The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1884. THE WEST COAST RAILWAY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1257, 25 October 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1884. THE WEST COAST RAILWAY.

The West Coast Railway Bill has already met with rough handling in the Legislative Council, and if it passes through that Chamber at all, it will be in such a mangled state that its parents in the Lower House will not recognise it. We are glad of it. There is no doubt but that its passage would do immediate good to Christchurch and the West Coast. The storekeepers, hotelkeepers and merchants of Christchurch would be benefited to the extent of the money the men employed in its con slruction would spend with them, but the witole colony would lose by it in the end. Owners of land along the proposed line would also gain, but owners of property through the remainder of the colony wouldj have to pay the piper. This West Coast Railway question has been before the colony for the last three or tour years. So far as we recollect, the people of Christchurch and the. West Coast some three years ago, fi ding it impossible to get any Parliament so corrupt as to saiictb n the making i f the line by Uuvt'nmient, pul heads tog.-ther and thought it *—the thing to make it won il In- * *iaihyays Act. under tho District v

Deputations from the West Coast came to Christchurch, and the result of meetings held to consider the subject was that a company was formed to carry out the work. Two Engineers were despatched to make the survey, and they, of course, submitted a very f-'v-rnblr report. If we remember rightly, however, the Government Engineers reported differently, and these conflicting opinions led to some doubts as to the practicability ot the work. Meetings of shareholders were held, and two of Christchurch's wiseacres were selected to go and see for themselves what were the prospects of the proposed line. They went, and brought back a report to the effect that it would not piy a private Company, but at the same time they thought the Government should make it. The sum and substance of the report was that the whole colony should pay for giving Christchurch people access to the West Coast by rail. A damper was at once thrown upon the enterprising spirit of Christchurch, and in its puny soul it cried out to the Government to make the line. The people had not the courage to make it themselves, but they had the effrontery to ask the whole colony to make a line which would not par. The question was debated in Parliament, but it was of no use, and then they turned with longing eyes to that loadstar of the politically corrupt—Sir Julius Vogel,— who very accommodatingly undertook to get up a syndicate for making the line. Sir Julius failed, as he usually does, and now he has come to pass a special Bill to make the line. Such is the history of the affair so far as we can remember, excepting that someone in authority has said that the traffic on the line would not provide “ grease for the wheels of the railway carriages.” Perhaps that was going a little too far, but it is a matter beyond doubt that it would not pay, and the freight on railways thoughout the remainder of the colony would have to pay for it. In our opinion, to make this line would be a great mistake, because there would scarcely be any traffic on it at all—the freights by water would be much cheaper, ami the people would naturally avail themselves of it. What the people who are now ? raving oyer the matter ought to do is this : They ought to improve the West Const harbors as much as possible, and establish a line of steamers between the two coasts, and thus develops trade. Cheapness ought to be their first object, and without a question of doubt this would be the cheapest way. As an instance of the difference between the cost of carriage by railway and water we can give none better than that which came out at the last general meeting of the Temuka Dairy Factory Company. The Company sent four tons of cheese to Brisbane via Lyttelton, and the carriage by rail to the latter port was about £2 more than the freight by water to Brisbane. The four tons to Lyttelton by rail cost verj nearly £9, while the freight all the way to London is only £l2. This must convince any one that if the railway to the West Coast is opened ships trading to the West Coast can carry goods cheaper than the train, and that the traffic will still continue to go by sea. What then would be the result? The railway would be made ; for most of the way there are no inhabitants, and there is very little likelihood of it being populated for years to come, There would therefore be very little intermediate traffic ; the goods from coast to coast would go by sea, and the railway would be a veritable white elephant, sucking the life-blood of all the other railways. However, wo must admit that there is some good in it. Sir Julius Vogel would, as a matter of course, go Home to start a Company, and thus the colony would be rid of him for a time.