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The Examiner]

Charlottetown, Monday, March 27, 1871.

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ugaA SMALL REQUEST FRC M ad ABOKIGINES. a § of ee

vea| Briow we publish a letter which requires on!

"Ss a lew words of explanation

It will be 4 PUrDrisg find that #0 cor rectly written @ \| letter was penned by one of onr Micmaes, » Martin Prane:s is doing a good work ano the Micmacs of Lennox Isian?,

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The Govern pe by giving ing +O per annum He is growing old, and be

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~ DEBATES

OF THE

HOUSE OF SSEMBLL,

(Continued from first page of this weeks Examiner.)

SPEECH

HONORABLE J. €. POPE

ON THE

RAILWAY QUESTION,

Hon. Leaver or Tar GoveRNMENT re- garded the paragraph just read, as the most important in the draft address, and hoped that it would be discussed without referring to education, or other questions to which it made no reference. In listening to the bon. mémber for St Peters, be (Hox. Leader of the Government) could not but notice, that nothing brought bon gentlemen so readily to their feet, as a question which was likely to result in spending money in their respec- tive districts. His Honor the Lieutenant Governor, in his opening speech, informed the Legislature that the facilities for the transport and shipment of the products of the cduntry were inacequate, and he believed that hon. Committee would readily admit tke correctness and truth of what His Honor had said. They knew that the amount of produce raised in the cozntry was rapidly increasing. Hedid not know of any couatry which, in proportion to its ares and population, exported as much as Prince Edward Island did. The diffieulty of getting the products raised, to market, was annually becoming greater. The question is, how cou'd that difficulty be best met and overcome? Tae late Government imported a Stone ('rusher, and had commenced to macadamize their roads, and deserved credit tor what it did, but the process was slow, and could not «meat the increasing wants of the country. Macadamizing a road within two miles of Charlottetown, now costs £2000 a mile, and further in the coun!ry, it would reach a much larger sum. Every year the farmer and sbip- ,per found these difficulties increasing, but the burden of the logs had to be borne by the preducer, Vessels were detained four or five weeks in loading, and frequently the first part of the cargo became heated before the lost was received. This, added to ths risk and cost which he had to take into account, had prevested him from giving as high a price es he would have been able to de, if these difficalties bad not to be contended with. The steam Crasher had been in operation for two years, and at the rate at which, by its means, roads were being macadamised, more than a century would elapse before the chief lines of roads ia the oduntry would be macadamised. The inhabitaots of Crapaud were desirous of having some of their roads macadamis:d,

but he honestly believed that if they calmly pondered over the whole question, they would come to the conclusion that their bést remedy lay in the construction of a Trunk Railway, from which ultimately branches would be extended to several parts of the country. He would, however, observe first, that, im connection with a Kailway,theimportation of a Steam Dredging’ Machine, merited the favorable consideration of that Committee, as better wharf accommodation, in several places, had become a question which could not be

er left uncared for, At Summerside,

_ twelve or fifteen large vesrels would be there

~

at ove time,and the wharf accommodation was quite inadequate to the demand. Tin:- ber, for the building of wharfs, was becom- ing mor? difficult to be had, and ence, to build a block to the one at that port, would then cest from £4000 to £5000, and, to a greater or less extent, the same was true of other parts of the country. He believed, therefore, that it would be cheaper, and muth more profitable, to have the ground dredged in front of, and beside their present wharls, in many parts of the Islard, than to go on extending taem ferther out, and that when others would yet have to be built, it would be much better to dredge in front of chem for some distance, than to build them out to the edge of the channel. He koped that,if the Government included in the estimates a sum for s steam Dredging Machine, no objection would be taken, especially as no private individual seemed dispesed to embark in such a speculation. With respect to the construction of a Ruil- way, he wou'd observe, that in a'l countries where Railways bad ween built, they met at first with violent oppositicn. ‘Ihe celebrated George Stevenson had been denounced as a

