EXTRACTS FROM " HANSARD.'

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1905, 30 July 1888, Page 3

EXTRACTS FROM " HANSARD.'

DISTRICT RAILWAYS PURCHASING BILL. In the House on July 6th, Major Steward, speaking oa this Bill, and following Mr Valentine, member for Wakaia, said : — I have only two or three words io say, because the nutter bas been co very wt 11 6tated by the honorable member for Wakaia. No doubt ifc is true that m all diatricts peop'e are suffering exceedingly from the low price of grain, and they win bo called upon to suffer still more from the fact that these rates have been allowed to get into arrear, and therefore the de mands which will have to be made upon them will be very great. However, what I rose to point out is this : There is a provision bete which is obviously intended to be just, and to give an opportun:ty to the districts to ascertain whether the accounts have been properly charged. I refer to clause 3, sub-section (3), it U there provided that an account of the amount of deficiency on any lice is to be published by the Colonial Treasurer m the locality, and that any person who objects thereto may have an opportunity of BtatiDg that objection ; and the AuditorGeneral then becomes the referee, and haa power, if the deficiency is overstated, to reduce it to what it Bhould be. With regard to the line m which my con stituents are especially concerned, 1 have reasan to believe that there is what I n?ay term a fictitious charge made against that railway for the working of the line. How such a charge can be made I cannot understand, for there Is no Station master, no officer at all, employed on the line beyond those required for the Government line with which It is connected ; nor has there been at any time. All that can be reasonably charged for is the coal consumed on the line when the engine is running, over and above the amount which would be consumed by the engine when it is In shed with the tiros banked up. Of course there wonld be something to be charged for fair wear and tear, and there would be the proportion of Interest which haa to be paid. But, as I have said, there fa reason for believing that a fictitious, an imaginary amount !b charged to debit for working expenses. That would, of course, be very unfair, and I presume these sections are intended to provide against It ; but I think they should be made dearer, so as to show without any doubtfulness that it Is only actual expenditure, and not fictitious and Imaginary ohargeo, that may be placed to the debit of any Una. The Bill was read a seoond time.