THE EAST AND WEST COAST AND NELSON RAILWAY.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1619, 28 October 1885, Page 2

THE EAST AND WEST COAST AND NELSON RAILWAY.

♦ Advocates of this line of railway who are not daunted by occasional reverses insist that the time is not. far distant when the Legislature will recognise the importance of the work and either provide the funds for its construction or be prepared to make concessions such as will induce a Company to undertake it The Legislature, however, must be influenced by public opinion outside the walls of Parliament, and it is therefore with considerable satisfaction that we observe that snch influence is already being brought to hear on the qivsrinn. and that we welcome a supporter from an unexpected quarter, in the person of the Chairman of the Wellington Cbam>>er of Commerce. We have very great pleasure in quoting the remarks of Mr Travel's at a meeting of the Chamber held on Friday list (we quote from the jV./'. Times) : — He was now about to refer to a matter which had been much discussed lately by the Press and the people ; a matter upon which he ventured to differ from the Press, and from a lar^e portion of the people who had discussed it. He agreed with whnt had been stated in a pamphlet nvcntly read before the Philosophical Society of Nelson, in which the writer sai ' that while doctors and lawyers and o?!i**: persons occupying special positions and engaged in special crafts were compelled to go through a special examination, it seemed unfortunate that members of the Legislature should not he subjected to an examination in political and social subjects. (Hear, hear). The ignorance displayed by members of the Legislature v&9 so marvellous that one wondered ho* they ever got there ; they were as ignorant as f,]je people who sent tV-m there, and displayed the mo*? (•••us? ignorance on very important subjects. He. offered this opinion on no poli'ic:il grounds whatever, but simply on the grounds of trade and commerce, and he wns quite dispassionate in the view he took. It was generally supposed that the West Coast of the Middle Island was capable of producing nothing but coal and gold, and of course the idea of construct!- g n rv!" -i y to connect it with the East Cirrf v&that there were enormous sources of wealth lying undeveloped om the West Coast, simply because there were no proper means of communication. He was satisfied that one single mine was sending to sea — absolutely throwing away into a river which ran into the soa — sources of wealth which were worth twenty times the amount annually utilised I from the mine. But there was no means of carrying the product to a place whence it could l»e exported. Professor Ulrich and some other gmi tleman had recently entire 1 into a contract for the purchase of t tilings from the mine which yieM. d to its shareholders fair dividends by tho extracion of 2.V ounces of gold per ton. A fair sample of these I tailings was sent how fo Germany, i when* ores were treated in the most scientific manner, and it was found | that the nv'ne yielding 2J ounces i to its shareholders w;is serdir.g 15£ ounces into the river. There could be no question about it, therefore, that the contractors for the purchase of the tailings had seized a good opportunity. From his own personal inspection of the mines he was satisfied that hundreds of thousands of p «nnds' worth was lost to the colony, simply for the w.int of proper carriage. And anyone looking to the map of the North Tslar.d and noticing how greatly Wellington was interested, and how small the means of communication were — for the shortest line was from Wellington — it would h*» seen how important it was that the Wellington members should study geography, and make themselves acquainted with the resources of the country of which they spoke before they condemned a pvoiect which would have l»een of as much advantage to Wellington as the construction of Mie Wellington - Manawatn railway was likely to he. What be wished to impress on members of the Chamber was that it was of thp utmost importance that a community depending upon j trade and commerce should not neglect any opportunity of opening up sources of wealth which wonlil assist that trade. The exports of this district were generally the products of animal life — tallow, wool, skins, and things of that kind. It was time something was done to increase the exports of the Colony.