THE RAILWAY STRUGGLE.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1185, 27 September 1882, Page 2

THE RAILWAY STRUGGLE.

We reprint the following article taken from a Nelson Evening Mail of a late date, as the hints contained may be of service to the Roefton Railway League : — " A well attended mooting of the Railway Committee was held last night, his Worship the Mayor in the chair. Mr Lev »stam, who attended, stated that he had spoken with the Minister for Public Works on the subject, and he had assured him that the Government would be bound by the decision of the Commission. ho question was then discussed of the desirability of sending out a surveyor to make himself acquainted with the two proposed lines, and thus to be in a position to give evidence before the Commission. This was opposed by Mr Levestam, who was of opinion that for Nelson to do anything in the direction of attempting to bias the Commission would be to weaken her case. The whole of the Committee, however, appeared to be against Mr Levestam on this point, and we must confess that for our own part we arc utterly unable to understand such reasoning. It is as though a litigant, who was dissatisfied witli the ruling of a lower court and had obtained leave to appeal to another tribunal were to consider that in obtaining such leave he had done all that was necessary and that he might leave tho rest to chance. In this railway question we have, in the first place, the Government engineers against us., why we know not, unless it be that they take a professional pride in being able to say that the railway trip from the south to the north of the Island can be made within a given time, for Mr Blair gives no more powerful reason in its favor than that a certain number of minutes may be saved by adopting the East Coast route. Then we have against us the powerful influence of the already wealthy property holders along the line, to whom direct railway communication with the cities of the south would mean thousands upon thousands of pounds. We maybe quite sure that they will have no scruples about attempting to- "bias ' tho Commission. Thirdly, we are opposed by the people or Marlborough, who, blind to .their own interests, are lighting tooth and nail to secure connection between Picton and the south by way of the East Coast in preference to the cental route. And with all these powerful opponents arrayed against us Mr Levestam is of opinion that we should not bring the evidence of a professional man before the Commission, lest by doing so wo should be deemed guilty

{of an attempt to " bia> " that, tribunal. Now, in opposition to this view we, and we bolicvc tliut every man who has given the matter any consideration whatever must agree with us, are of opinion that we cannot possibly arm ourselves too strongly for the coining struggle — for struggle it will be. No one ad vocates an attempt to bias the Comniission unfairly, but we must be prepared with vvmy fact, w.th every calculation, with every tittle of evidence that can be produced in our favor to lay before chem, with a view to making oui case as strong as possible. Fools indeed we should be, were we, having bo far gained our point as to obtain the appointment of a Commission, to sit with folded hands and allow judgment by default to be given against us. No elaborate survey of the eent'al line has ever been made, and it is quite possible that a professional man such as Mr Rochfort, sent out for the special purpose of obtaining information on this head, might be able with perfect truthfulness to put a far more favorable coloring on the picture than has been given to it by Mr Blair, although even he does not condemn the centra!, while preferring the Coast line. It is our duty to look for flaws in the reporf of the public works departments and, if they can be found, to expose them before the Commission. It is, in fact, our manifest duty to make our case as strong and our opponents' as weak as, consistent with -facts and fairness, is possible, and in order to do this we must be fortified, by the evidence of a professional man. Our case did not close when we obtained the Commission ; induced, we may say that it has not yet boon opened, and it is for us, having secured the promise of a fair hearing before an impartialtribunal, to work up our evidence so that not a single point that may tell in our favor shall be wanting. A valuable suggestion was made by Mr W. White, of Brightwater, last night, .^peaking with some knowledge of the country ac<] uired in cattle driving trips many years ago, he strongly urged the necessity of sending with Mr Rochfort some practical settler, who is an acknowledged good judge of land, to examine the country to be traversed by the central line with a view to reporting on its capacity for producing grass or c r^als, Mr White's own opinion being that there are many valleys where the former especially would glow most luxuriantly. This wou'd. be valuable information to place before the Commission. Indeed we cannot but think that if we lay aside all half i heartedness. and set to work earnestly, and free from all fear of biassing tho Commission by presenting too favorable a view of our caso, we shall secure a favorable report, and Nelson will have cause to congratulate herself upon the steps taken to secure so undoubted a boon as railway communication with the cities of the south. 'I ho result of last night's meeting was the appointment of a sub-committee consisting of the Mayor and Mr J. C. I ichinond to confer with Mr llochfort with a view of ascertaining the way in which tho examination of the country should bo carried out and the probable cost of the expedition."