THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Kumara Times, Issue 3071, 6 September 1886, Page 2

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

MR. ROBINSON INTERVIEWED. THE FIRST CONTRACT. THE LABOUR QUESTION. The Wellington Evening Press publiahes some interesting notes of an interview with Mr Robinson, one of the Midland Railway contractors, which are as follow ; In reply to queries, Mr Robinson s f aled that the difficulties attending the formation of the line had not exceeded his expectations, but that he had found the route more heavily wooded than was anticipated. Undoubtedly it would be a work‘of considerable magnitude, and in parts it presented very formidable difficulties to be overcome, but equally without doubt it was a work that the colony “ should give its eyes” to have brought to a satisfactory completion. When this was so the line must successfully compete with water carriage; but it could not be looked for to be remunerative for a considerable time. Not the least of the difficulties to be faced were the local jealousies at the various starting points and the question of the rates to be paid for labor on the line. “It is monstrous,” said Mr Robinson “to suppose that the high rate of wages now ruling on the West Coast should continue, but it is difficult to make the laboring class understand that a high rate of wages simply means a high rate of living and everything else. The process will be gradual, but the rate of wages will have to he lowered if the undertaking is to be a paying one.” From this it must be gathered that the intention of the contractors is to get their work done at a uniformly lower scale for labor than now prevails, hut no mention was made of any intention to employ coolie labor as has been rumoured. Mr Robinson gave it as bis opinion that the line would be the means of opening up valuable auriferous and mineral country as we 1 as a very large quantity of fine land for settlement. But be said those who went in for settling along the route would have to be in the position of being able to wait for some considerable time for adequate returns from the land, as a tremendous quantity of labor in clearing, <fcc., would have to be expended before it could be put in farming condition. Settlers on the land would therefore, he considered, have either to be of the small capitalist class, or else the Company would have to grant special conditions, with pecuniary assistance on very easy terms. The greater part of the timber along the line he did not regard as a very valuable assistance, as the inferior kinds predominated. The land was undoubtedly a valuable asset, but one that would prove troublesome and expensive before its true value was realised. As to whether the Company would carry the work through, ho could merely say that the undertaking was of such a nature that its progress could only be giadual; but that he believed the line would be made throughout, though by whom he did not know. His firm had contracted for some sixty-five miles only, in two contracts, one alone of which had been signed as yet, as far as be knew, but, of course, the report that he was now going home to make was being awaited. Mr Robinson did not favour the line being constructed simultaneously from the extreme points—Springfield on the one hand, and Nelson on the other; just to run a few miles into the back country, and then stop short. Such a course, he thought, would be of no benefit to either Christchurch or Nelson, and naturally none whatever to the West Coast. What he was understood to imply was that sections of the line should he made first, which would bring certain points into communication having immediate beneficial results to the localities concerned. The formation of the line would be almost entirely on the Government plans, but he could give no idea as to any probable date when the work would be commenced. The preliminaries, such as the organising of a staff for getting the material out, and the various questions concerning the acquisition of private property would in themselves take a considerable time. The first contract is from Brunuerton to the head of the Teremakau. This is to be immediately commenced, under the direction of Mr Burgen, engineer to the contractors, and, of course, under the supervision of Mr Napier Bell, the Engineer to the Company. The same contractors are it is understood, likely to take up at once a further contract, extending from Brunuerton to Reefton, thus the line will be commenced towards Christchurch in one direction, and towards Nelson in another.