The Nelson Evening Mail WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1866. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 50, 2 May 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1866. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1866.

The Speaker took the chair at 5 p.m. All the. members were present. The minutes of the hist meeting were read and confirmed. MOTIONS. The Provincial Secretary moved, That the report of the Select Committee on his Honor the Superintendent's Message, No. 14, be adopted. Mr. F. Kelling seconded. Motion passed. Mr. Kingdon moved for a Select Committee (with leave to call far persons and papers) to inquire into and report to this Council, if the Itinerary published in Nelson and referred to in the memorial of Mr. S. M. Macklcy, was so published with the consent of the Provincial Government, and to what compensation (if any) Mr. Mackley is entitled for the injury and loss he has sustained ; such Committee to consist of the Speaker, Mr. Redwood, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. McMahon, Mr. F. Kelling, and the mover. He said he knew nothing of the affair personally, and was only anxious a Select Committee should report on the matter, and he had proposed such a committee as would oe a judge as to whether the memorialist was entitled to compensation. Mr. i\ Kelling seconded. Motion passed. Mr. Kelling moved, That the Council resolve itself into commitiee, Mr. Sparrow in the chair, to take into consideration the following resolutions: — I. That, having a regard for the future no less than the present welfare of the province, this Council is of opinion that it is essentially necessary a trunk line of road should be carried from Nelson to Cobden, in order that the immense mineral -wealth contained in the heart of the country may be rendered accessible. 11. That, -whether viewed in reference to the first cost of such road or the economy of traffic, a light line of railway is most desirable for the purpose, considering the nature of the country through which the road would have to be carried. 111. That in the event of persons being found willing to construct a 1 ght line of railway of a narrow gage from Nelson to Cobden with a branch of the line to the mouth of the Kiver Buller, and take payment for the same in land, this Council is of opinion that the waste lands of the Province could not be devoted to a more legitimate purpose. IV. That his Honor the Superintendent be re quested to bring the subject under the attention of the Government of the Colony, and obtain its sanction to the alienation of the land necessary for the purpose, on condition that the land to be given shall not exceed 10,000 acres for each mile of railway constructed, and the land taken shall all have a drainage to the valleys through which the line of railway shall pass. Mr. Baigeut seconded. Motion passed. The mover thought it necessary to move the resolutions seriatim, lie said there was hardly any difference of opinion as to the impon.tnce of a trunk line to the West Coast. Such a road us that proposed by Mr. Wakefield, would cost more money than a light line of railway. He would like to hear the Council express an opinion on the best means of opening \ip the country whether by macadamised road or railway. Probably it would cost more to keep a road than a railway in repair, and this view was embodied in his resolution. The great difficulty was to find a company, who would make the road and take payment in land. If a company could he found the Government could not do better than arrange with such to do the work, and take land in exchange. The resources of the province were incalculable, and either road or railway should be constructed without delay, lie was strongly impressed in favor if a railway of practicable, und regretted that a proposal to carry out a railway some years ago was not adopted. The great population on the West Coast, the vast mineral resources and other kinds of wealth furnished an unanswerable argument in favor of opening up the country. Pie would not dwell on the advantages of roads and railways, and would urge the Council to take the matter into serious consideration. There was plenty of wood along the line of the proposed road, and there -was a steadily increasing population of miners who would infinitely prefer to travel and send their goods by road or railway to encounter the expense and peril of the present sea voyage. Stations would be established from the West Coast to Nelson, the wealth of the province would be steadily developed, a communication wonld be kept up with the sources of our mineral wealth, and the Government would largely benefit the province by acting promptly and liberally without delay in establishiog a good road or railway to the West Coast. If the Council adopted his first resolution he had not much fear of the fate of the rest. Mr. Oliver was glad the question was open to discussion, hut thought any scheme of roads to be rendered feasible must be adapted to the slender means of the province. S»ch »jroad or rwUwd as that content

