Railways, Twelve Years After, 213 



To Colonel Link, without a doubt, must be ascribed the first effort to 

 carry into effect any such project. I read with pleasure His Excellency's 

 reference to this fact at his lecture in the Reading Rooms during the visit 

 of Her Highness Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, and I am 

 obliged to him for his remarks about my own long-standing identification 

 with the railway ambitions of the colony. For a long time I had to 

 stand almost alone like, Charlotte Corday, "a Republican before the 

 Revolution," and the somewhat unregulated enthusiasm of many of the 

 recent converts induces a smile when one recalls their unreasoning 

 opposition at the outset. 



As the scheme was one which some few of us thoroughly favoured, 

 Mr. King, the Crown Solicitor, being an early and persistent advocate, 

 we were not inclined to see it altogether abandoned. The first step 

 Mas the formation of a Joint Railway Committee for the purpose 

 of ventilating the subject. As President of the Royal Agricultural 

 and Commercial Society, I took the initiative and the late George 

 Garnett, C.M.G., was the first chairman. It consisted of delegates 

 from the various representative bodies. To this Committee I re- 

 ported in March, 1912, the information I had gained in London 

 during a fortnight's visit as to the possibilities of the scheme of 

 a railway receiving favour either in official or financial circles. With 

 the prospects on both points, I was verywell satisfied and the Committee 

 was much interested. It said "Macte virtute, puer, " or words to that 

 effect. " A member of the Joint Railway Committee " reviewed the 

 whole position in an article in Tvmehri in July, 1912, which Mr. Harcourt 

 told me he has read with interest. The Committee then decided to 

 await the result of the investigations which, it was understood, His 

 Excellency would make as to the possibilities, as soon as feasible after his 

 arrival. It has never met since. 



His Excellency has now on the advice of his Council submitted his 

 proposal of a Government railway, to be built with Imperial assistance, 

 aiming to link up eventually with Brazil, to the consideration of the 

 most representative Committee which has ever sat in this colony. It 

 was communicated to the Secretary of State in a despatch dated 5th 

 January, 1914, which was locally published on 10th February. It has 

 been somewhat misinterpreted, the more popular supposition being that 

 it was a proposal to the Secretary of State to make the Colony a 

 present of 1] million sterling in return for its Constitution. On careful 

 perusal it is clear that His Excellency intended to suggest a contribution 

 by the Colony to its own development. The lines which this should 

 take or the amount of the contribution is not indicated and the subject 

 was evidently meant to be dealt with by later discussion. 



The Committee comprises the unofficial members of the Combined 

 Court, many members of the Executive Council, delegates from the Royal 

 Agricultural and Commercial Society, Chamber of Commerce ami 

 Planters' Association and representatives of the Mining and Balata 



