HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3630, 14 August 1880, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Friday.

The House met at 2.30. THE BAILWAY COMMIBSIONEBS' BEPOBT-

LOCAL LINES.

The question on the Order Paper, post* poned at the instigation of the Government, the adjourned debate on the motion that the report by the Commissioners on Railways was detrimental to the best interests of the colony, was resumed by Mr Wright. Referring to the Central Line, and the attack made by Mr Fyke on the Commissioners in connection with their recommendations re the work, he said the Commission was disappointed in finding how very little the interior of that Provincial district had to justify railway construction. The estimated cost of the work was £1,000,000, but from what be knew of the country he apprehended £1,500,000 would be nearer the mark. They concluded that the colony would not be justified in incurring that expenditure to open up not more than 210,000 acres of valuable land. The members of the Commission had been most unanimous in their finding, and in respect to none of their recommendations more so than in their reference to that work. They had condemned the line in which the late Premier had taken a strong interest, and one in which the present Premier had shown a similar interest, and likewise a line in Nelson the Chairman of Commissioners himself had laboured to promote. It had been stated to the House that the cost for working the Dunedin railway stations was £900 for three months, while that of Christchurch had been £1200. That turned out to be a wilful perversion of the truth, the fact being that the guards of the Dunedin section were included in the Christchurch returns. They bad been blamed for«recommending the Railway Commission to certain boroughs on the West Coast (Middle Island), but the fact was that these very places were what he had often heard of but never before seen, rotten boroughs. The member for Rodney had made a similar complaint regarding his district. From enquiries made they ascertained that the district was so rough that they could not go over it, even although they went on their hands and knees. Then, again, the district was well supplied with water carriage, tie mentioned that to show the character of the country through which they were blamed for not recommending that a railway should be made. Referring to the Wellington-Fozton line, he showed that the route by Masterton was not more than 30 miles more, and that the Crown lands through which it would pass were at least four times greater than the other. He blamed the Government: for having given too much weight in the Public Works Statement to the opinions of the engineer in charge of the Middle Island, and showed that two lines in Southland, which were favourite projects of his, were inferior as regards their prospects of paying, to two recommended by the Commissioners, the former having been provided for in the Public Works Statement, and not the latter. He condemned the J£awa Kawa line, stating that more royalty for the works should hare been given, the more so as it was a work iv which a distinguished member of the Executive was personally largely interested. The new wharf at Wellington, wharves erected at Foxton and the Bluff, lie mentioned as useless pieces of extravagance wholly unnecessary and unjustifiable. The Commission recommended that the railways should be placed beyond political influence and gave evidence ef abuse in that respect. If a scheme could be devised for enabling all railway employees to participate in the profits beyond 4 per cent., he believed that the lines would be made to pay handsomely. Adjourned at 5.30 p.m.