» madman; when he first urged the qucstion

upon the attention of his cauntrymen, but relying upon the correctness of the opinion he tad formed, and the bencfits such a wo:k would confer, he pressed forward with ua- daunted perseverance and they al! knew how signal was his suceess, ‘She recoipis from the first Road built in England, from Liver; ool to Manchester, the first year, wae £70,000; the second year double that ‘amount wis received, and the following year about half a million, while the sum re- ceived from passengers considerably eacecd- ed that which was realized from freight. lo Kegiand, Scotland, and Ireland, they were continually. extending their lines of Rail- Ways, which they would not do if theiz cor- struction was doing ao injury. It was ubiversally admitted that Railways afforded by 15 per cent,, the cheapest mode of travelling. The Railroads of Kagland had cost £500 000,000 stg. or £16 sterling for each man, woman and child ip the country, yet notwithstanding that enormous cost, if any public man wou'd arise at a public meeting ia England, or even in a private company, !o denounce thom, he would be looked vpon as a madman, Tine and money were sayed by their means. Le (Hon. Leader of the Government) went oftea to England, and really did not know, as bis time was always limited when there, hew be could get through with his business but for them, The distance from Liverpool to London was 220 miles, yet he could leave Liverpool at five o’clock im the morn- ing, arrive in London at half-past ten,which gave him tbe remainder of the day to attend

geen.

to his business. The benefits which resclt from those facilities in the saving of titae and expense, beside the sumerous other advantages they sfforded were im- mense, and as business was then carried on in the commercial world, no country could possibly keep pace with the times, withcut her Railways, In the United States there were splendid navigable Rivers, and they had also some fine Canals, yet they had built thousands.of miles of Railroads, aod were constantly adding to them, and surely the experience af two such great countries as Kogland and the United States, was worth something:tothem, Canada abound- ed with magnificent Lakes, Rivers, and Cana's. No eoyntry had better facilities for inland water communication, yet Canada built, and was still building, important and iong lines of Railway. The Grand Trunk Road cost the people of Canada $16,000,- ‘000, and to avoid discussion, were they to assume that not one shilling of that money bad, or even would,come back, yet no moucy éver spent in that country did so much good, or conferred euch a permanent benefit. Much had been said respecting the advac- tages which Reciprocity, during its eor(ieu- ano, with the United States, had conferred upon the people of Canada, But those benefits would have been very limited in- deed, bad they been confiaed to those of her people who alove could eart the products of their isdustry across the American line, Canada, however, was not ia thai position; but having her Railroads, which extended far acd near, all portions of that country participated in advantages, which woula only have been beveficia! to a few without them. Railways removed the disadvantages attend. ing the distance of rewote places from im- portant marts of business, equal ged the com mercia) and.otber privileges of a country, aud contributed to the more general pros- perity of the whole people. Hence it was that inland corporate towns frequently im- posed a taxwpon their ciiizecs for their cou- struction. Nova Scotia built a line first to Truro, then to Windsor, next to Pittou, and afierwards to Annapolis, and was contem- plating extending a line along the Gulf Shore, which would bring Cape Breton within reach of it. In New Brunswick, when the question was first mooted by ber public men, it was contended by many that sueh an undertaking woa!ld ruin that Pre- vince, and impoverish their people. But, once having enjoyed a public Railway, aod participating in che benefirs it conferred, that Province arose to extend them in al: directions. He (Hon, Leader of the Gov?!) was aware that some of thcse lines bad been built by private companies, but the line from Shediac to Saint John was con- s'ructed by the Government, while the Western was subsidized to the extent of $iC,000 a mile. It had been argued that this was too smal] a country for a Railroad, but much smailer ones hed built them, The Island of M«aritius was but 36 miles long, and 32 miles broad, yet her people bad built a Railroad, at a cost of £1,250,000. sterling, although they had little in shape of freight tu transport over it, except Guano aod sugar. Why, if this Island was not to have those benefits which such facilities

