It appears a very haphazard affair this of selection of'lines of railway bv the Provincial Council. "We do not hear of any principle guiding the Coun cil in the discussion, of the propositions submitted, by the: Government. An enthusiastic, member such as Mr. Diiniels; of Kiverton, gradually infects the Council with his-feelings, and the result is the determination to make a line to Orepuki. without the least knowledge of facts —-, only a bare state ment that a tree is .to be found some twenty-lour feet in circumference. Another member hiis an interest in, or a mild enthusiasm tor, a coal-pit, rap turously reported on by a geologist on a cursory inspection, without prospect. As •. consequence: we have a: railway proposed to Kaitangata, and declaimed upon as a pressing necessity. Another member has a mild enthusiasm for opening up freehold lands, and as a consequence we have the Waireka railway under construction. 1 It never appears to have occurred to the Go vernment to appoint- a Commissioner to tike, if it is necessary, a year to re port— not- only as to the cost of the lines, but as to the amount of 'and such railway lines would~open up, and ren der of double value. No; nothing of the kind. We (the Government) will depend upon our own ideas from Dunedin and Taieri, and the wisdom (save the mark !)'ofthe Council. If a railway line can be made for £IOO a mile cheaper than, another, that is the line to adopt, without the least en quiry as to the immense amount of money the State would lose if the cheapest-line were made, if the coun try opened up by it were only the one half or one-quarter of that the dearer line would open up for settlement. But this is a subject.on which many ar ticles could be written—far exceeding a topic. One thing may be said shortly, that these lines to coalpits are a great maistake. If a coalfield is a sure one, and of value, the companies working it will make the railway themselves—for this reason : that, as a matter of profit and loss, if the scheme is bona fide, it is much cheaper to run lheir own produce to the consumers than to pay freight to the Govern ment. ;.A;n axiom might almost be laid down that : The value of any ; coalfield'-may. 