The Clutha Leader. THURSDAY, SEPT. 16, 1875

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 62, 16 September 1875, Page 5

The Clutha Leader. THURSDAY, SEPT. 16, 1875

A large and . fully populated and highly cultivated district in our neighborhood is to be entirely deprived 1 of railway convenience on the mere authority of the Minister of Public Works, and that in circumstances that ought to open the eyes of the public to what they may expect if the present abolition Government continue in office, and if the principle of their procedure become the recognised principle of futiire Government. The principle , seems to be that the . nieri ih : power, may do •' what they please without .consulting- the people, Bhd , even ' in' ■'- opposition 'to the expressed mind of the people.. The character of that Government which has been so long characteristic of Great Britain, is thoroughly ignored in New Zealand, and in its place has come what prevails in such countries, where a Royal, or Imperial dictatorship s prevails? The will of the Czar, is tiierule, in Russia ; the will of. our : Vogels, Richardson^, Atkinsons, is the rule-that must run throughout ..New Zealand; The Provincial Abolition Bill revohi-; tionising ithtJ constitution, jpf, this I 'colony is being; foroed. upon : us '..without M& people beitig considered/ as jf theyha,d no right tolie considerpd,, 5 /^lie: course pursued by the present Government) and the expectant majority th^f bapk« Jhenl in the House-6f:liepr,eseri.tatiy,es,;iVfi^ course of purest tyrannyy of the most barefabe^ vdespbtjsin, $nd, lijj b "fife^Qei f botismj, rests on .assumptions: tbe^ xnoat glknngly^ false: ' ; Aqtihg despotically on'f,theJ;Jaj;ger;:^el^ that, ig 1 iisj^jL i$ thei abolition.'of the provincesV'it is not tcf'fcfr 1 that the 'MMister'oj

;hat BtapdscC.qnnec,te,dy,w^h 3 iML4,tep.eka ! las set. before him, -.s& "J,919 wjrtjjjyrij* jbp sustained] % t then^ j£i ih& sputl^ line, of, ■ailway be carried otherwise man W be route originfc]ly o M\j: -^urveye s: ■;{ Che Provincial oovernme^tnave,baoke(l he repßesfntfttiofls; ,t^ey rhave^aafe} *nd urged . the, pMiijist^r 0f, . . Public •)' Works to cajry )theline Jby Waitepejcaj^ Che Provincial CpunoiL % iresoluti^n ; aas done the, sanies ;ancl l^stlj/A . Se\e.ct r Committee of the ffpusQiof Repreaen- • tives, after examination of Tvjtn.epses, per-: 30ns, and h.uyethorpiighlv; borne out the ; accuracy .of the reprer; sensatinna made .by; ,the( , district . in>, terested, repjortin^. -tQI %h$ House ihat, the route . % j^aiiepeHa f ifl. preferable,, both; because it, will. benefit more of the public and; because itwill inorease the railway revenue^.j-anp! : necomßQending that the line ; be carried by "^aitepeka. : But, inface ,of aiijthis, the Minister of Public Wor^sa^^ffrlfjp ; I ; iw£ll; ; npty allow t it ;;to. . -bejl^ken uJby^^at route. The ppwer^.rpstsi vfit%l^t t . and ; ,J;hat. power will; , 1 1 ■ : < exercia>6 ' though, ; the people should : Buffer,/, and a . the iaiU •« way returflj s^fejr^ftndi thp^g^ coin-, mo a sense,) and : all that is- Mxt and proper, idejclarejthat.; the way -jme rail-, way is. ■ made t tp. go is the ;.wpong ; oner , la ; this a power , that, should be allowedto any one ; i i Is <a :Minister)for the sajte ■ of covering, some mistake of an qficer. of his department to ]be permitted to nde rough , shod pvei; . the heads of . a SeleotCAinmitiiee pfithe House, and the expressed Wjlsbpf ,. all < most; conversant with what isjpaost; BeneflQiai:tp the comr munity , interested;?,, t, f iaivwell jive in Russia subject ( to. : its' despotic rule as r live in New Zealand under the, a^tor,; cratic dictum, pfa ;; Secretary, for : Public Works, ; It can^pnly bring discredit on the House -of Representatives : if it will tamelyi submit, 1 to have the carefully weighed judgment „of its own Select Committee trampled. .under foot by any, single man,; ;sjmplyt because (no matter for what reas.o^nfo thinks, otherwise, or . has : resolve^ otherwise. .We shall expect tlie district member tp^mpve ttat the; Committee's report be adopted, and, its rec6mmendation> be carried; out by. the Minister fqv ; Public Works. 1 If he ,' fail ia this,, then [he should seek, that it be an instructipn to, the [Minister to, call, fof fenders for, the route by Waitefyeta,) and the no^faY°r6cUin,e adopted by f -he Minister, with; the view of determining the route to; be chosen.^ Nothing jess ; than this will suffice the. community,interested in the matter, and nothing less ; than this wiU suffice to remove the . impression that thet Minister seeksonly tocover the mistake made by his, officer, when he compared the cost of the Waitepekaline, fully surveyed, with another line ., over which only, a flying survey had been , taken, an«l which had <to be abandoned as, impracticable;