Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11. 1890.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 9, 11 January 1890, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11. 1890.

Ik another column will bo found an extract from the report of the general meeting of shareholders in the Midland Bailway Company held in London on the 29th November. The Chairman, MiThomas Salt, M.P., in the course of his speech, alluded to the difficulties experienced in carrying on negotiations with tho Government of a country many thousand miles away, and expressed the belief that if the offer made some time ago of capital sufficient to build, the whole line could have been mado in person instead of by post and telegraph, there is very little doubt it would have been .accepted, and the operations would have been now in. full swing. He then went On to say:— "At the game time we must not complain of the paßt : we have chiefly to look forward to the future, and I am able to tell you that we have within a few months been able to raise a very substantial Bum of money to wards making progress with the line. As you are aware, the money was raised upon deben-* tures, whioh wil! be secured both by the building of the line and also by the land whioh will be earned by the construction of the railway. I believe that the line when completed will be ample seourity for the money ao expended ; and if some of the reports thafc we have received with regard lo the value of the land when full development takes plaoe are correct also, there will be nearly enough, or perhaps more than enough, to satisfy the claims a seoond time over. " On the whoie, tho speeoh is of a most hopeful character, satisfaotion is expressed with the result of the sales of land already effected, and the future is looked forward to with confidence.

"I am quite sure," said Mr Salt, "as 1 have stated to you before on more than one occasion, that there is no reason why the shareholders should look forward with expectations other than those of satisfaction. Of course, this sort of business, aB I said when I first began.is from its very nature, and the whole circumstances of the case, very slow in working out, and it is extremely harassing and disappointing. But we have to meet these difficulties in business, and in meeting you now I think I may say with considerable confidence that the prospect of the future looks very much brighter than it has done for some time past, and if I am here to meat you in about twelve months' time I hope I shall be able to show that you are standing on strong ground, and that the whole of our business in the arrangements that have been made will be such as I can state ia muoh more clear and distinct and satisfactory than at the present moment." However, it is with that portion of the speech, which appears elsewhere, that we have most to do just #ow. A question was put by Mr Alexander Sclanders respecting tho commencement of work at the Nelson end, to which Mr Salt replied as stated. "It happens," he said, " that the Nelson line is one of thoso questions j whioh Mr Wilson will have to examine very carefully, because there is great doubt as to what tho Nelson people themselves wish, and what is the best way of dealing with tho question." It is gratifying to learn upon such high authority that so much attention is to be paid to the wishes of the Nelson people in tho matter, for wo had hitherto been under the impression that the settlement of the route would rest entirely with the Oompany and the Government. There is no doubt in our minds as to the best line for opening up country already settled and still more that is fit for settlement, and we fully believe that the Company will eventually take the same view, on account of the intrinsic merits of the route and not because it is wished for by the Nelson people, or any seotion of them, and we also trust that the Governmout will consent to this deviation. But, as Mr Salt said, this question requires a deal of careful examination, and that is just what the Nelson people complain that it is not gettiug. Mr Wilson fully recognises this too, for shortly after his arrival ho promised to have & party of surveyors at work in three or four weeks. That iB now nearly three months ago, but not a sign of a surveyor has yet been seen on this side of tho range, and tho question that is exercising the minds of the people of Nelson at the present moment is not so much that of the route to be eventually chosen, as whether any route at all will be selected before the ■ummer is over. The work, according to the terms of the contract, was to be commenced at this end without unnecessary delay, yet monthß of delay have occurred for which there has been no necessity at all, and the discontent and dissatisfaction oreated by the Btudious neglect that is being displayed by the Company's manager and engineer are naturally very great indeed, and will certainly not be allayed

until some evidence is forthcoming that Nelson interests are to be ignored no longer. We trust that that evidence may be before ub ere many more days have elapsed 5 the more so thafc there is an indication in the Chairman's speech that even after the most eligible route is selected by Mr Wilson, the matter will have to be submitted to head quarters for approval. We hope, however, that this is not the meaning to bo attached to the words, "we hope that work on the line will be carried out as soon as we get the proper information. " It will be seen thafc "in spite of all temptations, " the Company express their determination of adhering to the terms of the contract which bind them to expend a certain amount of money at this end. What we want to know is when they are going to begin to make a beginning,

