EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5254, 28 July 1885, Page 2

EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY

Ashburton, July 27,

A petition favorable to the East and West Coast railway proposals has received 500 signatures of leading merchants and agricultural men here. Dunedin, July 27. The following resolutions have been passed by the Chamber of Commerce at their meeting : — " That this Chamber expresses its strong disapproval of the proposal by the Government to transfer the Dock Trust from the Harbor Board." "That this Chamber desires to place on record its strong objection to the extraordinary concessions proposed to be granted to Mr Meiggs, and to enter their emphatic protest against any alteration of the East and West Coast railway (1884), or of the contract already entered into for its construction here, which would in any way directly or indirectly pledge the revenue of the colony either by further concessions of land or by a guarantee of interest, or which would in any way impose any burden on the Public Exchequer." Mr Donald Reid moved the railway resolutions.

Hokitika, July 27. An enthusiastic public meeting was held this evening, the Mayor in the chair. A resolution was moved by the County Chairman, "That this meeting desires to express its approval of the success that has attended the efforts of the East and West Coast and Nelson Railway delegates in London, and respectfully urges the Government to endeavor to meet the proposals of the intending contractors; and to take such steps as will enable this great work to be at once undertaken," was carried unanimously. The speakers, among whom were the Mayors of Ross and Hokitika, expressed confidence that there would be little if any call for a guarantee, as the traffic, assisted by the valuable timber and mineral country through which the line passes, would soon give for more than 2£ per cent. The West Coast was quite wiliing to pay its share of the guarantee if required. Public meetings will be held at Ross and Kumara to-morrow night. CHitfSTCHURCH, July 27. A meeting attended by nearly 3000 persons was convened by the Mayor, and was held to-night to consider the East and West Coast railway proposals. The following resolutions were passed unanimously :— " That we, the property owners, ratepayers, and residents of Christchurch and suburbs, in public meeting assembled, hereby desire: to express our great satisfaction at the piospect of an early commencement being made in the construction of the East and West Coast railway, and also to declare in the strongest manner our hearty approval of the proposals of Government for the carrying into effect of the provisional contract now before Parliament, including the- additional guarantee of £97,000 now asked for, and that his Worship the Mayor be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the Government." "That this meeting, as residents in the County of Selwyn, desires the hearty co-operation of Mr Wakefield as their ccrunty member, in passing the West Coast Railway Bill, as being a measure bearing greatly on the welfare of his constituents."

The London Lancet of April 25th contains an account of some experiments to ascertain if alcohol is food. The writer sums up by saying that "unless our results have been rendered fallacious by errors of practical manipulation, which I can hardly think probable, our experiments certainly indicate in the clarest manner that alcohol, in small doses at all events, ia a source of nourißhment — i.e., a food."