SIR JULIUS VOGEL AND THE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5345, 1 April 1879, Page 5

SIR JULIUS YOGEL AND THE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

The following letter from 'siv Julius Yogel, in reply to the congratulatory telegram sent him upon the establishment of through railway communication with Chnstchurch, was receded recently by the Mayor of Invercar r \\\ • • 1 ' 7, Westminst/ ./chambers, -Dear^Sir,— V- our telegram, of which I, enclose copy, or xasioned llie the liveliest gratification. It ia a gl , eat deal to an absent man tl)at ig not f orKO t fcen , and it is specia pl eas ing to a public man to find tha' <( j ] x j a policy and his work are a PP rec \ated. Whilst accepting your conS 1^ 1 jlations, as I think I may fittingly do s ono who was largely concerned in the 'development of a system of colonial railways, it would ill befit me to forget how ' mu6h you owe to Dr. Mcnzies for his efforts to give you a satisfactory system of railways from the, provincial means at his command. My then colleagues, Mr Fox, Sir D. M'Lean, Sir D. Bell, and. Mr Gisborne. generously permitted me to claim the creditor" the Immigration and Public Works . policy. By that policy we propose that the colony Bhould do the work. We thought that the provinces were not strong enough to perform it singly. But it would be wi'ong to suppose that some of the provinces had not worked in the same direction. In Canterbury Mr Moorhouse had conceived and partly carried out a grand system of public works, which his successor (Mr Rolleston) continued to carry on. In Otago Mr "Yiacandrew and the members of the Executive from time to time— amongst them Mr Reid, Mr Moss, and myself — partly effected and wholly aspired to similar Jichievements ; and I have already referred to Mr Menzie's efforts. There are no doubt other gentlemen whose names I ought to mention, but I am writing with no time at my command ; indeed, I ought to apologise to you for what may seem an intrusion of foreign matter, but this is the first time since a certain controversy arose that I have had an opportunity of explaining' how deeply it would pain me to think that my efforts on behalf of the colony should place in obscurity similar efforts on behalf of the respective provinces of many distinguished men, to whom the colony owes an uncxtinguishable debt of gratitude. With personal thanks for your kindness, believe me, dear sir, faithfully yours, "Julius Yogel."