THE RAILWAY COMMISSION

Dunstan Times, Issue 957, 20 August 1880, Page 3

THE RAILWAY COMMISSION

The Pyke moved the motion standing in his name regarding the report of the Railway Commission. He said ho was not disposed to allow it to go forth that this House even in part approved of the report. Government had partially disavowed its in tcntion of being guided by the report, but he noted that they based their proposals upon it. The report itself was unreliable, unworthy of consideration, and ought to be relegated to the waste paper basket. It was not the case that they had only dealt with projected lines already dealt with by the House. He denied that they bad made careful inquiries into the circumstances of the different projected works. Referring to bis own district, be said that he knew of his own knowledge that no attempt had been made to secure such in formation. He also charged them with having suppressed evidence taken in Dunedin. The Strathtaieri line would serve two-thirds of the population and open up thousands of acres of Crown lands. Despite its importance they made a very cursory examination of the district ; so much so that they never saw the exact locality through which the line was proposed to go. He could hardly imagine that the Government would have had the audacity to appoint a Commission to interfere with a work that had been already fully inquired into by both Houses, and by both authorised. The report was contradicted by evidence, in support of which ho quoted from the evidence taken by themselves. Heoontlu'ed by moving “(1) that this House is of opinion that the report if the Royal Commission mi the Railways, in so far as it deals with lines which have never been submitted to, or sanctioned by, Parliament, was unnecessary and uncalled for; (2) that, in so far as it condemns railway lines, the c instruction of which has, after due consideration and careful inquiry, been sanctioned by this House, the said report has not sufficient foundation, and should be regarded as a mere expression of individual opinion, hastily formed without any special knowledge or experience on the subject. (8) That it would therefore be unwise and highly detrimental to the beat interests of the Colony for Government to siiape its Public Works Policy upon the opinions and recommendations embodied in said report.”