OTAOO CENTRAL RAILWAY BILL.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 383, 10 July 1889, Page 4

OTAOO CENTRAL RAILWAY BILL.

The Premier moved the second reading of the Bill for the construction of the Obago Central Railway. He said on several occasion this had been a vexed quostion. The principle of granting land for the construction of lines which the colony was not yet in a position to undertake had already boen acknowledged in the cases of the Wellington, Manawatu and Midland Railways. For the Government to carry out fche work would necessitate a, fie&h loan. The House had by a large majority declared that the lino should be constructed at the expense of the land benefited by it, but the Government felt that there was some reason in the objections to setting asido auiiferous lands. It had therefore been decided simply to appropriate part of the rents of the benefited lands to the amount of £15,000 a year. This wasa bum which could prudently be sot apait, and he regretted a larger portion of the lvjnts could not be utilised, and hoped that the revenue would yeb be elastic enough bo mako him do so. The £15,000 was bo be taken out of the unallocated £70,000 in last year's Land Act. By the end of the two yeais there would be £60,000 accumulated to pay off the £90,000 which the first b section was estimabed bo cosb. Ho hoped bhe House would agree to this method of getting over a seriou3 difJiculty, for it the line were cariied on to Eweburn it would give a veiy consideiable return for the £200,000 ot total expenditure, while some 20,000 settlers, would be benefited. The Hon. Mr Ballance thought the Bill infinitely superior to the last year's measuro, and proposed the best means of construction thab could be devised if it was inexpedient to borrow for the purpose. He therefore seconded the second reading. Mr Pyke accei>ted the Bill as a hungry man accepted halt a slice when he could nob get the whole loaf. Dunstan Flab was bhe key to the interior, and until ib was reached the railway would never give the results that the colony was entitled to expect, lie thanked the Premier for his honourable fulfilment of his promise of last year. Mr .7. McKenzie approved, but Dr. Hodgkinson protested against the Bill. Mr Moss conceived it the most objectionable Bill that could be brought befoie the House, and objected to the expenditure of money. There were plenty of obher railways in the colony thab needed" equal assistance, and he instanced Auckland. The people there had agreed bo ha-\e no more borrowed money for railways, bub wanted to have the same rule applied to other districts He objected to £15,000 coming out of the consolidated revenue, and urged that the policy of the Government gave them power over members who wanted grants for their districts. It was again opening up the door of corruption. He did nob object bo the railway, which he thought was needed, but he objected to ib being" singled oub for such exceptional and injurious treatment. It was .corruption of public opinion he objected to, not to corruption of members bhemselves. The 10.30 adjournmenb interrupbed thedebate 3 andibwas adjourned until Tuesday.