THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAIL-

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3929, 19 September 1874, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAIL-

WAYS

The Canadian; correspondent of the Scotsman, writing from.Ottawa } . May 22; 1874, has the following :—- . : ;: ",; i: .Since the date of my last letter, >the Hon. Mr Mackenzie has laid .before the House his measure providing .for the construction of the Canadian pacific Railway, and has fully Bhown a thorough mastery, of his subject. He commenced by alluding to the difficulties experienced in the construction of the Inter-Cqlonial Rail-: way, which-was only 500 'miles long.- He showed how the . line' how to be;^ con^ structed was five, times" tjas. length ofthe Inter-Colonial, and "l through the very centre of a continent, of which, as far as railway engineering was concerneil, we are almost altogether : igHorant. Canada, with the advantage of the very best route that exists ..has a gigantic expenditure to face: i n this enterprise;/at a time, too, when her debt for woi-ks approaching comjiletion presents-admonitory proportions. Mr Sandford5 Fleming, the best authority on the subject, estimates as the minimum amount required to put the work into thorough operation, the sum of 1,000,000 dols. With these facts before hjm, Mr Mackenzie announced it absolutely necessary to utilise; the water communication in the centre of the continent as much as possible: . - : The scheme. as now proposed is to divide the road into four sections, each, however, large enough to rank as a great national undertaking in "countriea of the old world. The first section will extend froni the south of Lake Nipissing'to thewestern end. of LakeiSuperior j. the next will extend from thence to Fort Garry in Manitoba, with a branch line to Pembina on the American frontier, connecting there with the American. line of railway travel. The-third section is from Fort Garry to some point (yet to be decided upon) between Fort Edmonton and the Rocky Mountains ; whilst the fourth section will be from that point; when determined upon., to some point v-in" British Columbia on the Pacific coast; A line of telegraph is to be con: structed in advance of the road itself:, along the proposed route as soon/ajj determined on. The work will be let in sections and sub-sections to contractors, who will receive/assistance in land and money, the grants of either not to ex--20,000 acres and 10,000 dollars per mile!: The_Gcve nuient will retain the alternate: sections of land, and sell, at prices to be, arranged with the contractors, two-thirds of their allotments, thus keeping control over their land, and taking precaution j against the locking up of large tracts of cultivable land by corporations or Individuals. The apprqval of Parliament is -to be obtained for contracts for any portion of- the work before* they are to be considered binding. Government is to have fche;right to assume possession of the whole or any section on payment of 10 per cent, in addition to the original cost, less the value of the land and money subsidies received. The railway will beconstructed. as a public work; of the Dominion, the contracts to be offered to public competition, the most solvent and capable men getting the preference, irrespective of party or political influence. No stipulation" is made as to'the time to be occupied in the construction ■' of tlie road. The bill is meeting with little opposition ; it is sure to pass its remaining stages and become an accomplished fact.

The Australian Colonies (says the Argus) appear to have had another narrow escape from a visitation of foot-and-mouth disease. Two pure-bred rams imported by theßerean from London, were transhipped in the port of Hobart Town, en route for New Zealand • but the fact of their being affected with foot-and-mouth disease having become known they were yesterday destroyed. r4?he conduct qfijew Zealand in refusing to join the Australiah'Colonies lnlegislatingagainstthe importation of European stock is very reprehensible. It is evident that these Colonies will not be safe so long as stock for New Zealand is Allowed to arrive in yqssels touohing at Australian ports. Further legislation especially directed to this new feature of the case is demanded, and we trust. that ■ nodelay will occur in passing it. The futility of quarantine is shown by the fact of these animals haying been four months on" board before the disease" broke out, Had the voyage been quicker phey might have' been passed and landed as sound, as was the case with the Werribee bull and, his shipmates.