SUPERINTENDENTS AND RAILWAYS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 42, 20 February 1867, Page 2

SUPERINTENDENTS AND RAILWAYS.

To the Editor op the ' Evening Mail.'

Sir — At the end of a very good letter, signed F. W. 1., in last Friday's Colonist, I find the following words — "That whoever is returned" (that is, for Superintendent) "can but do his best ; and that the security for the public that the man of their choice will do his best, is to be found not so much in large and sanguine promises, as in past experience of faithful performance of duty."

Now, how this can be a security for the public that a man will do his best> or make a good Superintendent when he gets the chance, I really cannot see ; for, in my humble opinion, it entirely depends upon what kind of duty the individual previously had to perform. A man may make a very good Government engineer, or a policeman, or a shepherd, and may be very faithful in the performance of his duty in those capacities when he finds it to his interest to be so ; but to say that such a man would make a good Superintendent, without our haviug anything recorded showing his political ideas, or showing that he is possessed of energy aud perseverance, or other necessary qualifications, or that he had, at any time, done anything to show that he has the advancement of the province at heart as well as his own — without this, I doubt very much that the public will find any security that such a man will do his best when he gets into a place of power and authority. No ! Give me a man, in preference, that promises he will do something, and whose ideas and past political conduct we know something of. He must at all events do something towards keeping his promises, or else show us that he did his best to do so ; but a man who promises nothing definite need not perform anything definite, and such a one can defend his shortcomings afterwards by simply showing that he never promised anything at all. Now, Mr. Saunders was a very good man, no doubt ; but I don't call him a good Superintendent who keeps the province at a standstill, who simply keeps it out of debt, who does little or nothing for the advancement of that province, when progress is the word of the day in all other places round him, aud all for the sake of getting up his name for economy. No. "Nothing venture, nothing have," seems true enough with Nelson ; for nothing seems to have been ventured here that is ventured elsewhere, and the consequence is that we have nothing to induce people to settle here in any quantity. See with what alacrity Christchurch connected herself with the golden Hokitika, if only for passengers, by making a road all the way, and through great difficulties ; and now, and for some time past, King Cobb reigns on that road, as he does everywhere but in Nelson ; and after King Cobb a railway will follow, while we are all asleep. Even Westport talks already of a railway to the Pakihis, and a tramway, is already in operation between Hokitika and the Grey ; so that a railway from Nelson to Westport and Cobden will be soon virtually a railway to the whole of the West Coast. This shows that all see the necessity of quick communication from one place to another, to save or increase their trade ; and we must have our railway too. To further that object, we now want a thorough active business, man at our head as Superintendent, who will do his very best towards the vigorous prosecution of public works, and for a railway to the West Coast above all things ; and though our Colonist correspondent says " a Superintendent cannot give us a railway by the opening or shutting of his hand," yet he can go a long way towards it by the simple operation of opening his mouth. " Silence gives consent" in some

cases, but silence won't get us a railway. 'We have beeu silent too long, and the depressed state of our trade shows us the absolute necessity of moving with the circumstances of the times, and this depression will continue if we don't have a railway. If the diggers and others won't come to us, we must go to them. Why should Melbourne and Sydney reap all the benefit of the West Coast trade, with Nelson so near ? Because goods can be sent and people can travel from Melbourne, 1500 miles, cheaper than from Nelson, less tban 200 miles, thanks to some of our steamboat proprietors. Now this should not be. But give us a railway, and behold the change ! Goods imported direct from home to Nelson will find their way into the interior and to the West Coast in immense quantities. The steamboats and the railway will fight as to which shall do the trade the cheapest, and the consumers will be the gainers ; the port of Nelson will be crowded with shipping, and doing the business that Melbourne and Sydney are now doing for us : and this is what our head importers fear ; they want no competition, and competition they will get. Diggers then will come to Nelson for their periodical spree, or they will invest their savings in laud along the line ; and thousands of them and others, who now, when they make their pile, return to Australia for similar purposes, will instead never leave the shores from whence their riches came ; and the wild country that now intervenes between us and the West Coast, will be dotted with so many smiling homes, that we shall then imagine that nature is laughing at us for neglecting her so long. Yours, &c, Pickles. Nelson, February 18, 1867.