The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5500, 12 November 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1878.

A month ago, in our issue o£ October 14th, we reprinted the Railways Construction Bill in the grand and simple form in which it was brought into the House of Representatives by the Hon. Minister for Public Works, Mr. Macandrew. It purported then to have the character of a “ special Act,” within the meaning of the Public Works Act, 1876 ; that is to say, it authorised, once for all and finally, the construction of all the lines mentioned in its schedule. It was at the same time an Appropriation Act, and provided absolutely for the expenditure of six million three hundred and eighty-four thousand pounds of the public money upon the works so authorised. It provided tor the sale of lands which might be set apart as reserves for railway purposes, and, amongst other new and striking provisions, it proposed to enact that the Governor might, on behalf of her Majesty, “contract that “ any of the said railways shall be constructed and maintained, or extended “ and maintained, upon the terms that no “ moneys shall be paid or payable in ro- “ spect thereof until the whole of the “ works connected therewith have been “ fully completed in accordance with “ such contract.” This was the happy invention which enabled Messrs. Proudioot and McKay to render service to the Colony by constructing tbo Tapanui railway for £61,500, on deferred payment, without the authority or consent of Parliament. It was found to answer the purposes of certain persons so completely that the extension of the principle to all public works to which it could be made applicable seemed quite the right thing to Sir Gbokob Grey’s Government. Guileless Mr. Macandrbw, who only wants to get things done and under way “don’t you know,” and who, from his experience of the great public spirit of the eminent Otago contractor, and of the many advantages which the Southern Provincial District had derived therefrom iu the past, must have felt that it would be really a good thing if all tho public works could bo done upon tho Tapanui model, and if competition for contracts would he limited to those persons who had millions in capital or credit, and who could wait for their whole payment for three and six months after their contracts wore completed. Her Majesty and Mr. Pkoudfoot ■were thus proposed to bo joined together, per Mr. Macandrbw, in the great and good work of opening the country and promoting the growth of “cereals.” The representatives of the people were not able to take so sanguine a view of the advantages of the proposed scheme as Mr. Macandrbw did, and the Government were given very broadly and

plainly to understand that tho House would not listen to such a policy as theirs for a moment. Then the Ministers “ ’umbly ” said, if hon. members did not like their principles, as exhibited in their Bill, they would alter them in deference to tho views of their friends ; and accordingly they did alter them prudently. Wo reprint to-day the Act as it was finally passed, and again, for tho purpose of comparison, the Bill as originally introduced. Tho resemblance between tho two is that the clauses 2,4, 6, as they stand in the Act as passed, wore in tho original Bill | the difference is that the money for all the works is not appropriated en bloc, ami that tho expenditure is to bo limited by tho annual appropriation for each work. The Tapimui job arrangement, and tho general power of making contracts on the deferred payment system, are eliminated, and the responsibility of making the branch railway from the main line to the Little River in Canterbury is imposed upon the Government, instead of being left to the Trust proposed to be created by the Ellesmere and Forsyth Reclamation and Akaroa Railway Trust Act, 1876. The following are the appropriations for the expenditure of the current year for the lines in the schedule, as provided by tho Immigration and Public Works

The total, £399,000, is moderate beside the 6J millions first impudently asked for. The railway from Waikato to Taranaki will not be made this year after all. In the Legislative Council objection was taken to the unusual form of the Bill, and several alterations were made in committee, which did not meet the approval of the Government, and were not agreed to by the House. Upon conference between the Houses, however, it was arranged that tho Council should not insist upon its amendment, on condition that a proviso to clause 3 should be added, which required that no contract for any of the works shall be entered into until the plans .and estimates shall be laid before the Govemor-in-Council and approved, and that no such approval can be given without the certificate of the Engi-neer-in-Chief that the route to be chosen for the particular railway is the best available one. Ic is also provided that the plans and estimates and copies of the contract must be laid before Parliament within thirty days after the commencement of the next session. There is reason to believe that Sir George Grey hoped that the Legislative Council might be provoked to reject this Bill, and it is due to the better sense of his own colleagues, and to the moderation of the members of the Council, that his silly and mischievous desire to have “a fight” with the Upper H...U00 in crJm to mini his forced retreat was frustrated. On this point, and on the provoking “tack” in clause 17 of the Immigration and Public Works Appropriation Act, we shall have something to say hereafter.

Appropriation Act : — & i. d. Wellington to Foxton. by West Coast.. 15,000 0 0 Wai otara River to Upper Patca Cross40,000 0 0 To Awamutu to New Plymouth 12,100 a 0 Mastcrtou to Papatu via Woodville .. 16,000 0 0 Waikato to the Thames 30.000 0 0 Branch Lin<’to Hamilton .. .. 2,000 0 0 Helensville to XCaukapakapa River .. 2.000 0 0 Wangarei to Kamo Otago Central—Dunedin to Albert Town, Lake Wanaka 55.000 0 0 Amberloy to iimnnerlon 30.000 0 0 Grevmouth to Hokitika ... 16,000 0 0 Canterbury Interior Main Lino, Oxford 15,000 0 0 Main Lino to Upper Ashburton 10,000 10,000 0 0 Onawa Branch Extension 0 0 VMpaUl to Herlot Burn .. .. 6,000 0 0 Kdemlale to Toitois 30,000 0 0 Otautau to Nightcaps 5,000 0 0 Glutha to Gatlin's River .. 5,000 0 0 Waimea to Switzers 5,000 0 0 Lumsden to viararoa 5,000 0 0 Palmerston to Waihemo 6.000 0 0 Oamaru to Livingston 5.000 0 0 Main Line to Shag Point 8,000 0 0 Amberley to Cook Strait 60,000 Little River and Akaroa 80,000 0 0