NELSON RAILWAY COMMITTEE.

Colonist, Volume XXVII, Issue 3925, 2 September 1884, Page 3

NELSON RAILWAY COMMITTEE.

Yesterday afternoon a meeting of the Bail way Committee was held at the City Council Chamber, when his Worship the Mayor occupied the chair, and about a dozen other members were preaent. The Chairman said that he had called the Committee together at the request of Mr Jas. Sclanders, the chairman of the Nelson Chamber of Commerce. B[e then referred to the proposed ' construction of a railway from Canterbury to | the West Coast by-» a syndicate, and said there was some idea that they might induce i the promoters of that syndicate to inolude a line connecting with Nelson in their scheme. Mr Sclanders had taken muoh interest in the matter, and their .member, Mr Levestam, had also done so in a spirited manner, and had stuck to his ground very bravely. He thought their member would feel strengthened by a recommendation from them supporting what, he had done. No doubt Mr Sclanders would make a statement to the Committee, but before be did so he would ask whether the Secretary or Treasurer had any communication to make. . . . Mr J. H. Cock, as joint Treasurer with Mr Sclanders, desired to present the balancesheet, which he .thereupon read. It showed that the Committee had received £213 149 6d in subscriptions, and that there had been expended in surveys and plans £175 5s lOd, and £12 3s lOd in miscellaneous items, leaving a balance in hand of £26 4s 10' d. On the motion of Mr Cock, seconded by Mr John Sharp,' the balance-sheet was unanimously adopted. ; On the motion of Mr Pitt, the name of Mr Franldyn was added to the Committee. Mr James Sclandebs said that whilst in Canterbury he had gathered all the information" he could about the syndicate which proposed to construct a railway connecting .Christchurch with the West. Coast. He asked whether there would be any disposition to add to the proposed scheme so as to connect Nelson with the line, but the opinion he gained was rather against any alteration, those connected with the syndicate fearing that if the scheme were altered, and especially if it were made a much bigger thing the whole might come to grief. He had said that his feeling would ba to co-operate with the syndicate if there was a chance of Nelson becoming connected with the railway. He thought they should take advantage of any proposal for tacking themselves on to the South. In passing through Wellington he saw Mr Levestam, and found that he also had been looking after the same thing, and since his return he had called the Chamber of Commerce together, and they had written to Mr Levestam and rtceived a reply. These letters were as follows:— * "Nelson Chamber of Commerce, . " Nelson, 26th August, 1884.> "Sib,—lt is understood that the, construction of a line of railway from Waikari to West Coast will-be undertaken by a syndicate of English capitalists in connection with which a Bill will probably be laid before the House this session. " I have the honor to enquire whether, in the opinion of yourself and the other Nelson members, the insertion of provisions in the Bill authorising the construction of a line from Belgrove to connect with the proposed line would receive the support of the Canterbury and Southern members. " The Committee of this Chamber is in hopes that in this way an arrangement might be made whereby Nelson could connect with the Southern lines, in the event of the extension of the main, trunk line not being completed. . "I have the honor, &c, "A. A. Scaifb, Secretary. " H. A. Levestam, Esq., M.H.8., ■ • . . "Wellington." « Wellington, August 27,1884. "<< Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the rtceipt of your letter of yesterday's date, and to; state in reply that in my opinion a clause such as suggested in your letter would receive the support of the Canterbury members. I think-it is, however, very doubtful whether a Bill'authorising-the construction of a railway to connect the two coasts by a syndicate will be either introduced or assented to,' at least during the present session. ■» . '": '. ■' "I had some conversation with Sir Julius Vogel about the matter. He is of opinion that in the event of a syndicate constructing the East to West Coast line, the Colony should conetruct the connecting line from Belgrove, and that the construction of the two lines should proceed simultaneously, so as to be finished at the same time. " In the event of a Bill for the above object being introduced, I will lose no time in forwarding you a copy. • ! " I have the honor to be, &c, ii h. A.Levebtam. " A. A. Scaife, Esq., . . " Secretary Nelson Chamber " of Commerce." ' Mr Sclanders said the opinion of those allied with the Syndicate was that the Govern-; merit would connect Nelson with their line, and Sir Julius Vogel had expressed a similar view. His object was to awaken; interest in this important matter, and see whether they could not look after themselves in the matter of obtaining connection with the line from Canterbury to the West Coast via the Cannibal Gorge. ' '•■•■■■ ;:: .." Mr Sharp said that when he was in the House Mr Pitt and he had tried to get con-, nected with the rest of the Colony by this route, as he thought this was the way by which there was a probable chance of-getting a line. He thought the Committee should back up the action of the Chamber of Commerce; and he moved—" That it is desirable that in any Act authorising the construction by a syndicate of a railway from Waiksri to the West Coast, the Nelson members-be requested to endeavor to carry out the yiews expressed by the Nelson Chamber of Commerce in their letter to Mr Levestam, M.H.8.; dated August 26th, 1884." . ' '■ Mr Pitt seconded the motion, and asked Mr Sclanders on what terms the syndicate proposed to construct the line. - Mr Sclandebs said the terms were that they should be paid in land, but the question was to what extent the concessions would go, not only as to the amount of land, but also in giving the privilege of using the Government lines, Ac. The great consideration was whether the Government would give enough land. Mr Pitt could quite understand that the promoters would dislike to alter their scheme, but if they were shown that by constructing a line connecting with Nelson the land they would get for the Nelson portion would be much more valuable on account of the mineral wealth it contained, he thought they might be glad to inolude this in their scheme. He then referred to. the old Nelson scheme of obtaining a railway to the Coast by similar means, and said that had the contract been carried out the' Messrs Brogdens would have had the whole of Beef ton. ■...';: Mr Bayfeild understood that the syndicate wanted grants of land equal in value to half the cost of making: the railway, and that the whole of the land should not be along the .line of railway. .'..■' ■■ ; ,;; Mr Pitt supposed that «if that syndicate would not undertake the line to Nelson it would be possible to get one that would. , Mr Sharp, concurred. . . .-,;■. Mr Franklyn thought they should take care that the Canterbury syndicate should obtain no Nelson land unless they made the Nelson line. " The Mayor said that many might hold that this method of constructing railways was more pernicious than that of the Colony undertaking the work. The Colony,would be; called on to give away half the cost of the railway in landyand at first sight it appeared: to him'much more'improvident. If a Hue undertaken by "public enterprise did not pay! tHe lGovernment; which owned all the land, arid would derive other advantages such a line could not remunerate private persons owinghalf the land. If, however, a company could do the work he should think that the Government could, and that it should do so as a matter of duty. He would say* however, if they could get the line let them do so; -r Mr; Pitt agreed with bis Worship, but said they must remember that the Colony was setting its face against further borrowing; and therefore there was but one way open to construct very large works. Wben in 1873 he and others went as a deputation to Canterbury Sir Julius Vog9l promised that their railway should be conslructad by the Colony. That was ten years ago, bub it was not done. He then instanced the main rail-, way in Tasmania as one constructed by a syndicate, and which would not have been made till the present day had it been left to the Government. Mr Sharp's motion w»s then pat an"

carried. ' On the motion of, Mr Bout, it wa» r«solved to request Mr Solanders to communicate with the Canterbury' people who' are allied with the syndicate. After some remarks by Mr Fbankltn it was "resolved on the motion of Mr Bannehr,- that the name of the Committee be altered to the " Inland Communication ■■ Committee," with the object that means of communication other than by railways might come within its scope, and it was further resolved thatj the Mayor of Nelson should be Chairman of the Committee ex ojjlcio. The meeting then terminated.