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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 127, 30 May 1883, Page 3

Afc the meeting held in Wellington last Saturday to consider the " diversion" proposed by Canterbury of money lent by the English capitalists for one purpose to an entirely different one, Sir W. Fitzherbert said:— "When ifc was proposed to touch the money voted for the Main Trunk Line and to divert it to another puopose they should speak plainly, and pursue a course which was one of duty to themselves and the colony. In so doing, they would b. on such clear and nnmistakeable ground that nothing could be gainsaid. They stood on this ground. In the peculiar system of public works which had been inaugurated in 1880 the main trunk line of railway on both islands was included, and they had thereby a clear right to protest against diversion in the slightest degree of money which had been raised by Parliamentary loans for main lines. The scheme of 1870, which was called the Public Works scheme, compendiously Btated this. That was the commencement of a proposal to connect Invercargill in the South with the Bay of Islands in the North, and if these lines had not been laid down, the Public Works loan would never have been raised They were now taxed with a debt of thirty millions, and had a right to claim that the scheme be carried out in its integrity. They said to the Government, •• Give ua that which you promised, that which is our due, and which is the heritage of the people." They said nothing about local works, but when it was proposal to divert votes from main lines to them then they cried " Hands off." Ie was not impossible to see what they meant. When the seat of Government was removed to Wellington, similar terms were employed; ifc was to be anywhere on the shores of Ccok Straits. If they now took the main line away to anywhere off Cook Straits, it would be a great public wrong. They could submit to political changes, but must stand up for tbeir rights, now, though they had been bo behind, co slow, till the eleventh hour." The Oago Daily Time* says that odd corners in the freezing-chambers of the Opawa, to sail from the Bluff, have been filled np by a consignment of 1000 dozen oysters, which bave been put on board by way of experiment. Dr Selwyn, Bishop of Melanesia, is now on a visit to Melbourne, where he intends remaining two or three weeks, for the purpose of urging the claims of his South Sea mission for public support. Miss Berry, daughter of the Victorian Chief Secretary, has issued a writ against the Government for £2,000 damages for injuries received by her in the Hawthorn collision.) Example of wasteful extravagance on the part of the New Zealand Government— The postmaster afc Tikorangi gets £5 a year, and has^to ride 17 miles every week on postal business.