THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

Southland Times, Issue 1521, 9 January 1872, Page 3

THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

The Hon. W. Reeves, Resident Minister for the Middle Island, in replying to the toast of " the General Assembly " at the Ellesraere (Canterbury) Agricultural Society's annual dinner, referred as follows to the intentions of the Government in regard to immigration and railway construction : — " I can assure you — I say it distinctly — that the promises which the Government have held out in the direction of progress they intend to carry out to their fullest extent. (Hear, hear.) They intend to make railways through this Island and through parts of the N orth Island with as little delay as possible ; they intend to increase the quantity of labor to be brought into this country as compared witb the rate at which immigration has lately been carried on. (Hear, hear ) Orders have been sent home to the Agent-General of the Colony to send out — provided he can obtain a proper class of immigrants — a number amounting to about 8000 people during the year 1872, of which this province will receive its fair proportion. (Hear, hear.) This, in addition to the special immigration which will be carried on in the North Island by means of Col. Fielding's Society, and probably also through the agency of the Messrs Brogden, will, I trust, "eventuate in increasing the population of these islands next year by at least 10,000 people. But it is only right and fair to remind you that we are already met with a serious difficulty in the fact that immigrants of the right class are very scarce in England, and the attention of the Agent-General has already been drawn to Germany, Sweden, and Norway, from which countries, provided the right class of immigrants can be found, a proportion of the immigration^ this country will probably be drawn. Gentlemen, I feel that the difficulty which the Government of this country will have to contend with is about to take an entirely different form from that which it has hitherto assumed. Two years ago the difficulty was to induce people to enlarge their views, and to support what is now commonly termed the policy of progress ; that is to say, to induce them to support the Government in pledging the credit of the colony for these public works ; but that difficulty has in a great measure disappeared, and its place been taken by another of a very different kind. We are now met by the impatience of the public to have the railways made all at once, and without due regard to the difficulties and hindrances that stand in the way. I feel that it is almost impossible in the very short time that I ought to take up on an occasion of this kind, to explain to you fully why railways cannot be made in a day, and why works of this kind cannot be completed as quickly as you desire. As I pointed out on the last occasion I addressed you, the difficulty alone of bringing out the rails and the ironwork required for bridges in so short a time is one that it is impossible to overcome. When I explain to you that the lightest form of railway requires about 100 tons of dead weight for every mile that is constructed, you can calculate for yourselves what amount of tonnage will be wanted to bring out the material required for 500 miles of railway; 500 miles would take 50,000 tons of shipping. Tou all know, no doubt, that the largest ships employed in ordinary trade and for purposes of immigration — ships of say 10U0 tons — do not care to take much more than 150 tons of iron on board, and the number of ships that come here in the course of a year is necessarily very i limited. I can illustrate this difficulty | best, perhaps, by stating that the 2900 | tons of dead weight required for the Northern railway, from Addington to Rangiora,have been enabled to be brought out only at the rate of 100 tons a month. Therefore, you will see that unless the Government adopts some very different method of bringing out railway material, the construction of 500 miles at our present rate would land us well into the next generation. lam not pointing out these difficulties as excuses for delay on the part of the Government, or with any idea of discouraging you as to the comparatively prompt and speedy construction of the railways. The Government intend to make them, and as speedily as possible, and to avail themselves of all necessary appliances and means to construct them as quickly as they can be made ; only, I would have you bear in mind that, as every part of the colony thinks it has a fair claim to have its particular railway made first — as you think in the case of your railway — and as the Government must necessarily serve all parties with some degree of equality, these railways cannot be made in a day."