i^o The Proposed Belfast Central Station and Railways. 



the proper steps to-night to put his scheme fairly before the 

 public. As to the merits of the scheme itself, I think it almost 

 goes without saying that it would be a good thing for our city, 

 its suburbs, and its teeming population, if we had these three 

 branch railways connected with a Central Station, and I think 

 we should keep that leading fact before us when we come to 

 consider and criticise. I think in answer to all the objections 

 of my friend Mr. Munce as to whether this street is to be kept 

 open or that one is to be closed, I should say, let us have our 

 Railway, and let us have our Central Station, and the learned 

 Town Clerk of Belfast, assisted by my friend Mr. Bretland, 

 will take care of the streets. No Belfast man need be afraid of 

 his interests so far as the stability of the streets is concerned. I 

 consider the scheme as a whole on broad lines ; don't trouble 

 us with matters of detail. There is no doubt if you make these 

 railways, they not only do good to the town but increase its 

 population. Numbers of our business men would be glad to 

 have a Central Station. We could sleep in the country at 

 night, and come to work in the morning. I think it would be 

 a good thing if more of us did so, and I am sure this will be 

 one result if the railways are made. As regards the details of 

 construction, we know a little about the sleetch which has been 

 so much spoken of. In the first work constructed by the 

 Harbour Commissioners some years ago, the experience in 

 connection with the dock walls was not a happy one. Sleetch 

 was the difficulty, but the later engineering of the Harbour 

 Commissioners under Mr. Salmond was very fortunate and very 

 successful, and I should say in view of the building of a wall 

 such as has been constructed by the Harbour Commissioners, 

 knowing what 1 do of sleetch, that J do not anticipate any 

 insuperable difficulty in carrying out the works. What Mr. 

 Lanyon describes now has been done over and over again in 

 other places. We are really following out the experience and 

 practice of Glasgow, London, and other cities. Everything of 

 this sort largely turns on the successful working out of details, 

 but these have all been dealt with before, and I hope the public 



