WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3908, 2 September 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[By Telegraph.]

{From ovr own Correspondent.)

_ September 1. On the "Branch Hallway Construction Bill last niaht Otiuro figured prominently in the discussion. M r Macandrew opened the ball by expressing the m inion that the Bill, instead of encouraging, was intended to discourage private enterprise, and its tit;e should bo altered accordingly. It was one more of a series of leg'stations having for its object that more power should be placed in the hands of the Ministry, He could conceive a case where ninety-nine out of every hundred people in a district were desirous of obtaining the benefits of railway communication, and not only so, but of finding the money and making the railway themselves ; yet, under influence, this Bill was placed in the hands of the Minister for Public Works, and he might put a stopper on the whole concern. It was true Ministers ware amenable to Parliament, but that was poor compensation to the unfortunate district deprived of making a railway. Mr Shepherd thought the Hill gave too much encouragement in many particulars, especially in allowing lines to pass through public reserves and parks without compensation. Then he dragged in Otago matter, alluding to the Provincial Government’s action re the Ocean Beach and other lines. Mr Bradshaw contented himself with discussing the provisions of the Bill. He agreed with Mr Macandrew that no company would be formed under the Bill, because it practically discouraged private enterprise. He would have preferred something like the Belgian system—which was admittedly the best iu the worldintroduced, where companies ran lines for ninety-nine years, and then the lines reverted to the Government without compensation, rorgptful of the fact that the gauges are specifically 6. tiled by the Act of 1871, he contended that comp.urns should, if they liked, be at liberty to Jay down 4ft Sin. gauge, which was cheaper and could be better worked than 3ft 6m,

jVir Pyke led off with an attack on the Provincial Govenaim-u% accusing them of throwing every obstruction in the way of the Ontram Greytown, and othei lines. If the restrictions tb(i present, Hd\ li-ul been twice heavy he would have supported the Bill. It enabled companies immediately to construct lines without waiting twelve months for a Provincial Ordinance or other legislation. Had such a measure been in operation twelve months ago the Hutrara line would have been in working order before this. He repeated his assertion that the Provincial Government had thrown every obstruction in the way of the prosecution of the latter line, and ad led that in the Council the Government had on a division voted against the line. (Mr istoufc, sotto voce : It is not true.)_ air Fyke complained of the manner in which his statement had been traversed. Mr tout replied that he was incorrect, and that the member for Wakatipu slio’aW be sure of his facts before he spoke. Then attacking the main question he denied that the Provincial Government had anything to do with the purchase of the Port Chalmers line, but he would toll tho House what the General Governinent had d<>ne in collection with that use. i aev had, without in 1 ho slightest degree consulting the r-up r? temlent—in whom the lana was vested-canted one of t he most valun ole pieces of land at Port ' halmers, which should have been reserved for the Province, as it is sane uo bertCinim.l for railway extension to J;e. h.cw A.oai.iiid Loan and Mercantile Pomp,my, J.his was a glaring instance of Ge.-end Government management. T'he company s stores were quite close to the railway s.ation, and situated on ground absolu f ely requited for station extension, while they also interfered wi'h tin- new railway jetty, and gave to the company such a monopoly that no mercantile house could compote with them in the storage of wool at Port Chalmers. The whole thing was illegal, and without the shadow ol a title. It was the General Govern*

ment and not the Provincial authorities that had interfered with the construction of branch railways, in having in the first instance-- ie the Peninsula, &c., line—by the exerci eof extraor Hnary powers under the Constitution Act warned the Superintendent against assenting to uny Hallway Hill. Mr Reynolds having been personally referred to in the discus-don re the Peninsula line, gave the history of his connection therewith. When on the eve of his departure for Wellington, three gentlemen handed him a letter on the railway platform, and pres-ed him to read it. Fin understood it was to borrow or purchase rails, and he promised to do what he could to advance the interests of the company. At that time he was'under the full impression that the company had an Ordinance of the Provincial Council or some other power to construct their line. When he reached Wellington ho mentioned the matter to the Minister for Public Works, who then informed him there was no power to sell or lend rails to the company, but that the Government were prepared to waive that. The Provincial Government, howevei, took upon itself to go beyond its legal powers, and it therefore became the duty of the General Government to interfere. He had not the slightest hesitation in informing tlie House that the blame, if any, must be wholly thrown upon his shoulders, and not upon his colleagues’; 'because he had advised them not to allow the line to proceed, seeing that the Company had no proper powers to do so. In recommending that course he had taken the course greatly against his own interest, as he owned land which would have been benefited by the line ; but had he done otherwise he would have been unworthy of the position of a Minister. In reference to the Port Chalmers lino ho knew of his own knowledge that the Provincial Government had given the Colonial Government no peace until it had entered into negotiations for the purchase of the Port Chalmers line.

