Page 1 Advertisements Column 6

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 343, 14 May 1863, Page 1

ference to merely pledging Southland* to the coat of a “ little line ” from the Bluff to Invercargill. This little line, it is contended, would be mainly dependent upon occasional passenger and light goods traffic arising from the calling of the mail steamers at the Bluff, and would’pass through a district not likely to tbe closely cultivated or densely peopled for. years to come even with all the attraction of the goldfields. The complete line, on the other hand, would not only secure the whole of the passenger and general traffic, from the Bluff to Invercargill, J|mt : v|dsp.; p.large amount of heavy staple traffic, in the shape of good metalling.for the main up-country roads, which will keep on nearly doubling with every mile the proposed railway is carried beyond Invercargill—and, still better, a steadily increasing goods and' passengers traffic arising from the rich agricultural and pastoral country through which the railway will run ; the whole length of its course from this town nearly to the shores of the Wakatip. It is generally understood that, if the Superintendent, has required to be spttrred on to undertake the formation of an efficient Gold Escort, and the appointment of a 1 Gold Received on the Southland Border Goldfields, he has always been in favour of the Bluff and Invercargill Railway : in fact, oil this point, in advance of the most advanced of his Executive — whichever of the members that'far-seeing man may be. Assuming this to be so, and bearing in mind tlie recent visit of certain 'well-known Melbourne railway contractors in Invercargill—we may liofc unreasonably® - conclude that the visit which liis Honour and the Chief-Surveyor paid to the Bluff the other day, may prove the forerunner of the not very distant “ up-turning of the first, sod ” of the : first; great Trunk Railway in either: Island of Hew Zealand g and that with this the Lyttelton and Christchurch railway, and one or two others starting from each side of the middle coast, will form junctions. And so Southland may have the honour of being, though not the first, one, qf the most enterprising of the Provinces of Hew Zealand in acting upon the grand leading idea of the first colonizers of the world that the first thing to bo, accomplished was, the opening up of every new country by direct main lines of communication;' from the capital to each of the leading seaports. - At first sight, it may appear presumptuous in so young and so comparatively jlimited a Pi-ovince thinking of undertaking so great an enterprise". But, if feellings of hesitation of this kind were allowi d jto interfere with the commencement of * every public work, when would any such 1 work ever be commenced '? The Bluff and Wakatip Railway Las a grave importlance for Hew Zealand.not only with regard to our Province, but to the wdiole of the West Coast. From information' received it appears' that while Lake Wakatip is a great inland sea, Lake Te Anau lis of still larger magnitude j that by means of these inland seas, there is, with the break of but a few miles, very easy with the West Coast. Maori tradition—-which, on points of physical geography is seldom at fault—!seems to do away altogether with the fears of those who have : imagined that there are no available means of access from the interior to such ports as Miljford Haven, c r from the ports to the interior. Our Western Coast is ' undoubtedly very rock bound, and the £ prospector,’ whether mining or maritime, may well be dismayed when he at first attempts the task of developing an available line of communication between, sea and land. But that such communication's to be discovered \»e have not the least doubt. We have as little doubt that:the. exploration for gold which must go on now, will not 'only develope those' treasures, but will also show that tliece are" large tracts of j country eminently available both for agricultural and pastoral purposes, of the [existence of which little has hitherto been known. j All this must act beneficially upon | Southland, as well as upon the rest of the [Middle Island, and even more irameli- ! ately than upon the other parts ; for our 'Province is so situated that it is, and must continue to be, the “ Golden Gate ” !to the rich Southern pastures and goldfields of the Middle Island. But for this it would be a wild scheme, truly to think of our undertaking such an enterprise as ajßailway from the Bluff to the Wakatip ; but with these great natural advantages jin our favour, it would be an act of great weakness, were we to allow the opportunity to pass away without our endeavouring to avail ourselves of it. What are the precise intentions of the Superintendent and his .Executive we 'cannot say ; but we liave reason to think ■that the wliole question will be brought forward and fully discussed in the forthcoming session of the Provincial Council. The responsibility of a right decision will consequently rest quite as much with the Council as with the Provincial Govern'men ; and vve trust that both Council 'and Government will so decide as to be in this case in thorough harmony withthe 'sentiments of the Province. ! News.