The Southland Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1872.

Southland Times, Issue 1629, 6 September 1872, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1872.

The ceremony with which the turning of the first Bod of the Mataura railway is to be celebrated to-day must be regarded as an expression of the satisfaction of the community at the inauguration of au important public work, from which much benefit is anticipated. There is always something cheerful in the commencement of a new undertaking from which great results are expected. It may be, and we in Southland are not without some experience of the sort, that the great results hoped for are never realised, or at least that they are very long in coming ; but it ia instinctively felt that such misgivings are out of place at a time like the present. We have made up our minds to have a holiday, and why should we spoil it by gloomy forebodings of evil that may rever come to pass ? By all means let us look at the bright side of thinys while we may, and if the prosperity which will doubtless be depicted in glowing terms at the dejeuner to-day should prove in the event somewhat less brilliant than our hopes, we shall at least have enjoyed the pleasure of the anticipation. Surely this is sound philosophy. And really there is a great deal to be said for the cheerful views of the future which every one feels are appropriate to the occasion. If we are ever to have railways in New Zealand at all, the line which is to be inaugurated to-day ought to be one of the very best in the Colony. There are no natural difficulties to be overcome ; the district Which it 18 tO open up is unrivalled in extent and fertility in the country, uulesa indeed by that traversed by another projected Southland railway, the WintonKingston line ; there are indications of mineral wealth along the route ; the harbor with which it is connected is the nearest to Australia of auy New Zealand

port ; and it is a part of the grand trunk road which ia yet to pass through the < island from end to end. What more i could one wish for, when the first sod is ] to be turned ? We may further con- ■ gratulate ourselves on the fact that the work has been placed in the hands of a , firm well known to be able to bring it to , a successful termination. There is a , satisfaction in knowing that the contract t has been taken as a whole, and that there ( is every prospect of its being carried out , in accordance with the terms on which it has been undertaken. Those who remember bow many of the difficulties, delays, vexatious failures, and expenses, of our past attempts at railway construction may be traced to the inability of contractors to carry out their agreements, will not be slow to appreciate the advantage we possess in the case of the ; Mataura line — in having the work as a whole placed in responsible hands, and at a definite price. We conclude, therefore, that for to-day at least, we may fairly indulge in the pleasure of looking at the future through rose-colored spectacles. As the work goes on it will be the duty of the authorities to see that these pleasant anticipations are realised ; and should difficulties occur, to bring the light of our past dear-bought experience to bear in • averting similiar misfortunes for the time to come, " All the progress, more or less, Resolvedly more leisure shall express : All yet seems well ; and if it ends so meet, The bitter past, more welcome is t c sweet."