_ afforded to the people of other coun'ries,

they might as we'l have lived centuries ago, if they had to continue to plod on without them, Where could they find a country which had so little waste land as is on P, E. Island? _ Take, for instance, that tract of country in New Brunswick, which estend- ed from Shediac to St. John, foar-fifths of which was not ft for cultivation, it was not ‘so: with them, for, wherever a line of Road would run, it would be found that the land on either side could be all brought with comparative eas?, under cultivatioz, and much of it would be susceptibie of the high- est culture. Nor was there any country where a Koad could we built so cheaply. In Kngland a line of Rext generally cost more than £39,000 steriing a mile; in New Brdnswick, £15 000, aod in Nova Seotia £14 000; bur, on this Island an offer had been made to build one for £5 00 ey. per mile, on the narrow gauge princip'e, and that cffer included rolling-stock, fencing, wharis, station-houses, &e., all complete, Unquestionably, the rea-on why Railroads in Great Britain, the United States, the Lower Provinces. and elsewhere, cost 80 much, was, in a great Measure, owing to the breadth of the gauge, which greatly in- creased the cost of construction, ro!ling- stock, and of working. But the advantages of the narrow gauge, beside the cheapness uf eonstruction, were becoming so apparent, that public attention was being rapidly drawn to their berefits, and the importance of their genera! adaptation to all countries They were doubtless to be the Railways of the future, in proof of which he would read the following :-— * THE GAUGE OF THE RAILWAYS OF THE FUTURE, Under this head Mr. R. F. Fairlie, one of ablest of Englist civil engineers, publishes ar important article in the Enginezr for Sept, 23, in which he argues with great force and clearness, that ‘‘every inch adied to the width of the gauge be-ond what is absolutely necessary for the traffic, adda to the cost of construction, increases the proportion of dead weight, increases the cust and danger of working, and im consequence increases the tariffs of the public, and by so muct reduces the usual effect of railways ;” and that, taking the average the circumstances under which railways are built, “ the cost wall be found to vary nearly as the gauge,’ fle asserts that Englis’ railways have, been built in flagrant violaticn of these principles, and illustrates his argament in fwvor of narrower gauges by an analysis of the business of the London and Northwestern Railway, the good mapagement of which ia ‘universally admitted.” He shows that “ it the gauge of this road were 3 feet instead of 4 feet 44 inches, its goods traflie could be hauled at half the present cost, with half the present motive power, aud iu such away as to reduce the present tonnage by one half, and to remove the necessity for the heavy expense that is now being jocurred in the construction of a third line of rails,” The goods traffic on this road is estimated at ten million tons per annum, requiring seventy million tons of train weight to haul it; bat ia order to avoid all risk of exaggeration, Mr. Fairlie estimates the dead weight at forty million tons, and the whole gross weight haul- ed by the engines at fifty million tons, at an average speed of twenty-five miles an hour, The average distance traversed by each ton is about thirty-eight miles, at an average cost of 14 per ton, The care employed average four tone in weight, and carry one ton for every mile ron. «The speed in each case up to forty miles r hour is assumed as being equal. The cars Pr a line of three feet gauge weigh each one

ton, and carry a max:mum ‘oad of three tons. Suppesing that the same number of cars and trains were run on the narrow as on the broad gauge. itfollows that the average one of merchandize now carried could easily be taken in acar weighing one ton instead of four tons, and that the gross load passing over the line for one year would be only twenty million tons instead of fifty million, while the same amount of paying luad would be carried in either case. ‘Phe haulage cost being the same ~ hether the tons hauled con- sist of paying or non-payimg loads, it follows that the expense would be reduced to two- fifths of what it now is. This does not in- clude the enormous saving in wear and tear which would arise from hauling twenty million tons instead ot fifty miliion. From the foregoing the faet is established that the 3 feet guage can produce twenty-five millions net out of a gross tonnage of fifty millions, while the 4 feet 84 inch gauge, to produce the same result, would have tc baui one handred aud twenty-five n.iflions, and at a cost increase ed in the same proportion.’?

