Bill of Indictment Against the Government.

Southland Times, Issue 13285, 12 August 1895, Page 4

Bill of Indictment Against the Government.

TO THE EDITOB. Sib, —Fear of trespassing on your space shortened my last. I crave permission to return to the question of railway sleepers being brought from the West Coast to this district and Gatlins. The Premier’s statement in the House, as reported in your issue of the 3rd inst., reads : —“ The Premier admitted that sleepers had been sent from the West Coast to the Catlins river railway on account of the price the Catlins people wanted —2s fid for kamai, 2s for black pine, and 2s fid for totara. Black pine and kamai would not do,, and only 300 totara sleepers were supplied in the district, for which the Government gave 2s 9d. The silver pine sleepers were sent from the West Coast, where they cost 2s 2d, the freight by steamer 7Jd, by rail 4Ad, which made the price 3s l|d. However, silver pine would last twice as long as totara, for which they wanted 3s 6d.” Now, I would ask experts in timber if this statement can be verified in any one particular 1 “ Silver pine will last twice as long as totara ” according to Mr Seddon, and it is the product of the West Coast. A large quantity of silver pine sleepers have been, during the lasv few years, brought here from the West Coast. The period of this importation dates from about the commencement of the reign of Richard, Minister of Public Works, then Premier. Up to this time, our engineers gave preference to black pine, totara, and even kamai, for railway but I suppose Richard has convinced them that silver pine is far more durable. What has often surprised me is that our member submitted to such a state of things ; not only a waste of public money, but putting inferior sleepers in our railways, compared to local black pine and totara. As the Government profess great consideration and sympathy for the working man, why did they not offer a fair price for sleepers delivered at any point on our railways ’ Say for black pine and totara 3s and for kamia 2s 6d, with the rightthat men could cut theminany unoccupied public bush. Then a great many men who are out of employment in this district could get work at cutting and hewing sleepers. Mr T. McKenzie refuted the Premier and said that •’ kowhai will last ten times as long as your wretched West Coast timber.” There is some crooked work about it. It appears to me Mr McKenzie was hitting close on the mark. Permit me here to notice that Mr Feldwick is indifferent to the interests of this district in such injustices to the working man. It is the working classes he has to thank for his present position and now he ignores them. Through his sycophantic services to the present Government he has got himself comfortably landed in the Upper House at LI 50 a year. It is also noticeable that anything that would help the working man, if it reflected on the Government, is excluded from his paper.—-I am &c., Black Pine. August Bth.