The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1887. THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1704, 5 November 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1887. THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

The Parliamentary ses&ion, yet so young, has been prolific of events which have created an exceptional amount of interest throughput the colony. People were intensely curious to be informed what were the Government's retrenchment proposals, and then again what were their intentions with regard to the Midland Railway contract. We have, m a previous issue, discussed the former, and the latter will be found m our telegraphic resume of last night's proceedings m the House of Representatives. The friends of the railway will be pleased to learn that tbe Government have approached the subject m a fair and liberal spirit. The Hon Major Atkinson, m moving the resolution respecting the Midland Railway, of which he had given notice, did so m a clear and ! concise speech characterised by a spirit of justice and an utter absence jof all party feeling, which we have seldom witnessed m the House. Referring to the position the Government had taken up m the matter, he said that looking back at the whole position of the colony and of this line, the Government considered it would be wise and prudent to do all that lay m their power to finish the line. He explained what the proposals of tho Government were. The Government asked the House to sanction their conceding to the Company all that it had asked m the matter of land grants. Government proposed that the Company should be limited to selecting extra land from that which has been reserved for the purpose, every acre of which they could come upon if necessary to make up the deficiency, if any, m the value of the j 2,304,000, to which they are entitled 1 under agreement with the Government. < The alternate block system of sslection ! is to be abandoned, the same being j alleged tp $c impracticable for tj lc (

commercial purposes of the Company. | The Government, moreover, limit the amount of reserves for mining purposes to 750,000, and even this m case of its being actually required. Opinions vary greatly with regard'to the ralue of the I land contained m the statutory block, ' but we think that the Midland Railway Company will find that the original amount granted under the Act will be of sufficient value to do away jwith the necessity ot putting this fresh concession into execution. From the general tone of the debate last night we think there is every probability of the Government resolutions being adopted by the House.