MR JOHNSTON ON HTE RAILWAY COMMISSION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 102, 17 August 1880, Page 2

MR JOHNSTON ON HTE RAILWAY COMMISSION.

la the House of Bepresentatives on Friday last, a discussion took place on the Railway Commission report, during which Mr Johnston spoke on the question before the House. He said he was opposed to the report of the Commissioners, and described to the House what steps they had taken in connection with the Wellington and Foxton railway. With regard to the merits of the case, that they had never attempted to arrive at. They had been asked by Mr Wright that afternoon what right had Wellington to two railways ? and he would ask, then, in his turn, what right the Commissioners had to judge of the action of that House? If he had spoken as a member of the Commission, the House could at once see how it was that they arrived at their conclusions. They had been told by Mr Oliver last session that the Ministry would consider during the recess how they would spend the two million loan. In the meantime they had cancelled the contract for the railway in question on the score of poverty, yet they had gone to that House and asked for the sum of £400,000 to acquire private railways in the South Island. In October last, the Treasurer told the House that there were liabilities which must be met, amounting to two millions of pounds, so that they would have three millions of money absolutely unfettered. And yet, last evening the same gentleman told them that the only balance in hand was £820,000; so that two millions of money had been tacked on to the expenditure since last October. He had looked to the Public Work* Statement to see where the money was gone, bni he could not find it there. He hoped the Minister -ofPublic Works would yet tell the House how much had been spent on railways in excess of votes since last December, and also how the balance of the loan was to go. Btit of the large amount of money spent very little had been spent in this part of the colony. £40,000 had been put on the Estimate? for the W«llin|fr>n

andFoxtonßailway, but only £2&\00( had been spent, and nothing lurthe] was asked, whilst only during th< present week they had dismissed th< very last, man employed upon tin works, which had consequently come standstill. There could be nc doubt that the Government wen r treating; this part of the country with a good deal of unfairness.