50 i;OAI)S A^T> liAILAVAYS. 



railway system in the face of strong oppo.sitioii, but of persever- 

 ingly carrying it out for more than fourteen year-s, as a prominent 

 feature of liis jiolicy, undertook to grajijjle with the matter in 

 earnest. His first jjrojjosal -was, in following the lines laid down 

 liy Mr. Fleming, to offer an annual subsidy of £120,000 and 

 liberal land grants along the line to any company that would 

 construct and operate a line of raihvay across the island to be 

 connected Ijy steamers with England on the one side and on the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence, on tlie other, with Canadian railways. The 

 Imperial Goveinmeut, however, refused to sanction this project 

 on the ground that it might be regarded by the French as an 

 infringement of their fishing rights which wei-e secured by treaty 

 on the west coast where its terminus would be. The project, 

 therefore, had to be abandoned. 



THK HALL'S BAY LINE. 



Two more years elapsed, and Sir William Whiteway, finding 

 that the project of constructing a line across the island which 

 woulil be a link in tlie chain of comnumicatton between tlje Ohl 

 and the New Worlds, could not then Ije carried out, decided on 

 building a narrow-guage railway suited to local recpiirements, 

 and such as the Colony itself could undertake. The resolutions 

 which lie submitted to the House of Assembly projwsed the 

 construction of a railway from St. John's to Hall's Bay, the 

 centre of the mining region, with bi'anches to Harbour Grace 

 and Brigus, the total length of which \\ould be about 340 nnles. 

 Such a line would o])en up for settlement large areas of good 

 lands and valuable and extensive timber district's in the valleys 

 of the Gambo, Terra Nova, Gander and Exploits, ami by con- 

 necting the mining region with the capital, would impart a great 

 impetus to mining industry and give access to new mineral lands 

 as yet unexjilored. 



REPORT OF PAKLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE. 



A joint-committee of Ijoth Ijranches of the Legislature was 

 ajjpointed to consider the proposal. Their report was strongly 

 in favour of such an enterjnise. It pointed out the necessity of 



