Untitled

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 355, 11 September 1878, Page 2

In Ins Public Works Statement, Mr Macandrew referred to the Tapanui to Waiphi Railway, contracts for construction of a portion of which had been let on the strength of the expected proceeds of sale of 4,000 acres of land, to be set aside and sold on completion of the contract. The success attending the experiment, was urged by Mr Macandrew

as u worth any number of arguments to show how wc might, to a great extent, construct our railways without increasing the amount of our public debt, or add to the annual burden in respect thereof.” The N.Z. Times gives a history of'the case, from which it appears that though the House agreed that a petition should bo presented to the Governor, praying that £50,000 worth, ot land should _be set aside for the purpose ot constructing the railway named, that there was no record of such assent having been given. Without the. authority of Parliament, it was not lawful to enter into any agreement to construct the line. Yet, said line is now approaching completion, and anotucr ten miles will likely be let on similar conditions. The railway happens to be in Otago, and is only an illustration of bow the Public Works Minister will stretch a point to serve bis own part ol the Colony. His action towards Paten, in deducting 15 per cent, from the County Land Fund lor railway purposes, is another evidence of unscrupulousucss, and shows bow far he will go to crush the weak or rile a foe. Major Atkinson, in his speech on the Land Tax Bill, so interprets the action, in the following words, when objecting that provision had not been made for main roads and local public works, without which the County system and railway system must fail : “Ho (Major Atkinson) also objected strongly to the seizing of 15 per cent, of the Patea land fund as unfair, and only explicable by the fact that he was the representative of that constituency. ’