The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1889. OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1918, 18 July 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1889. OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY.

There is every probability of the Otago Central Railway Bill meeting with opposition. The proposal made in that Bill is to supplement an amount of £15,000 by rents from pastoral leases to the amount of £15,000 per annum until the line is completed. This proposal met with great favor in the beginning, but now the northern members want to have railways built exactly on similar principles. The blood of the north is up, and, as heretofore, everyone wapts a railway to his own door. Last Tuesday evening Mr W. C. Smith asked whether the Government would construct a railway from Woodville to Ekatahuna on the same terms. The Premier said “No; not on any account,” and this brought to his feet the redoubtable Dr Newman, who lashed right and left at .the Otago Central, and held the one the Premier would not make would prove more profitable. This has awakened the old provincial jealousies. Why should Otago get this while other parts are getting nothing? The result may prove disastrous to the Otago Central Bill, and Mr Pyke’s passport to a ' happier world will thus be jeopardised. Not only in the north but also in the south the same hunger for railways Is developing itself. Mr Ward is going to demand of the Premier to make the Seaward Bush railway, in Southland, on the same principle, and thus from all quarters the cry is now raised for railways. Apparently there is no hope of crushing out this desire for railways until every man in the colony has a special line all to himself. In order to satisfy all demands it would be necessary to borrow £10,000,000, and next day it would be necessary to file.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tjie Attorney-General has introduced his Bill to reform the Upper House. Sir Frederick Whitaker deserves credit for this. He has always beep in favor of reform in that chamber, ap4 several years ago ne 2?uxde a similar attempt- We havp in a previous issue explained the provisions of the Bill, i2d it M unnecessary to repeat them, more as we believe it will not pass. We are told that the Council is ipost determined to allow of no reform whatsoever, and if this is so it will after next election have a power more despotic than the Czar of Russia. At present the Government can appoint new members whenever they find it impossible to carry their measures. In this way the Government can alwavs control the Council, but by the Act reducing the number of

members of the Lower House it is provided that the number of members of tha Council shall be half that of the Lower House. Henceforward . the Government will have no power to appoint new members until the number of Councillors falls below half the number of members of the Lower Chamber, aacl thus the Council will be answerable to no influence on He earth. It will be a thousand times more autocratic than the House of Lords in England, and we are afraid it will exercise its functions in a manner that will ultimately drive the people to rebellion. We are astonished at Sir George Whitmore opposing reform. He has always been a thorough-going generous Liberal, and it is now astonishing to us to find him opposing such a measure as this.

THE REPRESENTATION BILL. The new Representation Bill consists of three clauses, and provides for giving a quota of 25 per cent, to country districts ostensibly, but in reality it provides a quota of 33£ per cent. That shrewd and able member, Mr W. P. Reeves, detected this. When Mr Hislop was speaking on it he said the quota was 25 per cent., but Mr Reeves at once directed his attention to the fact that when calculated out it really meant 83| per cent. Thus only for the shrewdness of Mr Reeves the Government would have slipped this in surreptitiously. After having been found out Mr Hislop admitted the correctness of Mr Reeves’ contention. Still the country members insist on this, and what the ultimate result will be is uncertain. One of the provisions of the Bill is to amalgamate city electorates, and Mr Reeves has calculated that the result of this will be that Christchurch and suburbs, which now have six members, will after the passing of the Bill get only three members. This is terribly unfair j it is simply monstrous, but every proposal the Government has made bears the same stamp upon it.