It Mr. Fairlie’s conclusions are correct, and they seem to be. they are of great importance not ouly to this country, but to South America, Asia, and Australiamin fact, to all couutries not fully supplied with railways. He claims that these indispensible adjuncts of eommerce and intercommunication, imetead of costing $100,000 per mile, as they have in England, India, and the British Colonies generally, “can be made cheaply and at the same time thoroughly efficient; and those who aver to. the contrary are, in fact, enemies to progress and to civilization, There is no country too poor to have railways sufficient for its require- ments, and railways furnish the cheapest pos- sible mode of transportation when they are not borne down by the resu its of that imnsompetenee, and entravagance whch we so often see as- sociated together,”

Such reasoning he (Hon. Leader of the Goverument) thought, from such a source, was conclusive ia favor of a narrow gauge, which had been offered to bo constructed for the sum stated, to which the Govern- ment would only bave to add the cost of the land through which the road lay, and the salary of a competent engineer, as a guat- antee for the faithful performance of the work, and the salaries of commissioners to superintend aud manage the whole, When that hon, Committe remembered, that next yesr the line of road extending from Shediac will be completed across New Brunswick and connect with the American lines; it was easy to perceive that the people in all parts of the [siand would then be placed within less than two days communication with Boston, and have direct access to overy part of the United States. He would reiterate that he knew of vo’country ¥° sre a Railroad was more required, ‘The ‘arge cities of the American Republic were becoming 80 crowded, that fully one and a half miilion —in fact all who could—left annually for a few weeks with their wives, children and servants, and generally come north to recruit their health, aud be thought it not unreasonab'e to suppose that ia a few years after the Railroad would be built, fatly fifty thousand of those would find their way to this [sland, each of whom would spend, perhaps, as much as tea pounds in the country; and tbat such would yet be the result, be did not doubt, for there was no p'ace in America porsesiug mere healthy, and pleasant watering piaces than were tc be found all along the North Shore of the Island. Large botels would be built in «oavy parts of the country, and in these and a thousand other ways it would be found that markets wou'd spring up where their products of the country could be sold to an advantage to the producer never yet experienced. Nor would the farmers and mechanics be tie classes alone which would be benefitted; the mercbants in all their towns, especially in Summerside, would sell much to those Americans. In St John, the mor- chants foucd the Americans their best customers; probably, one-fourth of the Dry Goode sold in that city were bought by them, beeguse on account of the high duties in the United States they can pur- chase them cheaper thau at home; it wonld b: so 00 this Island also. He (Hon. Leader of the Government) believed tbat in a few years, in those and other ways, the citizens of the United States would spend annually as much as £300 000 in this Island, Buiidiog a Raiway was not like macadamising a road, from the former there would be a Jarge profit directly and indi- rectly received, out the jatter would yieid no return at all, Tho inereasein the value of property alone on this Island weu'd be more than the whole cost of the Read. What, he would ask, were they to do with the Western part of the Island@ Along many parts of the Western road, the road was bad, and hard to be kept in repair, Some fine tracts of land were still in the hands of the Government in that part of the country, which would be brought uader cultivation if greater faciliies for reaching a market were placed within the reach of those places, Most of the people on this Island bad never travelled, and not having seen the benefits which those roads con- ferred, were not aware of their great utilty; some parts of the couutry were settied, many of their young men were going away as no inducements were held out for them te remain at home. The aver age of the families in this Is'and might be set down at five, while in bis d strict there was, in some instances, as many as twenty, (Laughter.) As arnle,in many places, they all moved away except those obtaining the homestead, as the others would fet sub- mitto the drudgery which the clearing up of a new farm imposed. But if the ad- vantages of the country were equaliz:d, those objections would cease to be made, and they would remain to enrich their owe coustry by their own iadustry (Applause ) As.it was, the Western part of the Island bad received large acquisitions from the Districts around Crapaud and ‘Tryon. The hoa, member for New London, (Hon. P. Sinclair) lived about sixteen miles from Summerside, and he (lon. Leader of the Government) saw him bringing grain all that distance to market, which must have cost him at the rate of ten or twelvé— shillings a load to bring so far, besides in- cidental expenses, whereag, if he had had a Railroad, what cost him ten or twelve shillings to get to market, could have. been brought thither for two or three shillings, independantly of the time saved; and it was a well known fact, that it took a man the whole fall to thresh and get his crop to market, whereas, had farmers a Railway, ships could be brought into port™at # later period, aud be dispatched more readily

