RAILWAYS CONSTRUCTION ACT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5521, 6 December 1878, Page 3

RAILWAYS CONSTRUCTION ACT.

The following is the text of the Act aa finally passed by the General Assembly;— Bo it enacted by the General Assembly of Now Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follow's : The Short Title of this Act shall be “ The Railways Construction Act, 1578.” This Act shall bo deemed to bo a special Act authorising the construction or extension of all or any of the railways mentioned in the first schedule hereto, and any railway constructed under this Act shall bo so constructed under and subject to the provisions of Parts L, IL. 111., IV., ami VI. of “The Public Works Act, 1876,” which said parts, together with the provisions of any Act amending the same, are hereby Incorporated with this Act. The Governor may from time to time, in the name and on behalf of her Majesty, contract or enter into arrangements to the extent of the money which may be appropriated from time to time by the General Assembly of New Zealand, with any person for the construction, extension, or maintenance, of all or any portion of the railway mentioned in the first schedule, and for that purpose may do or cause to bo done any of the following things:—(l.) Cause such inquiries, reports, and surveys to bo made, and such acts and proceedings to be done and taken, as may be necessary to determine the best lino and dlrcctipn of such railway. (2 ) Take, purchase, or agree to purchase any land necessary or requisite for the construction or extension of any such railway. Provided always that no contract shall be entered into for the construction of any railway, or any portion thereof, unless—(l.) In the case of each lino to be constructed, fdans and estimates shall be laid before the Governor n Council, with a certificate from the Chief Engineer that the route chosen for the railway is the best available one. (2.) Such plans and estimates bo approved by the Governor in Council. And it is hereby declared that, within thirty days after the commence* ment of the then next session of Parliament, such plans and estimates shall bo laid before both Houses of Parliament, together with a copy of any contract which may have been entered into in respect of the railway to which such plans and estimates refer. The Governor may purchase or agree to purchase or acquire from the native owners any lands deemed necessary for the construction or extension of any railway ment'oned in the first schcculo : and every such purchase or acquisition, or agreement to purchase or acquire any such lands, shall be deemed to be a purchase or acquisition within the meaning of the Government Native Land Purchases Act, 1877. The cost of construction, extension, or maintenance of any of the lines of railway mentioned in the first schedule hereto, or of the purchase or acquisition of any land required for the same, shall bo d frayed out of such moneys at credit of the Public Works Fund ns shall from time to time bo appropriated in that behalf by the General Assembly. The construction of the branch lino of railway mentioned in the first schedule as “Main Lino to Shag Point" shall be contingent upon the cost thereof being defrayed by the “ Shag Point Coal Company. Limitedand such branch lino, when constructed, shall be managed and worked upon such terms and conditions as shall bo agreed upon by the Minister for Public Works and the said company. Out of any Crown lands withdrawn from salo under the provisions of the Land Act, 1877, the Governor may from time to time sot apart lands of special value for salo or disposal under the provisions of the said Act; but no such salo or disposal shall take place until after two months’ notice thereof has been gazetted. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Ellesmere and Forsyth Reclamation and Akaroa RailwayTrust Act, 1876 (hereinafter called “the said Act”), all monies now standing to the credit of the special account required to be kept by tho sixteenth section of the said Act, or that may be standing to tho credit of tho Public Trustee for tho purposes of the said Act, shall be and the same are hereby transferred to tho Public Account. , „ _ ... Tho whole proceeds of tho sale or disposal of the fifty thousand acres of land mentioned in tho said sixteenth section shall, together with all monies transferred under the last preceding section, bo paid into a separate account in the Public Account. The land described in tho second schedule hereto shall be and tho same is hereby declared to bo Crown lands of special value open for sale or disposal as other Crown lands of special value may bo sold or disposed of in tho land district of Canterbury, but tho proceeds of such salo or disposal shall bo pda into tho separate account to bo kept under tho last preceding section. , , . All moneys transferred, paid, or received under the provisions of sections eight, nino, and ten shall bo applied in the construction and maintenance of a lino of railway to Little River, and thence to Akaroa. from tho main lino from Amberlcy to Waitakl, or from n branch of tho said lino; and.tho Colonial Treasurer may from time to time cause all or any part of such moneys to bo issued and appl cd accordingly. Fmsr Schedule.— North Island — Wellington to Foxton by West Coast, Waitotara Klvor to Upper Patoa Crossing, To Awamutu to Now Plymouth, Mastorton to Papatu (via WoodvIUo), Waikato to tho Thames, branch lino to Hamilton, Helonsvillo to Kaukapakapa River, Whangarei to Kamo; Middle Island.—Otago central —Duuccbu to Albert Town (Lake \Vanaka), Amberloy to Bmnnerton, Otoymonth to Hokitika, Canterbury interior main lino—Oxford to Tomuka. main line to Upper AsUburton, Opawa branch extension, ‘Waipabi to Iloriot Burn, iidondalo to Toitois, Otautau to Nightcaps, Clutlia to Catiln'a Ilivor, Walraea to Switzers, Lumsden to Mararoa, Palmerston to Waihcrao, Oatnaru to Livingston, main lino to Shag Point, Amberloy to Cook Strait; lino of railway to Littlo Kivor, and thonco to Akaroa, from tho main line from Amberloy to IVaitaki, or from a branch of tho said lino.

Second Schedule 1b a description of land reserved for tiw Little Elver railway,