Ii is to be hoped, for tho credit of tho colony and for the sake of those resident in it, that there are very few homes in New Zealand whose inner life is in any way liko that from which the veil was torn at yesterday's inquest. We are not going to touch upon the revolting details — the wretched woman has gone to her account elsewhero ; the husband, who covered himself with disgrace by his unnatural conduct on that fatal morning, will probably olear out of the town and district where he has gained such an unenviable notoriety, and strike out for himBelf a new life elsewhere. Let us hope so, at all events. It may bo, however, that the sickening spectacle described by the witnesses. at the inquest will nofc be without its use. Doubtless there was a time when even thafc unhappy woman was possassad of a sense of self respect, and would have shrunk back with horror, loathing, and dismay, could a mirror in which was reflected her future life — to say nothing of her death — have been hold before her eyes. And yet, little by little, sho had become familiarised with scenes and conduct which, a few years ago, would have shocked her beyond all power of expression. What it was that lowered her to fche depths of degradation to which she had sunk there is no need to aak. The same cause is producing similar effects the whole world over. Perhaps there may be men and even women- who read the report of the inquest and shudder as they do so, who have themselves commenced the easy descent. They are conscious of it, though they will scarce allow ifc to themselves, or, if they dp, think thafc to | retrace theu* steps over the little dis- ! tance which separates them from the | summit is as easy _of accomplishment as waa the downhill course. So, too, 1 perhaps, at one time thought that unhappy woman, whose name is at the present moment so prominently before the publio. How fatally mistaken she was wo now know, and bo no doubt did she, long before her end came. There are plenty of Bimilar warnings to be found all round us, could we but be made aware of them, but that faot in no way weakens the force of thia particular one, which has been made so conspicuous by fche terrible finale. That the time will come, when — after the craving for alcohol has passed a certain Btag* — the victim will be regarded as one struck with a