than at present; while farmers could occupy time then spent in bunling to market on mity roads, in ploughing and other necessary preparations for a comisg season, He felt confident that in those and other ways « farmer would save five times the amount of any extra tax which the con- struction of a Railway would impose; most of the money which it would cost would be spent in the country, and as there would not be so much Joss and risk for shippers, farmers would obtain a higher price for what they might have to sell. He saw a wan with a siick of timber on his sled ix the market a few days ago, for which he expected to receive eleven or twelve shillings, which cost him a day’s labor to “bring into market, but which on a Rail-car could have been brought in for two or three shillings, In every way he looked at it he saw alvantages which would result from a Railway, men would be more profitably employed, labor would be more ta demand, while all the products of labor would un- qvestionably command better prices, and a certaisty of cash payments in all parts of the country; much valuable wocd which is now destroyed would be turned to ac- count; while factories for the manufacture ot many kinds of articles would spring up, which won!d open up a home market for an immense dea! of valuable wood and other products thet were now wasted or destroy- ed, becuuse there are no means at present for rendering them available. (Yes, and Appluuse.) Settle the Land Question, said some first, but he (Hoa Leader of the Government) feared that if they took this view the matter, they would have to wait for a century, before the work would be undertaken, He could assure that Com- mittes that the Government was anxious to buy the proprietors out, but it should be kno-va that they could not be compelled to sell; but those estates through which the road wouid run should be taxed to some extent for its coastruction. The argucicat of several was that because it would! cost so muc) the work should not ve undertaken at all, This he (Hov, Leader of the Government) did not believe, but thought it better 10 commence as early as possi!)ie, and the sooner the better, for every year the lands of the Uolony were increasing in value, and it would be more difficult to construct one hereafter than at present, Lt was said that the matter should bave been submitted to the people at the polls for that he suw no special necessity, because if a disso ution, and a general election were to

fake place, uo fair expression of opinion

would be given oa the question. Side isvues would come up, and they would have the Escheat, Quit Reot and Kducation questidns to say othing of Confederation. When a wan was returned to that House he was re- turned to represent the Island at large, and if the country as a whole required a road, aud if they were satisfied that such road would promote the general good it was their duty to vote in favor of one. If any hon gentieman on that committee felt convineed that such a road was required, and did not vote so, it would be because he had not the moral courage to co so, If the road had becu: surveyed and the line marked out it might be that those to whose door it was pot brought would oppose it; and, thorefore, such a course might have had the effect of defeating ihe object altogether, and other parts of the country, which are well situated for shipping, would also oppose it. Whea the Legislature raised the duties from five gradually up to eleven per cent, those who did so never thought it necessary to ask leave of the people at the poils. They did so because they saw the necessities of the country required it, and acted wisely, . A small tax was nothing if the advantages to be derived thereform Were more than equi- valent to the rate imposed. It was easier now to pay eleven per cent than five per cent some years ago. . As to going in debt there was not onc man in five thousand who bad a movey capital to meet tbe dewands of all he undertook, but if be bad value he could not be said to be in debt; and in this undertaking he felt the country would bave value, the beneficial results of which they could searce'y over estimate, He fully be- lieved that in five years it would pay every shilling of the interest aud working cxpeuses, In Nova Scotia, when they commenced their Railroads, the first four miles the first year . yielded a retarn of £800 the first 16 miles the second returned £1200 and the first iwen'y~:wo miles the third year, in niae months, returned over £2000. Would it not be the same on th’s lsluad where every man would have somctbing to sead, and on which people could be conveyed at the rate ofa penny hall-seony per mile? A man could travel to Summerside for what it cost him to feed his horse on the road,