plated would be a great boon to the province, ia steadily developing its mineral and other wealth. A cheap line of rail would facilitate the working of our mining ground, and enable farmers to work land that was now too poor to settle a population on. The immense cost of macadamised roads pointed to a cheap railway as that which should be adopted. The best authorities, Sir W. Denison for instance, were in favor of the great superiority, in point of cheapness, of a horse rail-road over macdaamised roads, which cost a great deal to keep them in order. He showed that in Wales and other mountainous countries horse railroads were adopted with great advantage, and a similar plan if tried in the Nelson province could not fail being attended with similar advantages. He quoted Mr. Fitzgibbon's report in proof of the advantage that would accrue to the province by the construction of an economical railway, at the rate of about £1,000 per mile. The less expensive the railway the greater the chance of seeing it completed. The Speaker expressed his entire concurrence with the spirit of the resolutions, and hoped the Council would not hesitate to ratify them ; in fact they had done so by adopting the report in the early part of the evening. Without comtnittting himself to a trunk road in the present stute of the means of the province, he would rather modify the first resolution by stating, that a regard for the future as well as the present welfare of the province rendered it desirable that a trunk line of road should be carried from Nelton to Cobden. He would also suggest that the other wealth as well as the mineral wealth should be embodied in the first resolution. Mr. Baigent supported the motion, and dwelt on the importance of gaining ready access to those sources of wealth which were now giving so great a prominence to this province. The resolution as amended by the Speaker was curried. Mr. Kelling moved the second resolution, which he expected would elicit a difference of opinion. If a light line of railway was not much more expensive than a tramway, it was clear that it was preferable to any other mode of transit. There was timber to keep it in repair, and coal to work the engines. It was, therefore, the cheapest in the end, and far superior to a road in opening the country, and conveying stock from one end of the conntry to the other. A land payment seemed the only chance of getting the work done, and no better mode could be discovered of disposing of the waste hinds. He hoped the committee would well ventilate the question, which involved the present and future prosperity of the province. Mr. Simirionds said there could not be a doubt that a railway in such a country would be far preferable to a common road- Economy and speed would both be secured. He feared it would not be possible to get a company to take payment in land. If they could be found, it would be a good thing for the province, and he should be delighted to find a company looking favorably on so doubtful a speculation. !No doubt material was abundant all along the line of road, and the great difficulty was to find a company to enter into the speculation. Mr. Oliver proposed an amendment specifying that it should be "a light line of railway with a narrow guage." Mr. C Kelling thought if money worth was given to a company in land, it would not be difficult to find men to undertake the contract. A railway would make the land increasingly valuable, which would render the difficulty less of finding men to take land instead of money. Mr. Baigent supported the motion. The Speaker contended that a light line of railway would be the cheapest, and the best adapted to the country. There was a large area of fine country, that had only to be seen, to render it highly probable that capitalists would be glad to take the land in lieu, of money, as they had done in America and other countries. The most of this country was fit for pastoral purposes, while the better portion was of a highly inviting kind. He was very hopeful that capitalists would be found to look with favor on sueli a country, and he doubted not that the whole of this province would, sooner or later, be found adapted to pastoral, agricultural, or mineral purposes. Mr. Simmonds thought it was a pity the country was not better known. He would be glad to see the scheme carried out, but he was not very hopeful about it. The Provincial Secretary had no objection to give the land in payment, as it would not involve the province in debt, as some schemes would do. He would like to see more definite resolutions, and he would like to know a little more of the comparative cost between a railway and a macadamised road. Little importance eouid be attached to general statements, such as were now made. He would like to know the cost of maintenance, the amount of traffic, and the number of other roads necessary to make the railway useful. If 10,000 acres of land per mile were given for 200 miles of railway, it would take seven miles of land, on each of the line, in width. This was a considerable amount, and ought to be carefully considered in connection with the resources of the province. It would sweep away a large portion of the land, leaving only the mountain tops No doubt all the land would be utilised some time or another, but it remained to be proved that a railway constructed on the payment-in-laud principle was a feasible scheme. He feared the miners would have left the country before the railway could be carried into operation, and this diminished the enthusiasm of those who looked forward to a line of railway. Mr. Curtis regretted Uiat the Executive had not considered the question with a view to giving their views as to the practicability of a railway. He was sorry to find the Provincial Solicitor taking so melancholy a view of the question. The land would remain where it was if the; miners went away, but

