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The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1887. OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY.

The genial member for Dunstan has scored a success m carrying ihe second reading of his Otago Central Railway Bill by a substantial majority, and were it not that a Ministerial crisis is likely to bring the present session to a premature close would stand a very fair chancer of getting it passed into law. As it is, we doubt very much whether anything more will be heard of the matter until after the assembling of the new Parliament. Still, however, the question is one which is certain to come before the House again at its next session, Jt is well that the general body of electors throughout the colony should make up their minds about it. That a line into interior Otago, at anyrate as far as Hawea Lake is a very desirable and indeed necessary public work, we thinks admits of no doubt. It would bring within the reach of settlement a larger area of good land than can be opened up by any other line of railway, either already sanctioned or which has yet been prcjected, and seeing that there is no probability of the work being carried to completion by the colony for a good maßy years to come it is, m our opinion, wise policy to enable its construction by private enterprise. The Wellington-Manawatu line, which was thus secured, is unquestionably a great success, and it begins now to be admitted that the Midland line promises similarly agreeably to disappoint the evil prognostications of its opponents, nnd with these precedents before us we fail to see why the colony should hesitate to allow the Otago Central to be undertaken on somewhat similar lines. In the Wellington-Mana-watu case part of the line had been constructed by the colony before private enterprise stepped m, and the works and plant with valuable landed endowments, were handed over to the railway company. In the case of the Otago Central, also, part of the line has been constructed at the public expense, but it is not asked that the portion completed should be handed over to the projected company, the conditions of the Sill being very much more favorable to the colony than were those accorded m the case of the Wellington-Manawatu. Shortly stated, the main features of Mr Pyke's proposal are that the Government may enter into a contract with any company, syndicate, or person for the construction of a railway, starting from the point already reached, or shortly to be reached, by the railway works now m course of construction, viz., the Taieri Lake, and extending to Lakes, Hawea and Wanaka, and to grant a concession of land equal m value to one-third of the cost of the work. The land so granted is to be within 15 miles on either side of the line and to be allocated m alternate blocks, having not more than a mile of frontage to the railway, every other such block remaining m the hands of the Crown. The land is m no case to be deemed as of less value than ten shillings per acre, and it is estimated that the total acreage of the concession will be about 250,000 acres. The proposal to grant so large an area to a private company is resisted by the Vernier and Mr Ballance as interfering with their scheme of land nationalisation, and indeed it is contended that it will militate against the interests of settlement. We cannot, howsver, see the force of the latter contention, inasmuch as it would evidently be to the interest of the Company to get the land settled as quickly as possible m order to obtain a levenue therefrom, and to swell the returns of the railway. Without the line settlement cannot proceed, but v»ith the line a great impetus would at once be given to it. We take the view advanced by Sir Julius Yogel, that if the completion of the railway can be secured m the terms proposed it will be an excellent transaction for the colony from* all points of view, and the Otago Central thus provided for, there need be no ;rnore large loans for railway works for yeafS $0 CQWe.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG18870523.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1565, 23 May 1887, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
711

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1887. OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY. Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1565, 23 May 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1887. OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY. Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1565, 23 May 1887, Page 2

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