People who never saw a railroad and who had prospered seemed to thick that what did for their fathers was: good enough for them and their children, he was not of that opinion bat would wish to give to his fel- low co!onisis tue advantages which. were er- joyed by others, Supposing the length of the road to be 100 or 110 miles, and that the interest would amount to Thirty thou- sand pouuds eurrency a year, a small addi- tiona! tax would raised £15,000, while the reecipts from the road would meet in all probability as much more, while there wou'd be an additional increase also from the in- creased trefie on the road, which would re- volution ze the whole trade of the country as it never had been before, and if they did jeave a debt for their children to pay they would shew more sense than if they toiled like slaves all ther days plodding on behind the age. Their loval treffiz would be con- siderable, two million bushels of oats wou'd soop be transported on the railway. Live stock, limestone, mussel mud and other ferti-

lizers for the soil would form articles of -

transport, trom which considerable sums for earriage would be received, The facilities which a railway would coafer would add so materially to the profitable time of their farmers that they would be able to improve their farms to an ex‘ent that would increase their product in a few years to twice what they were then, so that the extra expendi- ture of £30,000 a year would scarcely be felt. Why it was not worth speaking about, and when told that they were not eble to have a railway, he (Hon. Leader of the Government) thought if that committee or the country at large came to that devisicn it would not say much for their energy, pluck or public spirit. It could be built on

= oe _ Sr ell a a wi

the credit cf the country. Parties had offered to do 80, and take Debentures re- deemable in thirty years, at six per cent., which was not like taking money out of the country 98 had been the case with many of the proprietors who sold estates to the Gov- erpment. The expenditure would, to a great extent, be made in country, which would thereby increase as had never before been the case, the circulation of money among the peopl:. And when strangers were will- ing to undertake the work, to say that the country was nct in a position to have it built would be wrong. As he bad already obsorved, if a survey had been made, and estimates submitted before the Legislature had endorsed the principle, and concluded that a line should be built if attainable at a certain rate per mile, it would probably de- feat the object altogether. If the Govern- ment should be instructed to proeeed, com- missioners should be appointed, with a con- petent Engineer to attend to those matters, while the Executive should take care that ample security would be given for the pro- per performance of the work, and also that the contractors should only be paid as the work proceeds, It wou'd be far better to let tbe whole line to a company having capital, than to let it out in sections to small capi- talists, The former would be able to go on without interruption and finish the line, the latter might proceed until their means were spent, and then be forced to throw up their contracts, as had been the case with some on the Intereolonial in the other Provinces, A company able to give ample security for the completion of the work could sub-‘et con- tracts all along the line; but the Govern- ment should know but one party in the mat- ter. The population of the Island was abont 100,000, and the interest per bead would only be about six shillings a year, and so long as the credit of the Qolony was good there would be no difficulty in paying it. If Braoch lines should be extended to Tignish and Souris they would ot course add to the length of. the line, but the benefits which would result would fully justify there oon- struction Much of the fish caught in those places, St, Peter’s and all uloog the North Shore, would be worth five times what they bow sre to those who caught them if they bad a Railroad. They could be done up in ice, and io three days be in the Boston Market, and as there wus no daty on fresh fish our people would eajoy ali the benefits in this important artiele of export, which coald possibly result from the most liberal terme of Reciprovity, and as competition would be close, they who caught them would not fail to obtain the highest price the Market wou!d admit of giving. Property in Georgetown would increase in value; that barbor was open one month longer than any other on the Island, and witha a Railroad the whole country would to a greater or less extent partake of the advanteges which would unquestionab'y re- sult from that, much time being added to ae

