MR W. T. L. TRAVERS IN 1885.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 8144, 15 April 1887, Page 5

MR W. T. L. TRAVERS IN 1885.

Yesterday we saw what Mr Travers said the day before of the Midland Railway. Here is what he said in 1885, on Oct. 16, when he earned a special resolution of gratitude from the Railway League for his unexpected championship. What a mighty champion he was anyone can sea at a glance by reading the following remarks, delivered to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, of which Mr Travers was then President, and reported in the New Zealand Times. These remarks made a great sensation, it will be remembered, and caused the name of Travers to be spoken of with gratitude throughout the country between Christchurch and Nelson. Everyone admired the fearless public spirit and unswerving regard for truth displayed by the intrepid Travers. Now the feeling is somewhat different. “ And 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 with a large portion of the people who had discussed it. He agreed with what had been stated in a pamphlet recently read before the Nelson Society of Nelson, in which the writer said, while doctors and lawyers and other persons occupying special positions, and engaged in special crafcs, were compelled to go through a special examination, it seemed unfortunate that members of the' Legislature should not be subjected to an examination in political and social economy, in geography, and in other important subjects. (Hear, hear.) The ignorance displayed by members of the Legislature was so marvellous that one wondered how they ever got there; they were as ignorant as the people who sent them there, and displayed the most crass ignorance on very important subjects. He offered this opinion on no political grounds whatever, but simply on the grounds of trade and commerce, and he was 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 constructing a railway to connect it with the East Coast was looked upon as an absurdity. But the fact was that there were enormous sources of wealth lying undeveloped on 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 sea—sources of wealth which was worth twenty times the amount annually utilised from the mine. But there was no means ef carrying the product to a place whence-it could be exported. Professor Ulrich and some other gentlemen had recently entered into a contract for the purchase of tailings from a mine which yielded to its shareholders fair dividends by the extraction of 2-loz of gold per tea. A fair sample of these tailings was sent home to Germany, where ores were treated in the most scientific manner, and it was found that the mine yielding 2-Joz to its shareholders was sending 15&oz 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. Prom his ovn_ personal inspection of mines, he was satisfied that hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth was lost to the Colony simply for the want of proper carriage. And anyone looking at the map of the North Island, and noticing how greatly Wellington was interested, and how small the means of communication were—for the very shortest line was from Wellington —it would be 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 project which would have been of as much advantage to Wellington as the construction of the WellingtosManawatu Railway was likely to be. What he wished to impress upon members of the Chamber was that it was of the utmost importance that a community depending upon trade and commerce should not neglect any opportunity of opening up sources of wealth which would assist that trade.”