The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Thursday, May 28, 1895. A MARYBOROUGH GRIEVANCE

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXI, Issue 128, 23 May 1895, Page 2

The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Thursday, May 28, 1895. A MARYBOROUGH GRIEVANCE

It cannot be denied that the system of small contracts for sleeper supply was for a brief space of great benefit to many small settlers and bushmen m parts of Marlborough ; while the quantity thus furnished could neither overstock the Railway Department nor appreciably diminish the solid surplus of the Colonial Treasurer. The sudden cessation of these contracts came as a great surprise last year, and many surmises were rife as to the reason why. The iniquitous Commissioners w©re declared to be the sole cause; they had no sympathy with the working men — never had ; but wouldn't such things be altered when the Government had the railways! 1 It was a mere coincidence that big contracts for sleepers for delivery at Southern ports were let to that golden spot the West Coast, only a few days before notice to stop supplies was sent to Marlborough. But this by the way, let it be of the past — for since that time the Government has acquired control of the railways, and being of the people, the people had surely but to ask to receive. The question to continne the sleeper supply here during the winter months has been asked, and what is the. answer understood to be ? That the Marlborough timber is not durable enough. Here ia a discovery. One would almost believe the reply was given m sober earnestness, for has not Marlborough seen the recent importation of Australian sleepers evidently for use upon the lines. Such a reply and such action would imply there is something rotten somewhere, but it can be clearly shown it is not the Marlborough timber, for it is indisputable that there are sleepers upon the local line that were placed there at its construction, and these carry upon their. face a denial of want of durability. These sleepers have seen service for over 20 years, and it is to be doubted whether any other locality can show better results. In any case it is clear the imputation of want of durability of the local timber is but a myth, serving a very flimsy excuse for neglecting to assist some struggling settlers and labour- ! ing men over the hardest times ever yet seen m the Colony. Men have left our district for want of such work, and others are only waiting m the hope that this, or other work may be soon started. But few claims for assistance have been made to the Government from Marlborough and these have usually been ignored. The returns of men engaged upon co-operative work and of unemployed assisted, have bulked large for months past, and a singular exception made with our district for provision for any ! of its unemployed, or for extension of j any public works on the vaunted cooperative system is also shown. Now, when a request is made proffering value for value to supply a limited quantity of an article constantly required for the railways, the reply from the people's Government comes m the shape of a mere subterfuge : " Your timber isn't good enough." Again, m the face of the undoubted lasting qualities of our timber for sleepers, the importation of sleepers from Australia— paid for out of our still unamended high tariff rates and other and increasing taxation — is as hard to understand as the Colonial Treasurer's cabled statement that immigration is required m the colony. It is hard to think that the Government can have acted thuswise without sufficient reason, for the result of such a course can only be inimical to the Colony. Imported sleepers — each a symbol of half a day's work, lost to some man here — immigration, keener competition m what is already too scarce, work. Would it not be better were the Government to seek neither to foster the timber industry of Australia, nor to attract undesirable immigration, from ejsewh.ere, but

reserve their surplus and energies for those already m the Colony, centre their attentions to the wants of the several parts of it? Their small settlers and bushmen, besides others, may then hope to get some of these crumbs at present unequally distributed.