The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1886. THE EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1692, 24 April 1886, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1886. THE EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY.

After all the wrangling m and out of Parliament anent the East } and West Coast Railway scheme, it would seem chat there is a probabil- ! ity of that undertaking beinjf ultimately carried into (effect by a powerful syndicate formed at Home. There can be no doubt that nothing would have have justified Parliament m sanctioning the work. The preponderance of evidence was to the effect that the proposal was not practicable except at an enormous outlay, and that when completed the probability of the line paying even working expenses was exceedingly remote. By the terms of the new contract it would appear that ro money payment is to be made by the colony. In the MEiGGsproposal, about which so much party spirit was evinced during last session,when it was under discussion, the sum of nearly £ 100,000 sterling would have to be guaranteed by the Colony, for an indefinite period of years, besides a very large grant of land; and yet members of the Ministry and Legislature could be found to warmly support this outrageous scheme, and tofibetray the bitterest animosity, and Keenest disappointment, because a majority m the House successfully opposed the project. We learn from the New Zealand Times that waste land to the value of half the cost of the work will be granted, and a powerful and enterprising syndicate, such as the contracting body is represented to be, is tolerably certain to do a great deal toward settling that land, even while building the railway that is to open it. Our Wellington contemporary further anticipates that much public benefit will accrue from this opening up and settlement of country which is of no practical value until traversed by rail, and expects that the whole colony must needs reap beneficial results therefrom. One advantageous result it is thought will be that if the work is undertaken by the syndicate, that fact will remoye to a great extent the obstruction of a powerful section m the House who had bound . themselves together to oppose the undertaking of any new public works until the East and West Coast Railway was m a fair way of becoming un fait accompli. In such case, the early construction of the Gorge Line should not much longer remain the remote contingency it now ap- | pears to be, as the opposition of the Canterbury members being withdrawn, the Government might reasonably expect to be able to prosecute many public works, which under existing conditions they scarcely . dare bring before the House. We must say, however, we have serions misgivings of the existence of the syndicate for the purpose stated. We trust we are entirely astray m our surmises, but we cannot disabuse our mind of the impression that there are grave reasons to anticipate some hitch occurring m the final arrangements. Possibly, we regard all these rumors emanating from, or having any director indirect connexion with,the great prestidigitator, Sir Julius Yogel, with too much doubt and suspicion. We shall only be too pleased to find that we are entirely on the wrong tack, and that our misgivings and apprehensions may prove to be altogether groundless. We still must confess that, at the time of writing, "we hae oor m (taatg " nfeout the matter,