The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 1885. THE GORGE RAILWAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1466, 28 September 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 1885. THE GORGE RAILWAY.

Under the heading of" Popular Errors V the Post points out that considerable mispaprehension appears to exist regarding the effect of the Railways Authorisation Act m relation to the Manawatu Gorge line. It goes on to say that some of its country contemporaries appear to imagine that it will provide for the construction of the railway. . Unfortunately this is not the case. It only authorises the construction "out of moneys appropriated for that purpose by the General As sembly * of a railway line " from Palmerston North by way of the Manawatu Gorge to Woqdville.* The Genera Assembly not having appropriated any moneys for this line, its mere authorisation really means nothing. The reduced vote which was taken of L 46,600 for the line " Napier, Woodville, ami Palmerston North " was only tiie amount estimated as required to complete the current contract foi the Ttiniak'i section, 13 miles 43 chains, which brings the Napier| railway to within H miles from Woodville, and perhaps to extend the line to that point. The which was struck off the original sum asked for was intended for the Gorge line proper. Another misapprehension which exists very extensively is that the House has voted upwards of two millions for expenditure this year on public works. The -Po^had previously alluded to this and shown that the House has done no such thing. The votes, although nominally amounting to that total, cover the liabilities on all existing contracts, and some of these have two or more years yet to run before completion. Including the heavy cost °of defence material ordered from Home, the public works expenditure for the year will not, Mr TCicHAitnsoN expressly stated, exceed i? 1,250,000, that is up to the 31st March next, and out of this i? 2 12,000 has been actually expended during the first four months of the year. It will thus be seen that the idea of upwards of two millions being expended on public works m the colony this year is entirely fallacious.