Nelson.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XVII, Issue 1725, 12 February 1862, Page 3

Nelson.

s (h *'<>m ilia Ed'tminer ) The Dur M-.-inL.in R.ilwav a >ll be com. plete in a h.rlmjh- ; but alr-ntlv the safe ami rtitisfactory nature->f ii,.. .1, L evi lent, an <l an experiment of t-reat importance ro the cocolony has proved .ueeoful. A cotnmdn saving of persons lan-1i,,;. he,n has been, when looking at these riiggt-1 rmnaatic coasts, “ New Zealand is no cmim.y f,„- , ; ,i| PJ ails” Manv p-nple we--aware that this was a fallacy. A railway is a-lvantagemia becau-e it diminishes the labour of draught, and substitutes a more a,Jess durable surface of banlaee. Where the oillicuities are naturally greatest, such aids are must needed. English railways, being designed for great speed, have been made studi-ou-lv massive, level and straisht. But these are tne refinements, not the essence of the system ; and in the opinion of very competent judges, the economy both of original construetidn mid in maintenance and haulage, will, in a vast number of cases, be co-.suited best by at onee preferring the railway to the broken stone road in New Z-aland. Ihelabour of breakin" stones for metalling roads hear- a vast propon tion to the cost of the road io many districts. But though these thing, were obvious to professional men, and those whose attention has been particularly called to the subject, the general notion has been, that railways are out of the question fora long time to come in this country, and we owe a great debt to those who have done so much to dissipate the illusion. In this line there are none of what are called engineering difficulties. The railway is simply a benching or shelf cut on an ascend ng gradient along the sides of the hills, following with sudden curves every bend of their faces, with a light and narrow, but substantial, pair of rails, such ns are used by contractors nt home. But the nature of the country is such as to stagger eve.) t>i) unim<i!*inativc person. The scenerv is wild ami imposing on -he upper part of the line. Ihe height to which the line ascends is equal to that of tf< largest mountain in England, and near to that of Snowdon in Wales. A large part of the work is through black birch forest, and in soma spots abrupt limestmne rocks stand as if to bar the line. The toil of the preliminary operations in planning the railway must hare been extreme, and enough, one might have thought, to disgust a moderately patient man. Yet, now the work is done, it appears, and indeed is simple. The gradients which to the eye and to the ipagination are fearful, prove manageable things, and are attended by no greater or other dangers than are inseparable from all mechanism which deals with the great forces of nature on a larger scale. Ordinary cere ensures complete safetv. We can have a hundred such lines now if we need them.

The importance of procuring timber and lime at reduced cost for home consumption, and minerals at available prices for export, have been fully appreciated by the people of this province, but what has been above stated justifies us in describing the complete mechanical success of the Dun Mountain Railway as a thing of colonial importance. All that is done is sound and satisfactory to a professional eye. The cost has been about £2,000 per mile,'to which must be added the price of rails. This amount, though moderate, is more then would be ordinarily needed for such a work. The cost of hauling half the rads up to an elevation averaging 2,500 feet, and of bending nearly half these rails to the sharp curves which were unavoidable, have swelled the expenditure. Moreover, at the beginning of the operations, only two men specially skilled in the business of plate laying were at band, and the rest have had to learn the business whilst doing it. No doubt the line is yet imperfect, w a nt°of funds not want of skill, has made this inevitable. Blit all Nelson and all New Zealand will join heartily in the wish, that the teturrts of this spirited enterprise may enable the Company to continue improving the line; and that Mr. Fitzgibbon the Engineer, in finding himself indispensable among us lor works he is so well qualified to conduct, may receive an appropriate tribute to his courage, skill, and care. The Bank of New Zealand has opened a branch here. Thus, after a long period in which we h id only one bunking establishment in this settlement, we are suddenly to bein possession of three. Whether it i< a judicious step for so many banks to en'er into competition in a small community like this, as they necessarily must do, or whether it will conduce to the prosperity of the province, or enrich the shareholders, remains to be seen. Much depends on the management, and also upon the banks exchanging informatian; we look forward with considerable anxiety to the result of the experiment. ‘ Should ti.e wholesome checks upon undue speculation hitherto exercised be continued, the result must be beneficial to the settlement. We have grave doubts, however, whether there is at present sufficient business to support three establishments of this description.