The Evening Star SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3838, 12 June 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1875.

The Proyincialisfcs played a bold card last night in insisting upon g ving the Executive power to accept, during the present year, railway contracts amounting in value to i«arly £200,000, out of ordinary revenue, if a loan were not obtained from the Assembly. The reason for asking this power was shadowed out dimly by the Provincial Secretary. There is a danger, he itnplu d, of coming events—a danger that an unseen power will grasp our land fund-therefore let us by all means secure our railways. If our land fund goes and our railways are not provided for, what a pitiable position we shall be in. Mad recklessness and suspicion can hardly go further than that. Because we choose to suspect the Assembly of a desire toaCa the part of robbers, we are straightways to turn round and strangle ourselves. The construction of branch lines out of revenuei might have some justification if the lines proposed were .on direct lines of traffic, and were lines that would open up the interior. In the schedule brought down last night the only railway that could be classed as a main interior line is that from Pa'meriston to Waihemo, and this was the first line the Provincial Secretary proposed to throw over, at least for its upper extension from Wayne’s. It was gravely decided that it was of more Importance to the Province to construct’ a line from Mosgiel to Outram in a circuitous route than to open a main interior line, it being all the time perfectly well known and shown to the Council that two private lines were actually in competition as to which should be allowed to open the Outram district at their promoters’ own cost and own risk. Worse still, the Lawrence to Teviot line, the other great tapping line to the interior, Was not even mentioned—a line that had been proposed years ago- and yet Mr Reid. Mr .\1 ‘Kellar, and others could quietly talk 6i the 'solemn agreement entered into to construct the Mosgiel-Outram branch—a line which, as Mr Moody stated, runs parallel to and at no great distance from the Main Southern line. The money already appropriated by the Council for roads and works is more than £IOO,OOO in excess of the estimated revenue, and yet the Council is about to run the* risk’ of saddling the already overburdened revenue with £200,000 more debt, and all because the Proyiucialists in their wisdom will i:ot believe in the good faith of anyone who does not recognise their war cry of “ Provincialism to the death.” Liabilities entered into to construct branch railways in small road board districts cannot be looked upon as a set-off against the ordinary expenditure on main roads. If it could be, as we point out above, there might be a show of justification! for giving the Government the alternative power of constructing branch lines out of revenue. No doubt the Mosgiel line will in a few years' pay, but the question seems to be rather how to apply the money the Province can command so as to increase to the greatest extent the revenue of the future.