The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1883. THE RESIDENT MAGISTRATE

Temuka Leader, Issue 1111, 29 May 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1883. THE RESIDENT MAGISTRATE

The way in which the Resident Magistrate treats Temuka people is, to say the least of it, very peculiar. About a fortnight ago he did not al tend at all on the day appointed, neither did he send any intimation that he would be absent, Litigants and their lawyers from all parts of the district were in attendance, but they had to go home again without having their cases heard. Ho attended yesterday, and sat till about 11.45., when he adjourned the Court for a fortnight, that he might return home by the express. At the time he adjourned the Court, two cases, in which Messrs flamerslsy and Forster from Timaru were engaged, had been called upon, but ho would not wait to hear them, Now this is simply disgraceful. In these cases tluee farmers were the parties to the suit ; they were present with their witnesses and their lawyers, to whom they must pay probably £5 5s each for coming out from Timaru, but that did not weigh at all with the Resident Magistrate. It was nothing whatsoever to him so long as he could get away by the express train. These farmers will have to lose another day and bring their witnesses and lawyers again, and very probably their cases will not then be heard, unless they are fortunate enough to have them disposed of before it is time for the Resident Magistrate to leave by the express train. Law is a very expensive article in Temuka since its dispensation got into the hands of the present Resident Magistrate,

THE WEST COAST RAILWAY. New opposition to the proposal for diverting the sum voted for continuing the main trunk line of railway through to Picton to the construction of a line from Christchurch to s the West Coast has sprung up. At the invitation of the Mayor of Wellington, a considerable number of members of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives and leading mercantile men met, and unanimously agreed—' That any diversion ot the funds allocated to the construction of the Middle Island Main Trunk Line would be improper and at variance with the general scheme of public works. ’ The history of the West Coast railway is becoming interesting. Some few years ago certain interested men on both sides of the ranges, took steps with the view of forming a company to construct a line of railway from Christchurch to the West Coast, Meetings were held, and money was subscribed sufficient to bear the preliminary expenses. Accordingly, two very able engineers were employed to find out the best route, and’ report thereon. In due course these engineers supplied the Committee with a very interesting report; setting forth the probabld cost, the mineral, agricultural and pastoral resources of the country through which they had travelled, and also the benefits which would accrue to the people on both sides of the ranges from its construction. The report was extremely favorable, and the greatest enthusiasm was fell in the project for some time. Meeting after meeting was held in Cluistclmreh, and the people nl that city had the West Coast Railway Scheme literally on their brain. At last two of the old fossils ol Christchurch

were appointed by the Committee to examine the proposed line. They did so, and reported that it would never pay a company, but that the Government ought to construct it. We look upon this as one of the most audacious suggestions men ever made. The two ‘ old fossils,’ though they had no professional knowledge, took upon themselves to upset the calculations of the two engineers, and say that it would never pay a company, but that Government ought to construct it. Why should Government construct aline of railway that would not pay ? Why should taxpayers from Auckland to the Bluff be called upon to pay for a line that would not pay working expenses ? Our opinion is that the line would pay well, and that a pitiable want of enterprise amongst the people of Christchurch and the West Coast is shown by the fact that they have given up the idea of forming a company, as at first proposed. Public feeling ran high for some time after the ‘ old fossils ’ report. Indignant resolutions were adopted ; rumors were set afloat that Sir Julius Vogel had started : a company in Loudon to construct the line, but nothing practical was done. Parliament met ; the new Loan Bill passed ; a sum was placed on the estimates for continuing the main trunk line to Picton, but nothing was done with regard to the West Coast railway. It is stated that Ready-money Robinson, through whose vast estates it would run, actually purchased the votes of some raembcis, so as to secure the passage through the House of the item placed on the estimates for constructing the line to Picton. Finding themselves neglected, the people of Christchurch became outrageous, and the result of the pressure they brought to bear on the Government was that a Royal Commission was appointed to institute inquiries as to whether the line to Picton or the West Coast hue was the most desirable ona to construct. A league has also been formed with the view of urging the claims of the West Coast line, and it was these considerations which led to the meeting in Wellington. For our own part we would prefer to see the money devoted to the West Coast, than to the Picton line, The former would open up an immense extent of country and help to develop the extraordinary mineral resources of the West Coast; the latter would run through two or three immense estates, whose owners alone would be benefited. But these rich men are powerful, they have wealth at their command, and they will use it to secure their own ends. 'The result will be that the Hue to Picton will be made, and that the Christchurch people will have to make the West Coast line or let it alone. It cannot he wondered at that the people of Wellington have no sympathy for the Christchurch people. Wellington has a West Coast of its own, and a railway was wanted to reach it. Wellington did not go crawling to the Government for assistance, hut floated a company to construct it. If Christchurch did likewiie it would do better than try to bully the Government into making it.