The Bruce Herald. "Nemo me impine Lacesset." TOKOMAIRIRO, JULY 2, 1875.

Bruce Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 714, 2 July 1875, Page 4

The Bruce Herald. "Nemo me impine Lacesset." TOKOMAIRIRO, JULY 2, 1875.

We are pleased to-be able to state that the public meeting held in St. George's Hall, on Monday night, to discuss the question of forming a public company for the construction of the Tokomairiro Branch Railway, was a thorough success, and thai there is now c.very prospect of the Company being speedily floated. It would have : been a great misfortune to the district if at the outset there had been any division amongst those who will benefit equally by the construction of this much-needed line of railway, and although we have found it necessary to say hard things of the Directors of the Bruce Coal Company, we must now congratulate them upon the disposition they have shown to join in the public movement that ia being made in the desired direction. The meet ing on Wednesday night was not perhaps as enthusiastic as might have been expected, considering the vast importance to the district of the question that was discussed, and the fact that the opening up of pur coal deposits, by providing a cheap means of connection with a market, will have a beneficial effect upon every tradesman and working-man in the place. The slight apathy that was displayed, however, may be accounted for by the necessarily short notice that was given of the meeting, a large number of those who would no doubt have taken an active part in the initiation of this important undertaking, not being aware that such prompt action had been determined upon. There are a great many persons whom nature has not endowed with sense enough to see very far ahead of their own noses, and a few of these plainly showed that in their opinion no good to the general public could come out of tho proposed scheme, because some of its promoters happened to be interested in the coal that is to be taken to market on the new line. This is a narrow minded and stupid view to take of the matter, and one that no sensible man would hold. It should be plainly apparent to every resident of the district that as soon as the practically inexhaustible deposits of coal down the river are reached by a railway, hundreds of men will be employed where one is at work at the present time, while the number of coal companies, and coal mines owned by private individuals, will be increased. There need be no apprehension as to whether the Hue will pay. -There is a market for all the coal that can be pent away, and, while this is the Case, the mine- owners are not at all likely to allow the branch line to remain idle. When the hills, down the river are all removed, then will the coalfields there be exhausted j and, until the field k exhausted, the proposed line must pay handsomely. Tbe s' ares in the newly-formed Company can be taken up on such easy terms, that no man who has even a few shillings to spare should be without some interest, however slight, in the concern, while 1 the tradesmen of Milton, who will. rean .most of the benefit, should, for 'their own 'sakes,. do all in their : power to carry the 'scheme jib' a Bucces|f^l , if sue, {$9jn what was

stated at^ne^e^ing^a^ep^rt of which -wilLbefound in another part of the paper — the difficulties jin) the way of having the line completed in six or seven months are not really very-great. It should not be a very difficult matter to get £3000 or ;£4OOO of -the required capital subscribed in the district, and if this is speedily done, it will be looked upon by Dunedin capitalists aa showing the faith that those most 'interested- have' 'in the ' undertaking, and a considerable influx of Dunedin .capital into the Company; may reasonably be" expected. If half tide £ 15,000 required is raised in this way, there are contractors who will be ready and willing to take a large, interest in the Company, and go on with ttie work. It is almost too late now to hope to get an Act passed tßrbugn'the Assembly to enable the Company to go to work in the usual way ; and if the line is to be made at once, it wili be necessary to have it constructed under the Tramways Act of 1872, unless in the early part of the coming session the ! General Assembly do as was suggested by Mr J. L. Gillies —pass a General Act, under which all such companies as the one just formed can register themselves, instead of having a separate Act passed to meet each individual case. It is most probable; however, that the railway will have to be made under the Tramways Act, and a^ thia does not provide for the compulsory taking of land through which the line will pass, a great deal will depend upon the landholders. We believe that one or two of those who own the most valuable of the land that will be required i have offered it to the Company without 'asking for compensation, and it is to be hoped that their liberal example will be | followed by all the others. The formation of, .this/ line wiir bo greatly enhance the value of the land on each side of it, that if the landholders consult their own interests as well as the interests of the district, they will not throw the slightest obstacle in the way, but deal with the Tokomairiro Valley Railway Company in the same generous spirit displayed by those through whose property the line lately commenced at Kaitangata passed.

Tiie intelligence that the Government will, early in the coming session of the General Assembly, introduce a' Bill for the consolidation of the Stamp Duties Act, will be gratifying to all business men. During nearly every session of the Assembly since the passing of this Act, an Amending Act has been introduced and carried through, until the law upon this subject bids fair to become one of those delightfully complicated pieces of legal machinery that lawyers are popularly supposed to revel in, while the public suffer. It is said that the revenue derived from the Stamp Duties will not suffer by this consolidating measure, but that the new Act will : only help to simplify the collection of the Duties, and at the same time facilitate the transaction of business. There is certainly plenty of room for improvement in this direction, and it is to be hoped that the rumor with reference to the. intention of the Government in connection with this matter is well founded.

That lively little newspaper bantam, the 'Timaru Herald/ proud in the exclusive possession of a piece of rather interesting nastiness, has flapped its wings upon its own little dunghill, and crowed over the Dunedin Press. The 'Timaru Herald' published a letter that the Dunedin papers were afraid to give a place to in their eolumos, and therefore the Dunedin Press is as demoralised as the Dunedin Bar,, while the ' Herald ' shines aa a sort of Star of the i2ast,.to be followed by all journals who wish to be regarded as honest and fearless. The real fact of the matter is, that the Dunedin newspapers allowed a correspondence to commence between certai^ persons who were under the impression that the public would be deeply interested in watching the holes they could pick in each other's characters. The correspondence went on, until the tone it assumed became disgraceful to those who took part in it, and to the journals that allowed it to defile the'.r columns. Then the three daily papers said that they had had enough of it, and the writer of a libellous letter had to hawk his production about until he discovered a journal that would publish it, if he gave an indemnity. ll<* found such a journal, the * Timaru Herald ' published the na*fy letter, declared itself happy and virtuous, and announced that its Dunedin con'emporaries were wallowing in the mire of degradation and dishonesty.