The Southland Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1872.

Southland Times, Issue 1529, 26 January 1872, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1872.

A deputation was appointed by the Railway Committee at a meeting held last night to confer with the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. Mr Reeves, on the whole subject of our railway extension works. The policy of these works has been already recognised, so that we may accept it as an ascertained fact that the best sympathies of the public are enlisted on behalf of the deputation. The names of which it consists are a sufficient guarantee that the object will be well sustained, and, judging from the cogent reasons that exist in support of the premises, we have reasonably good grounds for concluding that the interview will be mutually satisfactory. What the Minister of Public Works, as acting on behalf of the country, has to be satisfied with, is, the bona fides of the projected undertakings. The entire deliberations on the policy of public works prove that the primary object aimed at by the scheme .is to meet the more urgent demands of an ascertained want, so that its development may as far as possible be regulated in accordance with its prospects as a paying speculation. This, we apprehend, is the basis of computation adopted in deciding upon the order and dates at which the different portions of the work should be undertaken. In other words, one of the chief aims of the legislature is to inaugurate the scheme by, in the first instance, confining its attention to the construction of such lines as can afford to pay adequate returns fur the money expended upon them. These will ia their turn expand their influence as colonizing schemes to districts still more remotely situated, and thereby pave the way for the more perfect extension and development of the system. The schedule adopted ia, no doubt, a liberal one, at the same time, Ministers have hedged it round with the wise precaution of reserving to themselves the power of deciding the principle upon which it is to be matured. Therein lies the ultimate success of the movement, and we are only doing this part of the colony a simple act ot' justice when we say that that principle has been all along recognised and. acted upon by us. Howr ever much enthusiasm we. may as a community have displayed respecting the material development of the district, not the slightest desire has ever . been manifested to involve the country in any undertaking which did not carry along with it evidence of its ability to pay as a pecuniary investment. This is tacitly admitted by the Government in the fact that all the railway lines projected at any time by Southland, have been voluntarily put down in the first schedule of the Railway Act, so that the deputation can have no delicacy whatever in urging its views as a prior claim on the attention of Mr Reeves.

The "Woodlands section of the Mataura line will no doubt be the first point brought forward for consideration. It appears the final survey haa been completed, and the working plans and specifications are understood to be in the hands of the Government. In all probability these facts are within the knowledge of Mr Reeves, so that we do not for a moment apprehend the deputation will encounter the smallest difficulty in arriving at an understanding as to the date when the work of formation will be begun. The arguments to be adduced in favor of an immediate start are so well understood, that but for the fact that the Minister of Public Works is an entire stranger to the district, we hardly think it would be necessary to reiterate them. The payable prospects of the line are well authenticated by the representations made by the Meat Preserving Company on the point. We have next the awful state of Southland highways to urge in support of the pressing importance of the work, and this we may observe is an argument applicable to the whole of the extension scheme as adopted. The state of these roads last winter was a byeword throughout the province. Teams so deeply embedded in mud that; the bodies of their machines dragged along the surface of the road in sledgefashion, is a state of matters which quite transcends locomotion in these colonies, novel and difficult as it sometimes is. We have no desire to excifce for ourselves maudlin sympathy, but we look upon this fact aa a strong argument in support

of our claims The money that would otherwise have been spent in roadmaking, has been spent in what may now fairly be considered an essential part of the railway works scheme, including a complete engineering; establishment, which will ba a considerable saving to the Government in carrying out its projects. The consequence is that while other districts — say, for example Tuapeka — have taken care to provide for themselves good available roads, and do not in reality stand in any particular need of further communication than they already possess, the facilities with which we are provided are of the most wretched character, and are calculated fco obstruct the progress of settlement. Something like a liberal provision was made for our roadworks in the estimates passed at the late session of the Provincial Council. No I improvement, however, at all commen- . surate with the actual state of the case has been effected, so that with the return of bad weather, we may expect to be as badly, or, rather, worse off than ever. We are aware the general administration does not incur the slightest responsibility for Provincial Government liabilities, but when we add that the non-discharge of these liabilities is affecting us to such an extent that the work of colonization is retarded, it becomes a duty on the part of the General Legislature to employ every reasonable means within the line of its administration to bring about an improvement. The bare fact that our traffic facilities are the most backward ia the whole province, if not the Middle Island, should go towards establishing a prior claim as against districts that have been better provided for. From a calm dispassionate consideration of the facts of the case, we do not apprehend that the deputation will experience much difficulty in exacting a promise that the "Woodlands section of the line will be commenced forthwith. As regards the remaining sections of the work, it will be the duty of the. deputation to Batigfy itself that these will be properly attended to. The main difficulty we can see applies to the construction of the Kingston line. Our readers have been already advised that it is the intention of the Public Works department that the formation of this line should extend over a period of four years. The intention however is not stated in terms which are at all explicit. The statement that it is not to be completed for four years does not, we should imagine, affect the question of its speedy commencement. Before accepting this decision on the part of Ministers as final, it is worth while considering the terms of a communication forwarded by Mr Haughton, ex-member for the Wakatipu, in which a significant intimation appears, to the effect that the determination iB not irrevocable, but may be altered to suit circumstances. The time for testing the point then is when Mr Ueeves arrives He cornea amongst us presumably free from all provincial bias or Dunedin predilections, and if good and sufficient cause be shown, the prospect of a concession being obtained is hopeful. To achieve this the deputation should spare no exertions to get Mr Reeves to visit the Wakatipu yia way of Southland. They (the deputation) might tell him about the immense amount of traffic which the line, assisted by the navigation of the Lake, cannot fail to concentrate. They may tell him about the extraordinary facilities for railway construction with which the Southland territory is provided, and the chances are that he will look upon such representations as nothing more than the over-sanguine emotions of local interest. Even if he did accept them without reservation, it is quite impossible that he could b& impressed with the full extent of their meaning. A great, in fact an incalculable end, would be gained if the deputation could prevail upon Mr Reeves to pay a personal visit to the locality. The entire line,, we are assured, can easily be completed in two years, and when we take into account the effect it will have towards establishing the wisdom of the entire scheme pf Public Works, the deputation will render material service to the country at large if it is instrumental in getting the line completed at the earliest possible moment. The alternative we have to consider is a determination on the part of the Government to abide by its programme as published. As we have already hinted, the period set down for completing the work cannot be construed as affecting the date of its commencement. If we cannot get it carried on all the way to Lake Wakatipu within a reasonable time, that is no reason.why it should not be taken aa far as the Elbow or even Athol. Whatever is done, the deputation should spare no pains to get the matter so arranged that so soon as the survey for the Mataura is finished, that for Kingston will be commenced. When he last visited Southland, the Superintendent gave us most distinctly to understand that such would be the case, and we have a right to infer that he had good grounds for doing so.