tho chipping vescou ur wie y ta is” west, their agricultdtists could spend a’! their time in the improvement of their farms which intervened between the barvest- ing of their crops, and the setting in of the frost, which would soon tell materially upon the increased products of every farm on the Islaud, Farmers would also fiod that they would receive a higher prices fer their products than they then did, and that prices would be more equalized, Pork was becoming a valuable and important article of export. With the facilities a railway would give, farmers could feed their pork five or six weeks longer thao they now can do,— inasmuch as in many parts of the Island shippers, unless they obtained it at a certain time did not care to bave it at all, especial- by those who wished to ship immediately after purchasing, which is generally the case, —quick returns being the order of the day. He hoped the committee would see the matter iu the light be did, and not look upon it as @ party question, Any hon. gentleman who did so would certainly do bimseif and the country an injustice. He (Hon, Leader of the Government) believed ibe majority of the people were in favor of

. the undertaking, and us soon as proper ar-

rapgements were made and submitted, he hoped the opinion in its fivor would be so stroug, that the Government would be author. zod to go on with negotiations for the undertaking Although the interest would probably-be made payuble here or in Londow, 5 @: be believed one-half of (he amount would be taken by parties in Charlottetown, where capital to se large an eatent was seek- ing investment, that even some of their Judg:s were investing in the Savings Bank, which showed the great demand existing for safe investments upon public securities, Buildiog the Road would put considerable sums of money iato cirenlation. Nordid he think it would be foued that in any one year, more than £15,000 of the interest would be paid ia London Ia no way in which he (the Hon. Leader of the Gov't) looked at that important question, could he eee eny reason to doubt the propriety of going forward with the work. (Hear, and applause.)

Fon, Mr. Wicarman. ~ There was no para graph in the Draft Address as important as tbe one under consideration, for the matter it contained, materially aff-cted the mtereste of the whole Irland. If the building of a Railway were carried oat, it would involve the Colony in a dett which would require a long time to discharge, The expense of its construction had been reckoned at £5000 currency, per mile, and the t tai sam re- quired for a trunk tine throughout the Island, sa? 12) miles long, would amount to £600,- 009. Before expendiag that sum, the com- pany undertaking to build the road, would require a good and sufficient guarantee for the payment of the interest. It had been found by experience, that it generally requir- ed one third more than the estimated cost, to complete a Railroad, and put it in good ranning order ; this extra cost would there- fore have to be provided for. This Island was fine country through which to consiract a line of Railway, and it might possibly be undertaken without the consent of the ma- jority of the people; but he, for one, could “not give his consent to it, without again ap-

pealing to his constituents, The section of .

the country which he represented, would reseive little or no benefit from*a trank line of Rajiroad, and therefore he would not sup-

ort the undertaking at tho present time,

f branch lines, raoning to all the priocipal places in the Island, were to be constructed, it would materially alter the case; but even then, his constitaents would not be bene- fited very considerably, for they had harbors all around, aad their productions could be

