THE AUCKLAND RATS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 87, 29 October 1879, Page 2

THE AUCKLAND RATS.

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. ■ Although we are heartily glad that the deadlock has been at. last ended, we are not prepared either to, welcome Mr. Wood as »; patriot, or to execrate him, as a traitor, It appears that he and his. following offered these terms to the. Hall. 'Government \— They demanded; ■^-first, tha.t the Liberal measures tnen- ' tioned m the Speech from the Throne; should be carried, $ secondly, that the. existing system' of education'should'hoibe disturbed ; anS, thirdly that a return, should be prepared showing the amount of publicmoney spent within the several provincial districts of the colony, and that if' it appeared from t«,e return/ " that the Auckland province had ceived less than its fair sha^e^ the" Go- v should undertake; to make, good the deficiency w,t of the new tyan. ' ;'. " ' '■< i '^-.--; '- : \ f At first sight, i$ n^ust be admitted that the agreement hajs'erery ■appearianee of f,airn?ss. The to be, 'adopted, \u estimating the claims of particular jfrov^ciaj districts, ; waß. •stated to be according to the populationand the revenue, derived from them. Ifthe only questions m the expenditure of.loan money on public works Were the--equal apportionment of that eiyenditare..;we7should haye nothing further to 5 Say i: l? *but we rcia^ntain tha.t it isf not. Thfcr Government of the day ha.s tp- consider, not only the first outlay of the bpyrowedj ■ ea'piial, but alsfx itlie nis(t^. ic>f 'the &-,-(<•• vestment. They ha^ve' to Consider, !i% factj tw;o poiiit&— first of all,; frad that v -district 'a clkim for such expenditure p^ a^d}secondl|^ll it j^y? - jpoiAt seen^'tb bSen feist s,ighti dJF^ •. V7e' have a; 'strong suspicioiif thsjb '• the! : Auckland people .'would beMrery.'SoriHr. ' : "to m>it"i' good- th(e den-i. ■eietiey of interest dvS 1 on Ic^ya; money. fexplßnded; oh public works within that prbirincej-^hich' has at present- to be.' : paid by the. colony,; because th.e: ; net pro- t fit derived from, the Auckland railways. ;oxesa,nd abjave forking "expenses it^ ex-.-'peeoinglgr snia.ll. / :We thatthft. ; fetiirn aslsed for willbe ihcpmplete,uii-/ ! less it also siiby^s bi^Men'o^intie'res^ iimposed hppn the c'olon^'H^ respejct'?t6C = th'e EubH^ Works expenditure^^iin eacb^^ Province; We' have ne'f ji y asaur^d 'tha^.- : . public money invented m; Auckland 'rail■ways? only, returns from Fto 2;p'eicentii and that m Otago and Can.teVbu.ry it. rtturhs %bout 4 per cent. If this be so; : (and the the "SGyctzette con\ ; firm the= statement), theji ; it y^ould apk ■ pear th^tVa, small, Bublic Worksl ex,^en- t jditure-in Auckland implies, as great ai^ iaddi^ioijk tOj the^ public .': burdens as # «\ ;i.mu\ub\ larger capital ex^eni^ture in^ |the Spu,thv-- : /.r ': " | It cannot; be. tso of ten rep^ed), ; or, too clearlyj s t ated, that the *w,ho}e i ujtur«c :of^ .the. colony, depends' lipoii the com-^ -tnercial spundness" of Ihe' investments/ | majde wjth borrowed capital an, unprb-. political, railway, either m Auck- t Hand, or anywhere else will never be. ajiyihiog out a ", white elephant " of the^. most expensive descript^jnV; ; GJheiterma. come, to with the Auckland party may; : i proxe. to pbs exorßita'ht,' if -this '■-. phase. . ! of th,e \u^si$,Qß, is npt .car'^fiUl^. <^>psU , "dered. j : . .. - ' ■ Although Mr.. B, Wooi>, m his first; speech | v prof essedito'be m doubt M^hetheft. • Auckland had or. had " not receired; its fair share of pub^c. expenditure in^ the past, yet it "Afterwards; ' '■■ appeared, that he had liimself expressed ah opiu-, ion m the lobbies <>that a^ balance; of >, nearly^ halt a, million, sterling 'would, be, found to berdu,^. If tb^s, opinion should be confirmed, arid the genfirajyiy unpro-' fitabje ; nature of thei public wocis «-.';' pc hditure m the * Auckland' !^j^tmt can ;be also- proved, then" it that the Goverkment may hare inad-. yejlently {promiseil to make a , Tery^^ge. 'addition to th,e urtprbfijiiabje railwayg; and consequently to 1 the thel -c-plony, m prd^er tp,.§xtricate Aem^elves, 'aad the^cpip^ny frbih %%&. deadlock. 'It may be wett to" explain thsit,\in^e*kH»JsL of the prfits to be derived from the ex-; penditure, on pubiip works, we are quite psppared tW take both direct and indirect profits intft w>»siiieration,[ and m certain c_a.sest to advocate, the for-J mation of a' railway through an un-. : settled district, if.it can "be shown that ; the land to be opened up is really fej> tile, easily worked agricultural, h»nd belonging to the .^rownvwhjtch.iis-certainly ■ | able to-support a large population- ■■' '-'[ ' :" It it unfortunately true that thai, agreement entered, into between the. Government and ih.e ; Auckland^ party^ yesterday, hajs'b'een accepted by a. largev ' number of men of both^parties as the. price paid :fpjf sicl many jbe-, lieveitha,t Mr. Hall is- quitei incapable iof agreeing, to any proposals which are; fnot aypajr^ntly both fair and equitable. • But atf accession of B,£r^n'gth, by which" votes coupled?) wi% conditions are secured, is sure to.encourrtge the already I too present belief that ot€ ? ma y vf>. >; bought andj pajjd for.. About the House, Hast night nothing, tajLkedj of but ; the half-jnillipii. siipposed; to ; have been. ?paid; for the Aueklajad support ; an<3j . . ; although, it may u^timatel*;. 'appear that' sucn sum iVdue or wilfeter bepai^ ; we cannot but regret that any. puch de-^ . :mands should have' been "majtle " or ac-. i ceded "to.-—Ne w Zeaiond-Ilme*.