — ' that derived from the customs — largely "increased. While therefore on the ;one"hantl. the jboundaries of the Province would virtually be extended to the water shed the Mataura and Molyneux— so far, as the material advantages, of '-'settlement are concerned—by the eonstructipnrpfj |^ Eastern Line of,.,3Jailvv.ay.^pn the otHer the completion of the^W"iiii;pn line,; would give us the commandof the gblil-fieldsdistricts lying to the north of the Wakatipu Lake, with =aU their, : rapidly, r increasing . tries. 5 _ N Woet^> I;hat^ co^trj^hole nJers are; so' self-interested of obtuse, as -1o dast away such adyantages^asllfo.rttupiiiaihas thrown in their way ;, who, pursuing a shadow in ,the shape of _ roads, which, we catmoi obtain,- lose iHf substance whJTch we can, and cSsir away foi^ e%r; ifcH^'lSst chance we possess. *"*" -.■ --rr-y.-i ..- Tours-vfec^ >^'-^ '*& - s