= ——/ shipped at neatly all periods of the year. It was not likely that a farmer wouid haul his produce to a Railway station, while he had a shipping place withia a mile Or two of his farm, Hoe cou!d not see that a Railroad would benefit the country tothe extent which had been described by those bon. members who bad spoken in favor of the and faking our geographicai position, good harbors, wharves and bridges into acco it was not to be supposed that oar farmers would encourage the construction of a Rail- road, which wou!d incur an annual expense of eight or ten shiili per head on our popuiation, and from which they would reap littke or no benefit. Inereased (axation was a dangerous thing to undertake, and there- fore it was the duty of every hon, member of the House to consult bis eonstitaente before consenting to it. The Hon. Leader of the Government had no¢ stated what compensa- tion would be allowed for the Javd upon which the road was to be built ; and it could not be expected that any farmer would allow his farm to be cut up, without being fally compensated for the value of his He x believed that the owners would set a bigh “ value upon thair lands; and if « fixed valu- ation were set upon them, expensive law suite, in many cases would arise, which could be settled only in the Supreme Coart. The cost of law suits, would, he believed, form a considerable item ef the expensea of @ Rail. road. He was of opinion that the expenses of construction would be increased fa!ly one- half by the price of land and cost of law suita, é&c. After the road was constructed, there would not be sufficient employment for it, for*More than a few weeks in autumn, when it would be employed carrying produce to market. The returns from the trafic would not pay its working expenses, and therefore would contribute nothing towards the pay- ment of the interest of the money expended in its construction. He therefore thought it well for the members of the Committee to _ consider the matter weil before givia,x it their support. Itshould not be hast: y undertaken for it vitally ‘affevted the interests of the ‘ Colony. As to procuring a dredging ma- 7 chine, he highly approved of it. Many of thé wharves under the control of the Gov- ernment required extending ; and he was of opihion that money would be eaved if the water’at their sides were deepened by dredg- _ ing. Even if the purchase of a ing machine cost ae much as a stone-erusher, he would give it hissupport. If the macadam- ising of our roads at £1500 per mile, went § on no faster than it had, he did not know _& when all the roads on the Island would be E finished. But he believed that if the waters = were deepened around the pablic wharves, = they might be mate available to veasele of ff the largest size, Vessels could not get the ‘ accomodation they required, and if a Rail- - road were constructed, he was afraid other e interests would suffer. He thought the cous- & try shouid have time to think befgre eugh « work as the building of a Railroad was taken, for it would require a very long to pay the principal spent upon it. a. on. B. Davies said that he had heard a a del satd about the constraction ofa ilway, but he bad not heard how the m was to be procured to pay for it. This . ing of a Railroad for sach a small Colony, was one of the most extraordinary under takings of which he had ever heard. No

a See ole

UP &

a

pation jin the world, ¢ tion to the number of its inhabwerecs e A Railroad starting form Tignieh, duc ote~

ing at Summerside and Charlottetown, croes ‘. ing the Hillsborough river and possing On to a Aa Georgetown, would be a gteater u es for this small Colony, than any Railroaé built gf by any other courtry in the world. For every bundred pounds owned by our cayital- bar ists, Engiish capitaliets could produce mil- > lions, and therefore, the building of a Rail- zr. road in Kagland was a comparatively }i = undertaking. What would be wise px BS there, in referencs to Railways, would be ruinous here, in this small Colony, re stl the people are comparatively poor. Most = of the fathers of the best and richest “8 people in the Colony, when they came and Sf settled here possessed little beside the clothes ee on their backs; while the sristocragy of 3 England had been heaping up riches for oan-

turies. A Government officer, with s ealary

of two hundred pounds per year, was account-

ed a very rich man forty yeare ago, in this country; he was reckoned a grandee. It

wouid be quite time enough to commence the

building ot a Railroad when tbe are , 1D 8 position to pay for it, and tha: might be i fifty years hence. To build one handred and thirty miles of road, at the rate spoken 6f by the hon. Leader of the Government,

cost, including all expenses, not less than three quarters of a million of money ; bat he : (bon. 8. D.) cou!d not see that it nad been proved satisfactorily, that it could be built for any such eum, To think of building a Railroad here for £330 sterling per mile, Re when we koow tnatin England, wherelabor = is much lower, it costs £27,000 sterling per =~ mile, seemed to him to be mostextraordinary. Most of the iron would have to be imported from England, and of course would cost us more then they had to pay forit. The nay- vies, too, get much higher wages in America than the same class gets in Englanti—indeed labor could be procured for one-‘alf of what it costs here. Everything that woa'd be ree quired for the construction of a Railroad would cost less than it costs hers, except wood ; and therefore it did not seem reason- able that the road could be built here ata cheaper rate, Before euch a matier was to be undertaken, estimates should bs made by a competent Engineer, to give tse people somes idea of the cost of it. According to his estimate, it could not be built for than £10,000 currency, per mile,