PARLIAMENTARY

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 24, 6 August 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

[PBB UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, August 4. EAST AND WEST COAST BATLWAT. The debate on the Native Lands Disposition Bill was adjourned to enable Sir Julius Yogel to move the foll lowing motion : — That a select committee be appointed to consider the question of the construction of the . East and West Coast and Nelson railway, and to make recommendations regarding the same with power to call ; for persons and powers ; three to form ' a quorum, and to report in ten days. • The committee to consist of the Hon. : Major Atkinson, Cowan, Fraser, Garrick, Hursthouse, Macandrew, Menteath, Mitchelson, Steward, and the mover. Sir Julius Yogel asked members to consider the question free from impressions left on their mind by re- .J- --' ports and representations which had 0 been industriously circulated the last C.. three weeks. Be detailed the circum- f stances under which Government were authorised tp arrange fortheconstruc- ■ tion. No time had been lost in '■ endeavouring to arrange for the con- . I struction, and he eulogised the delegates ' sent Home, saying no more honourable gentlemen that those could he found. When the Government learned that 4 guarantee of £97,000 was required, they decided not to ask the colony for the money, but burden the districts i interested. There was great eagerness : in the districts of Canterbury, Nelson, - and Westland for the railway, and > those districts were willing to incur the necessary taxation. When thej r considered what vast country the line 1 would open up, honourable members k must see that tiie opposition given hy . r other district's to the construction was . done on short-sighted consideration. » He went into the cost of construction : • at some length, which he estimated at - £3,130,000. ' He estimated the traffic ' so that a profit of £33,798 would be 1 made, while an indirect profit would also be made, so that the Publio Works Department's estimated profit r of £59,548 would result. He hoped that the House would agree to refer the question to the committee, and that \ all feeling would be abandoned except a feeling of fair consideration. Sir George Grey said the quatitity . bf land to be given to the? company constructing the line would be two and l# a half million acres, besides Winch the i colony wouldhave to guarantee £97,000 1 for a period of twenty yean. :The effect f of giving work to a foreign company J was that they would introduce to IJew * Zealand a large foreign staff, which would throw out of employment Hie vast engineering talent now in the co- . iony, and a second effect would be to take work out of the hands of colonial . contractors who were well acquainted 9 with the countiy. It was a mistake to r say that the railway would net be a beneficial one, and he was sure it would ? give instantaneous advantages to New " Zealand, but he strongly objected alr together to any land or guarantee _ being given to a foreign company. ~ Mr Sutter said it would have been much more satisfactory if the Trea- . surer had told the House how he are rived at his estimate of traffic— what f was the estimated number of passenI gers and amount of goods traffic. Tke Treasurer seemed to think that Christchurch was the centre of tiie universe. The Minister for Public Works said the line would pay uncommonly welL A multitude of estimates had been s made of the cost of this work, and the ' average estimate was £1,776,500 for the construction of the line from Spring- ( field to Brunnerton, and. £1,362,500 , from Brunnerton to Nelson.. It would i take the colony ten years to carry ou' t the whole work. .Mr Dargaville vigorously opposed F the proposal, and asked the Government to state that the proposed letting ■ of the contract to Messrs Meiggs should ' be left out of the Committee's consideration. Mr Pyke said the time had gone by when members could be cajoled or bribed. The Speaker called Mr Fyke to order, and tiie expression "bribed" was withdrawn. Mr Pyke withdrew the word, and substituted for it "induced.? He asked whe was to share in the item underwriting? Mr Holmes rose to a point of order. The hon gentleman was insinuating that the Government would participate in what he had just called a bribe. Mr Fisher opposed the proposal, and regretted that tiie House had already determined the way in which the railway was to be constructed. As a Wellington member, he wished to say that his views were not in any way hampered by the fear that the seat of Government might be taken trom. Wellington. If he had been a Minister he would have placed this proposal on the table with a pair of tonga. If the proposal to construct the work was.sUch a good one, why did not the Government bring it before the House as they had promised to do ? He did not believe in the bona fides of the proposal; it contained a flavour about it which ought to ensure its rejection by the House. Mr W. D. Stewart considered the proposal an outrage on the »rtte-lig»hqe of the House. Mr W. G. Smith did not think it was altogether a fair Committee* Qfeltf , were too many southern members qi_!y and he should propose to add to Ike names thoee ef Afessn T. ThompsOtt and Locke. To refuse tile oem_iusM would be to act unjustly towards the Canterbury and the other districts affected. Mr Holmes contended that the railway was necessary, and that if it were : not constructed many able-bodied men j would have to leave the colony. He ! held that the people of Auokland were 'bound to give the southern members ! fair consideration, as the southern members had given them when the San Francisco mail proposals were before the House. The grounds upon which this committee was asked for were that it had be*n shown that the

railway would be of great benefit, both to the laboring population of the colony and to. the South Island; and that the line would be a paying one. The motion for the appointment of a committee was then put, and lost on a division by 34 to 27. Augusts. NATIVE LANDS BILL. W. ._? . Buckland opposed the bill, and hoped the House would not agree to it. . Mr. Beetham objected to the bill, as it would practically stop the sale of native lands in the North Island. He preferred pre-emptive right to a measure Of this kind. He hoped tiie question would not be made a party one. Mr Ress would vote for the second reading. Mr Bruce supported the individualisation bf title, and would oppose the biliv y Mr Baliance in reply, objected to individualisation of title, which "^voiild lead to enormous expense. • He denied the statements attributed to him regarding the taxation of native lands. Mr Moss withdrew his amendment referring the question to a Royal commission. The second .reading was carried on division by 35 to 14. The House rose at 1.10 a,m.