THE RAILWAY QUESTION.

Southland Times, Issue 698, 19 July 1867, Page 3

THE RAILWAY QUESTION.

(to the editob of the sotTTHiiAND times.; - ; Sib,— lt appears to me r fr£m a perusal ; of tfiW huinxfrous letters which' have re- t centlv appeared in the columns of your : contemporary, that the opposition to ; the . scheme of railway construction on the' part of a good many of the writers is. simply for' the sake of opposition, and a' desire to keep up a party spirit, which if encouraged, will have the most injurious effect upon the general prosperty of the Province. I cannot discover the slightest argument advanced by those who oppose the spending of £200,000 in the province on reproductive works. Prom the tactics pursued by the squatters I can well understand that the object sought is to prevent, if possible, the land from being devoted to any other purpose but that of pastoral pursuits. Now, however, agreeable such a course would be to a favored few, it by no means follows that the great mass of the people of the Province must be made to suffer, or that they will permit such a course being followed. We appear to overlook the fact that the construction of main trunk lines of railway, such as is contemplated in this Province, is not intended exclusively for the benefit of the people of Southland, although undoubtedly they would be the greatest gamers, but that it is for the common good of our fellow colonists in Otngo, Canterbury, "Nelson, and Marlborough — that cheap railways will induce settlement in the far interior— thatf those provinces are initiating lilies to join ours — that the provinces will . be abolished before long, and the whole scheme of railways in the Middle Island will be centred in the Colonial Government, similar to what exists in other colonies — that in place of having, as at present, only a few shepherds, besides the squatters, tending some thousands of sheep on -beautiful and undulating grassy plains and rich soil, we would have hundreds of farmers possessing happy homesteads and becoming the employers of labor — we would have contiuned immigration, because there would;, be a constant influx of the friends and relations of those who settled on the land— we would have trade revive wner'e now it languishes — we would not witness so many empty houses— so many" unoccupied sections — so dreary a spectacle as is presented of grass growing in. .."our. principal thoroughfares-— - of energies deadened— of general" apathy.; Ido hot exaggerate when I say that this country is as eminently adapted for agriculture as any in the world. 1 have visited! America, Australia, aiad' other parts of New Zealand, besides this Province, and nowhere have I seen better land, finer climate, and a country ' so obviously designed by Nature as the future home of hundreds of thousands, than' met my eye in Southland. Manypeople would, gladly embark in farming if it became a profit- . able undertaking, as it is . an occupation that most delight in. But' is it profitable now? No. Because there are no roads to* the seaport town,'! no; enouragement offered to the man of capital to ' locate in Invercargill, to purchase produce to sell in a profitable 'market, and hence farming does not pay, nor will it pay until an export market is found. The nature of the country in Southlandbeingalmosta dead level and swampy, and the scarcity of metal available for road making, will always prevent us from" looking to roads as a means of communication — hence the necessity of encouraging' the railway scheme and returning none but pledged men to support it. But why is there any opposition to railways ? Because I may be told that it is owing to the gross mismanagement and fraud that was perpetrated formerly in their construction. But does this argument apply to the present idea of railway extension ? Yes ; we are afraid of entrusting . any 1 executive with so much money to spend. Such is the argument used by those who do not look deeper than the surface. Such is the mode of thinking of the unreflecting mind. There was so much jobbery allegsd to have been perpetrated on railways that the whole topic was unpopular, and hence the easy victory of the squatters at the last Council. But let anyone consider that the same argument as is advanced by those who would uot entrust any Executive with the spending of the money for railways, would apply to the expending of £200,000 in the construction of roads, the building of bridges, &c, and will it not become apparent that such objections are fallacious. I can understand why the squatters should argue so, but I cannot understand the same mode of reasoning when applied to those who have made this Province their future home. But the General Government, if it ever agrees to finish the railways, will never consent to hand over the power of construction to us. They will, on the contrary^ take good care that the whole management will fee ia theft omx hands. They haye had

plenty of . experience of the past, and; -will never .again allow money to be.uselessly squandered. -This Province, I venture to 1 predict,, will- not be un ex-, istencb in 0 two years, supposing it to ; survive this session=V nOE *?. l° n g & a ■**'] ! does remain none, wi)^ the. present, or \ ! any future" Superintendent or Executive, | be Entrusted with the execution of. any ! larger public work than perhaps .the: construction of a mile or two qf,,road in places .wher,e>tnost needed. " But a Superintendent with squatting proclivities atthe present indment could ruin this Province. It would be his policy to quarrel purposely with the G-eneral Government, as by that means he would, delay the railways from being ■- finished. The General Government, not being' thoroughly acquainted with public feeling here, would naturally blame the people for the fault .of a Superintendent, , and thus our only chance would be frittered away. . But I have more confidence in the good sense of mv fellow colonists in the Province than" to suppose that when the time arrives for action, that such an unfortunate and disastrous policy will :be adopted. On the question of railways and Superintendent ■ — as long as there is one — pledged to support their construe? tion, the future prosperity of the' Province —or its rapid ruin and desolation depends. — Yours, &c, Ax Old Colonist. ; Waikivi, July 12, 1867. : . - — . — «,