WELLINGTON NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 365, 15 March 1902, Page 2

WELLINGTON NEWS.

A TROOPSHIP, (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, iast night. The troopship Devon, which conveys the North Island Battalion of the Ninth Contingent to Durban, arrived this evening from Sydney. TENTH CONTINGENT. Messrs Wilford, Field, and Atkinson approve of the Tenth Contingent being despatched from the colony, MANA WATU RAILWAY, The Minister for Public Works, interviewed to-day concerning the breakdown of the negotiations for the purchase of the Manawatu Railway, made the position clear as between the company and the Government. “ The point which the company now I makes,” said Mr Hall-Jones, “ appears to he th:s ; Shares are £5 cacti, of which only LI is paid up, and their idea is that even - if Government purchase the line, subscribers will still lw liable for the uncalled capital, namely, L-l per.share. The question then arises for what purpose will the uncalled capital he required when once the company is wound up in terms of subsection 13 of the Act of last year ? The only possible liability is for debentures which the Act of last session provides ( shall he a charge on the public revenue of the colony, and together with interest thereon computed from the date of purchase, shall he payable out of the consolidated fund without further appropriation than by the Act. Mr HallJones added that he did not sec any ground for supposing that there was any omission from the Act beyond what could be provided for within the terms of its provisions in any agreement that might he entered into. He had not consulted the legal advisers of the Government on this point, but it appeared to him that there was no necessity for further legislation.