Mr Reid, answering Mr Reynolds, submitted that the reason advanced by the Government for interfering with the Peninsulaline was a very flimsy one. The company’s not having legal powers did not make the line a bad one. Mr Richardson, after replying to the various criticisms on the Bill, dealt with Otago matters, premising that tho member for Caversham had gone a long way out of his way and couched, with some warmth, upon the action of the Gen- ral Government in reference to the Ocean Beach and Port Chalmers railway. The member for the Taieri had asked what injury the Peninsula railway was doing that the Government should have stopped it. There were two or three reasons. In the first place, he had advised, the Government to interfere, because he had in the Port Chalmers line already seen seme of tho practical results of concessions to a private company. The first thing he saw in looking over the agreement with the company was that they were being given a concession which he valued at L 50,000 to L 60,000, audhe could not see why such a valuable concession should be given—to obtain which would in the-course of time have been a repetition of the L'ort v 'halmers line on perhaps worse terms. That was the main reason for advising his colleagues to interfere with the Peninsula line. He was surprised to hear it said that the Provincial Government had nothing to Jo with the purchase of the Port Chalmers line ; all ho could say was that the Colonial Government was urged by the Superintendent and Executive for months to purchase tho line, and eventually the power was taken from Parliament to do so, and it devolved upon him to go to Dunedin to cany out the negotiations which had been opened by letter and telegram with the company. On‘getting theie he found himself in this position: the company insisted on getting an immediate answer. The matter was then brought down to a question of L 20,000, and the owners of the concern did ever} thing oossible in tnis world to break off the negotiations and raised all sorts of objections to get out of the transaction. He (Mr Richardson) had good reason to know why; he knew they could make better terms than the Government were prepared to offer. It was with the greatest difficulty the transaction was brought to a close, and so far as he understood at the time the Provincial Government was thoroughly satisfied with the terms of purchase. The explanation of the transaction which the member for Caversham had referred to in such severe terms was this: the promoters of the railway said under the terms of their charter they were bound to give possession of this section at Port Chalmers to the 1 man Company for five years for stores, and he had been forced to concede that point after sitting up all night and fighting against it. He denied altogether the assertion of the member for Caversham that the station suffered by the erection of the store. There was plenty of ground to erect station buildings on sufficient for the wants of Port Chalmers for the n-xt ten or fifteen years, and for building six or eight stores similar to the Loan Company’s, which could be worked with as much ease as, if not with treater than that one store. The member for Caversham should make himself better acquainted with facts before he made statements like that he had. For the member for the Taieri’s information he stated that tho newspapers appeared to favorably notice the present Bill. The Kaitaugata Company approved of it, and the only difference between them and the Government was as to what percentage should be paid over the cost of construction if Government determined to take over the line. The company first wanted fifteen per cent., but he thought ten per cent, sufficient and the company gave way. The Utago members who voted against the second reading of the Bill were Messrs Macandrew, Thomson, Stout, and Reid. Yesterday Mr Shepherd presented a petition from the municipality of Cromwell praying for the extension of the central main trunk railway to Roxburgh; one from 118 settlers in the Peninsula in . favor of the construction of the Peninsula Railway (by Mr Stout); from 120 owners of property, &c., in Rodyn road district praying the House to refuse to pass any Bill giving the Corporation of Dunedin power to rate their district (by Mr M‘Glasfian). Mr Stout intends bring before the House a motion affirming the principle in the future that all Crown lands shall be leased, not sold.