fell disease, and taken charge of as being absolutely irresponsible for his or her actions^ we fully believe. ~No ordinary pi'eeaution can then check the progress of this moat terrible of all manias. There is a time when the individual who is lapsing into habitual drunkenness can exercise self control, and, by abstention from the fatal glass, place a safo and a wholesome check upon his downward progress. But then there comes the stage when the power of control has departed from him altogethei. This is very forcibly put by Mr James Runoiman in a recent article in the ' Contemporary Review ' on the " Ethios of the Drink Traffio." He says : — " I do not believe you will ever stop one man from drinking by meanß of legislation. You may level every tavern over twenty square miles, but you will not thereby prevent tho fellow who has the bite of drink from boozing himself mad whenever he likea. As for stopping a woman by such merely mechanical means aa the closing of public houses, the idea is ridiculous to anyone who knows the foxy cunning, the fixed determination, of the female soaker. It is a great moral and physical problem that we want to solve, and Bills and clauses are only so much ink and paper, which aro as ineffective as a schoolboy's copybook. _ If a man has the desira for alcohol there is no power known that can stop him from gratifying himself. The end to be aimed at is to remove the desire — to get the drinker past that stage when the craving presses hardly on him, and you oan never bring that about by rules and regulations," It will indeed be a boon to humanity when tho solution of this " moral and physical problem " is arrived at, and the means discovered for removing tho desire, the gratification of which produces such disastrous results, and too often — we have now one painful instance before us—a fatal termination. : -■- ■--.■-■■—;■■. We have been shown by Mr Tyreo an excellent photogriph of the bridge juat completed over the Wairoa river in the Gorge about two miles above the village of Brightwater, whioh is built on the lower trnss prinoiple, has a. span of 80 feet, and is 42 feet above the bed of the river. There are six sets of struts, soma of them 38 feet in length, and the stringers, one of wbioh was growing a fortnight before tbe photograph wbb taken, is 44 feet in length and of athiokneßs of 16 inohes sl2 inohes. The whole of the iron work was supplied by tho Anchor Foundry. The bridge, whioh will be an immense convenience to tho district, was designed by Mr W. Akeraten, and built by Mr Charles Hill at a cost of a trifle under £400. The photograph, which makeß an exceedingly pretty pioiurp, shows Mr Bnshe), a resident of nearly 30 years in the neighbourhood, crossing iu a oage suspended from wire ropes high above the bridge, a means of conveyance which be devised for himself and will probably continue to nse notwithstanding the new method of communication tbat has been provided, Owing to the interruption of the land lines in New South Walep, no oable news has reaohed us to-day, A pew days ago the house of Mr James Kerr at Waimea Weßt had a narrow escape from being destroyed by fire. It appears that Mr and Mrs Kerr were absent from home, the houpe being left in oharge of two of their grandchildren, and some neighbours ■ who were at work in the neighbouring fields saw smoke rising from the roof and immediately ran over, and with the aid of a few buckets of water extinguished the fire, which had been caused by a spark falling on the shingles. It will be remembered that a couple of yeara ago Mr Kerr lost the stacks containing the greater part of his grain* crops by fire. Wb again remind our country readers that the P.S.A, Glass at Riohmond commences now at half-past two. Next Sunday afternoon Mr 8. Fittall will give the address. Teet must be haviug a lively time in Dunedin as far as weather is concerned. A gentleman wbo has just returned from a visit to the Exhibition says that he had the pleasure of having one fine day in a fortnight. Members of the Nelson Rowing Olub are reminded that the entries for the President's Cups olose this evening at 8 o'olook. Thk annual general meeting of the Nelson Jockey Club takes plaoe this evening at eight o'olook. The second class open sailing boat race, which the Regatta Committee decided to have sailed over again, owing to a number of protests being lodged, took plaoe this af ter-> , noon. The course was the same as. on the regatta day, and there was a fresh Bea breeze blowing, with a strong ebb tide. Eight boats started, and after an exciting raoe the Venus proved the winner, with the Ruth seoond, only a length separating them. A very pleasing pioture of .' " Pobara Beaoh " is now on view in Mr "Jackson's window, the artist being Miss White, some of whosa previous efforts have already been exhibited in Nelson and commanded muoh admiration. A m___h between the Waimea West and Belgrove Quoit Clubs oame off on the ground of the latter olub laßt weekj and resulted in an easy viotory for the Belgrove men by 8 games to 1. The matoh being competed at an early part of the afternoon, by whioh time a large oonoourse of people had assembled to witness the play, and who felt disappointed to find the matoh ended, it was deoided to play off the return matoh, the result being that Bel* grove scored seven, and Waimea West two ' gaKU33,smaking the grand total, Belgrove 15, Waimea "West £f. Although Waimea West were badly beaten, they played a good game, and it ajust be borne in lpind,' that had only formed a Club but a few days prior to the matoh, and on their first public ap« pearance, had to meet tough customers, .

____.^_fl_aOT____B___a_n-Mi*--__««M«aM_ua--M_M-M_*-ai An alteration is tb be made iii the rtm« ning of the trains on. the local line on and after the 3rd February, when the midday train will leave. Belgrove at noon, arriving in Nelson at 3:30 instead of 2-30, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it will leave Belgrove at 2*30 arriving here at 4 o'clock; this arrangement being made to suit the running of the We3t Coast coach. The time for the trains to leave Nelson will remain as at present. , A letter from " Spectator " will appear on Monday, OSfeE CHURCHES. The Revs. J. P, Kempthorne and F. Chatterton having left for_ a holiday, the service at the Cathedral to-morrow morning and that at All Saints Church in the evening will be taken by the Rev. G-. Aitken. The other services are rot yet arranged for. Owing to tho examinations now being held in the Provincial Hall, tbe officers of tho Wesleyan Church have deoided to hold to-morrow morning's service in ths schoolroom, Hardy Btreet-, and in .the evening the Rav. W. C. Oliver and the Rbv. T. Bray will giva addresses at the Theatre Royal, when ?tn evangelistic service will be held. Sankey's hjmns will bs used, and fche service will cooims-nofl ot 7 o'olook. At the CoDgiregational Churoh tbe services wiil be conducted by Mr J. Mills in the morning and Mr T. Walker et night. Mr W, B. Hayes will preaoh at the Young Men's Rooms to-morrow evening.