WEST COAST RAILWAY. Wellington, July 21.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 112, 25 July 1885, Page 4

WEST COAST RAILWAY. Wellington, July 21.

The rumours that the Canterbury-West-land railway job have ousted all other matters of gossip from the lobbies this morning, and already I can see that feeling will run high over this matter, and that the present party lines will be demolished. The following is a carefully-prepared estimate of the cost of the work to the colony that has been prepared, and all tho money comes out of the Colonial Exchequer : -Cost of works, £3,880,000 ; guarantee of £97,000 for twenty years, £1,940,000; compound of interest on guarantee of 4 per cent., £1,154,000 ; value of land on East and West Coast route, £750,000; ditto on Nelson line, £500,000; lost on working expenses, £251,600 : total, €7,437,009. You will thus see that the amount required forthis political job is sufficient to construct the North Island main trunk line, finish the Otago Central, and perform other works that would be remunerative to the Colony. Mr Dargaville for one ha 3 been driven into Opposition in consequence of the job. He has addressed the following letter to Mr Stout:— "Dear Sir,— l regret to have to inform you that the financial proposals made by the Government to the House, from time to time, this session, but especially those in connection with the proposed construction of the East and West Coast Railway are of such a nature that I am compelled to go into Opposition. I shall continue to esteem you an honourable and high minded statesman, but I cannot help thinking that lately you have subjected your judgment to that of one or more of your colleagues." It is likely that Otago and Auckland members will unite en masse against the Government proposals. To Mr Dargaville's letter the Premier has replied: "I am in receipt of your letter, and regret you do not approve of our financial proposals. Ad to the East and West Coast Railway, the colony is pledged to the construction of these lines of communication, and the question we have to consider is, what is the mode that can be adopted that will cost the least responsibility on the colony. Thanking you for your past support.— R. Stout." Thk East and West Coast railway is strongly denounced by the New Zealand "Times," which says:— "The proposal is so astounding in its unblushing effrontery, its reckless extravagance, its barefaced disregard of all common prudence, that the difficulty is to deal with it seriously at all. So monstrous and indefensible a scheme haB never yet been offered the New Zealand Parliament, andit is impoßßible to denounceit in too strong language. It may of coursebe taken for granted that there is another side to the arrangements,' namely, that in return for such concessions members for the districts interested shall give the Government a block vote during the remainder of the session. It this really bo so, then we say without hesitation that a more scandalous and unhallowed compact has nerer disgraoed representative institutions."

Faith is sometimes personified as a drenched female clinging to a sea-wafched rock ; but a better personification would be a baldhea^ed man buying a bottle of patent hair restorer T