The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1879.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5566, 30 January 1879, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1879.

We yesterday called attention to tho fact that it appeared that the railway which, on the 21st December last, had been “ Inaugurated” at tho Thames by Sir Geokob Gret, one of the representatives for that district—Premier and, as he calls himself, the “real Governor” of this Colony—was an entirely new line ; that it had not been authorised to be made by the Parliament, and that no money had been voted for its construction in tho Public Works Appropriation Act. We referred to the official statement of tho Honorable Minister for Public Works, and showed that it was proposed to construct a railway thirty miles in length from Hamilton on the Waikato to the River Thames, at an estimated cost of £168,000, being at the rate of £5600 per mile, and we showed that in the Railways Construction Act authority was sought and obtained for the construction of this line of thiity miles from Waikato to the River Thames. We showed that no authority that we could discover had been asked or obtained for the construction of any other or longer lino in that district, and that the financial provision (£30,000) made in the Public Works Appropriation Act for the railway “ Waikato to the Thames,” must have been intended for expenditure upon that line and upon no other. Now the subject is a very important one ; in it are involved tho questions in whom are the authority over the public purse and the control of the public expenditure vested; in the representatives of the people in Parliament or in Sir George Grey ; whether or not the law which binds the common herd is intended to control the Premier, and whether or not he may officially as Premier, with or without the consent of his colleagues in the Ministry, do that which the local interests of his constituents and his own political interest as their representative may appear to demand at his hands, even to the extent of disposing of the public money or pledging the credit of the Colony for large public works, without reference to the will of the people as it is represented in Parliament, and without the sanction and authority of law. That is the broad issue which is raised by the late “ inau- < * guration ” of the railway from Grahamstown southward along the banks of the navigable River Thames. In addition to the evidence which wo presented yesterday as to the character of this proceeding, we find in the appendix to the Public Works Statement “the “ annual report of railways in the North “ Island, by the engineer-in-charge, Mr. “ Blackett,” from which we quote tho following extract Surveys.—A survey of a proposed railway lino lias been made from the Waikato to the Thames, on which Mr James Stewart reports to the following effect The full length of this Una will bo about 30 miles, commencing at or near the Hamilton railway station, crossing the Waikato a short distance below Hamilton Township, and terminating at a lauding place on the Thames River, at Te Aroha. For the first three or four miles the lino passes ovor good firm, dry land: at four miles the Waikato County Council’s road is struck, and followed to the Swamp Company’s road, at 4 miles 70 chains. This road, and a continuation of it. are followed to 13 miles 45 chains. From thence to 15 miles 60 chains, the line (with the exception of 15 chains whore it skirts tho base of a hiU) pisses through a level swamp of rather drier nature than the first part through which the above roads are ran. A creek is crossed at 16 mUes 70 chains, and tho Piako River at 18 miles 60 chains. At 19 miles 10 chains the great Piako and Waitoa Plain is struck, and left again at 25 miles 35 chains : this plain Is a good swamp, nearly all a clayey or sandy subsoil, and easily drained. , The Waitoa River is crossed between the 24ta ana 05th miles, the Waiharnkeke between the 25th and °6th and tho Piranui at the 27th mile. A saddle is crossed at 26 miles 65 chains; thence the Une passes over good country, rather swampy, but with good hard SU The Omahu landing on tho Thames is at 30 miles4o chains—that Is, half a mile below the point whore the straight part of the line would strike the river; but if tho Une is to be carried on to the Thames Township, Obinemuri, Shortland. and Orahamstown. the crossing should be at 30 miles 16 chains, or tbereabStati’ons will bo required about 41 miles, 0 miles, the description of the line, it may be said that 9i miles are already formed and ditched; about 14 miles require only ditching and forming, and the remainder very ordinary earthworks. All the bridges, with the exception of that over the Waikato, will bo of very easy construction : but that over the Waikato will be very largo and costly. The line will bo tolerably straight from end to esd, with no sharp curves, and with no very steep grades. The total cost of the railway os above described may be estimated approximately at £178.000.

This we take to be conclusive. The line from the Hamilton railway station in Waikato to the Oraahu lauding place near Te Aroha on the Thames River is that which is authorised by Parliament, and no other or longer line in that district is so authorised. The wicked capitalists who have drained the Piako Swamp, and are making millions of blades of grass to grow where not one grew before, appear to have formed some ten or twelve miles of this railway line as one of the conditions of their “ unlawful” enterprise. “ The “ object of this Bill,” said Mr. Macandbew on moving the second reading of the Railways Construction Act, “as “ honorable members must know, is to “ give legal effect to the proposals sub. “ raitted in the Public Works Statement, “ and to enable the Government to go “on with these works.” Tho Waikato to the Thames line, HO miles, is as we have seen one of the proposals.

We have waded wearily and vainly through the dozen columns of rigmarole which form the “ 2sew Zealand Heralds report of the proceedings of the auspicious day at Grahamstown, in the hopes of discovering whether or not the eloquent representative of the Thames had any real knowledge of the actual condition of that railway work which lie had so deftly “ inaugurated” in presence of “an eager “ crowd of gentlemen and ladies,” his constituents. If Sir George Grey knew the facts he certainly managed to conceal them skilfully. We are quite willing to believe, however, that, not being a man of business, he was as ignorant regarding the details of the railway scheme in his district as he showed himself to be before the Committee of the Legislative Council in regard to the Thames Harbor Bill which he himself had introduced in the

House of Representatives. He had a “ vision,” however, some thirty-five years before, from which he may have evolved the authority for turning the first sod, aad “ inaugurating ” the Grahamstown lino, which he related thus:— “ At that time I was perfectly satisfied “ that this district was one of great im- “ portance, I relied upon the belief of “ Captain Cook, formed years be- “ fore, that a great city ultimately “must stand here. (Cheers.) He “ stated that if a great city was to “ arise in New Zealand, he felt perfectly “ certain that no more convenient local- “ ity could bo found for it than tho “ Thames River. That was the opinion “ of' a great navigator. (Cheers.) I “ spent several days in going up tho “ river, and in fancy I saw such a city “ rise and a great settlement established “ here. Early one morning I walked up ‘ ‘ tho Aroha Mountain, and as I looked “ down upon tho valley I spent some time ‘ ‘ musing upon what the future of this valley “ andcountry was to be, and iufancylsaw “ some such scene as I witnessed to-day. “ (Cheers.) I did not imagine that I was “ to take a part in the scene myself, but “ I thoroughly believed that a day of “ greatness was to come for this place. I “ now enjoy the blessing—a blessing not “ often realised in the world—that after “ the lapse of so many years I have been “ permitted to see the visions of com- “ parative youth thus brought vividly as “a fact before me.” There were no “banners waving in the hands of countless “ millions ” on that occasion, but Dr. Kilgour, with the wheel-barrow and the silver spado, was no doubt visible in the long perspective. We do not expect that the Premier will thank us for the information we have now given him, but it is right that he should know, and that the public and his deluded constituents at the Thames should also know, the facts. One hundred and sixty-eight thousand pounds is too large a sum of money to be expended or pledged for a work which is not lawfully authorised and which cannot even be said to be very urgently needed as part of the general railway scheme of the Colony. The Tapauui job was scandalous enough, but we feel sure that Mr. Stout, oven in his wig and gown and with a brief in his hand, could not make a good case for this Grahamstown job.