the province would be settled, the adjacent land •would increase in value, and the wealth of the province would be greatly increased. It would be well, therefore, to give away the land in exchange for so many advantages. As to the comparative cost of roads and railways, there could not be much doubt of that, as there was the example of other countries to guide us. The land was now valueless, and it must be an advantage to dispose of it in exchange for a positive grod; which could not be disputed. The question of the amount of land was a secondary one. ft was highly desirable the Executive should take the initiative in a matter of this kind, and he deeply re - gretted they appeared to take so little interest in a matter of such great importance to the province. Unless the Executive did manifest a greater interest in the subject embodied in the resolutions, it was only labor lost on the part of the Council to discuss them at further length. He would have been glnd to know the views of the Superintendent on the subject, and regretted that he made no allusion to it in his opening"address to the Council. Mr. Kelling thought the Superintendent was not unfavorable to the measure now under discussion. Mr. Oliver contended that the Couucil could not devote the waste lands of the Crown to a better object than one that would promote settlemtnt, develop wealth, and tend to raise the country into a nation. The objections of the Provincial Solicitor were weak in the extreme. It was absurd to complain that a railway could not be made at once, as to suggest the doubt that the departure of the miners would take place before it could be constructed. Railways were jjreat national works, and the Council ought not to lose a moment in encouraging their construction. The Provincial Solicitor evidently spoke from very imperfect information, indeed it was doubtful if he knew the difference between a railway and a tramway (laughter). The Provincial Solicitor explained that he well knew the difference referred to, and whilst anxious to see a railway made out of the waste lands of the Province, was equally desirous of seeing the discussion based on sound economical grounds. It was right to anticipate the objections in such cases, and it was only common prudence on the part of the Council to form a correct estimate of the cost of construction, before entering on so important and expensive an undertaking. In pointing out the difficulties and obstacles to the undertaking it did not follow that he was not as much in favor of railways ?s some of the members who took exception to his jremarks. Mr. Parker said utility and not cheapness was the point for the Council to consider. The intermediate country was not to be overlooked as it generally was in of this kind. People at the termini of railways were benefitted by them in a country like this, rather than those of the interior. It was large populations who benefitted by railways. A narrow line of railway would be of very little service to the interior, unless connected with other roads. No doubt. Nelson and the West Coast would be benefitted by a railway, but the people of the interior must not be lor-t sight of. A large outlay would be a benefit to some, persons, but a line to benefit the whole country must be sufficiently wide to admit of the passage of other vehicles as well as a railway carriage. Mr. Dodson spolce in favor of a narrow line of road to the mineral wealth of the country, as was the case in Wales. Had we a line of road to the coal and the gold of this province, this and future generations would profit by It. Mr. Burn showed that there were thousands of ncres of land not worth 2s. fid. an acre that the line would pass through. It had been shown that a light railway could be constructed at the rate of 2,100/. per mile, and a road costing 10,000 acres per mile -would be a great boon to the country. It wo-.i!d pay $he Insurance Companies- to incur the entire outlay, bo great was the loss incurred to ships and cargo on %he West Coast. If there were a road to the West Coast like that contemplated, it would monopolise all the traffic that was now carried on by sea. The resolution as amended passed. Mr. Kelling moved the third resolution. Mr. Oliver moved the insertion of the word " branch," after the word " Cobden." The Speaker said the system of exchanging a superabundance of waste land for an equivalent finds its counterpart in the ordinary business of life, and enabled the Government to escape many difficulties which beset railway enterprise in the mother country. (Of what use were the waste lands in their present state, they cost nearly as much as they yielded to bring them to the market. To dispose of them for railway purposes would be an immense improvement on the present system. The resolution, as amended, passed. Mr. Kelling proposed the fourth resolution, saying, it was necessary to.obtain the sanction of the General Government. The Speaker showed that the powers of the Provincial Executive were limited to the granting of two miles on each side of the line. As seven miles on each side would be required, it would be necessary to obtain the sanction of the General Government. The motion passed. The chairman reported progress, and the House resumed. CATTLE TRESPASS BILL. On the motion of the Provincial Solicitor, seconded by Mr. Oliver, the Cattle Trespass Bill was read a second time. Mr. Siinmonds proposed the bill be postponed, as so many of the country members had left the house. The members having returned, the House went into committee to consider the bill, Mr. Kingdon in ihe chair. The chairman reported the bill, with amendments, and the House adjourned at 10 o'clock.