Election Notices.

West Coast Times, Issue 213, 25 May 1866, Page 3

Election Notices.

ways by public companies, where it can be shown that the undertaking will pay. It is true that it may be desirable in a colony to make a railway a few years before it will pay, because a railway is a powerful means of colonizing the country; and there are many forms in which the Government can assist a company, either by guaranteeing the rate of interest, for a limited time, or by making a concession of wasto lands as a collateral security. But unless it can bo shown that within a certain number of years a railway will pay, there is no chance of obtaining the capital to make it; and the country would be the loser not the gainer by its construction. The principle which I advocate is actually being already acted upon by the formation of a company for the construction of a railway from Hokitika to Greymouth. I earnestly hope that that experiment will succeed, and I think our friends on the West Coast have set us an excellent example which we ought to follow. The other system to which I have referred has q recent illustration in the act of the Nelson Government, which has offered a large concession of waste lands to any company that will construct a railway from Nelson to Greymouth ; and I cannot help remarking that the suggestions which I threw out in addressing you last November have already received this practical illustration from two entirely independent sources. It appears to me that the'remaining unexpended portions of our loans already sanctioned will be fully occupied in constructing bridges over tho large rivers, and in the harbor works at Lyttelton and Timaru. Works so expensive, and of what may be called a national character, which cannot be expected to pay a full per centage on the cost for many years, may more properly be constructed by the Government, and charged upon the whole community through the public revenues. The plan which I here suggest has this advantage: that it is one which requires no sacrifice of the public estate, which is uniform and not intermittent in its operation, which does not interfere with the integrity of the land system, which will secure the investment of capital only in such works as will repay the interest on the outlay, and which is capable of unlimited expansion as the requirements of the province may demand. With regard to the class of railways to bo constructed, I regard it as entirely a commercial matter. We ought to have the largest andbest railways which the traffic of the country will within a reasonable time afford. If the railway at present in construction is found to bo too expensive, we must put up with a much smaller description ; but I think that it is of far more importance to adopt a less expensive line, and to carry it at once into the remoto districts, than a largor description of railway, whose benefit will for many years to come be confined to only one part of the province. But with regard to these questions, it is my duty only to indicate my personal views as to our safest policy. It will not rest with the Superintendent to do more. The Provincial Council, after full consideration of every possible plan, will, I have no doubt, adopt that which will be most conducive to the steady advancement cf the province. 3. Pre-emptive Rights—l have taken considerable pains to ascertain, from anthentic documents in the Land Office, the accurate position of the pre-emptive rights at the present time, and I prepared a memorandum upon the subject, which it was my intention to have read to the meeting last night, which was as follows :—: — "Pre-emptive Eights aro of three olasses :— ". (a) Tho Canterbury Association Pro. omptive Eights.—These wore: 250 acres for every 50 acres of purchased land. At first it was hold that when ono of these pre-emptivo rights was bought, tho holder had a right to ronow his pre-emptive right ovor other land. 33,000 acres of laud were purchased. Tho land under pro-omptivo right, if all taken up, would havo been, therefore, 165,000 acres. Tho Government of 1856 procured an alteration by which a pro-omptivo right onco bought could not bo renewed. These rights aro thoroforo dying out; they do not now exceed 40,000. I cannot got an accurato return, but tho abovo is tho outsido limit. "(6) Horaostoad Pro-omptivo Eights under the Eogulations of 1846— Those consist of 250 acres round each homestead. Of thoso tho amounts taken up are as follows ;—; —