TELEGRAMS.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4550, 4 August 1883, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

FBOM OUB OWN COBBESPONDEUT.)

TKAMSS RAILWAY.

Deputation to Ministers. Weiiington, This day. This morning a deputation, consisting of Messrs Cadman, Whyte, Whitaker, Sheehan,and Morris, waited on the Gorernment re the Thames Valley and Te Aroha Bail way construction. The Ministers present were—The Premier, and

Messrs Eolleston and Bryce. Mr Sheehan explained the business of the deputation. He began by referring to an agreement come to between himself and Ministers at the close of last session, when, after several interviews with the Minister for Public Works, he consented to allow the construction of the line by a private company upon terms similar to those previously decided upon with a few other companies under the provision of the District Kail ways Act. On faia return to Auckland, he handed over the papers to the Thames Borough Council, and the matter was taken actively in hand, and a company formed with a capital of £150,000. Provisional Directors were appointed, and shares were taken up. Subsequently satis factory evidence was obtained of the bona fides of the proposal made by English capitalists through their agent at present in this colony, and the company desired (o go to work at once to give effect to the proposal. There a difficulty arose ; first the Government stated that the land asked for was of small value so that he was authorised to state that the directors were prepared <to take the land on the terms settled by the Act without further reference to its value, opinions however differed as to its value, but they were quite prepared to accept the responsibility of acting upon their own opinion. Another objection taken by the Government was that a lot of the land asked for had not yet been acquired by i the Crown to which he begged leave to reply that it was under negotiations by the Crown, and large sums of money had been paid for its purchase, and the land itself would now be brought into Court. The great difficulty, however, which stood in the way of the Crown completing its title to the Piako blocks, had been removed at the last sitting of the Native Land Court at Shortland, when the vexed question of intertribal boundaries had been ascertained and defined. He felt quite sure it would not be a difficult task for the Native Minister to push the negotiations now pending to a successful completion.; There were other blocks of land which he thought the Coy. was entitled to ask should be included in the concession, and although he entirely approved of the principle that auriferous land should not be disposed of by way of freehold, there was a considerable area of low-lying land on the Goldfields' side of Thames river, which was very unlikely to prove auriferous, and which might safely be made part of the concession, the Government reserving to itself all necessary rights for enabling mining to be carried on, and to resume the land if they thought it desirable on payment to the owners of its actual value. The objection that part of the lands asked for were not yet through the Court ought not, he submitted, to be entertained, as it was much the same as in the case of the WellingtonFoston line, and that proposed from Tauranga to Sotorua. Similar concessions had been granted to these Com panics. ' , The Premier said he had gone through the papers, and also examined the plans sent to him by the directors ; there appears to be some confusion which members might be able to explain, but before going tb that trouble, however, he would point out that the Company required that the Government should hand over to them the line from Grahamstown to Kopu, that the Government would not consent to do upon any terms whatever.

Mr Sheehan said the Company would be satisfied if they could obtain the equitable agreement for their use of that part of the line upon terms similar to those which had been given to the WellingtonFoxton line. The Premier said the company had asked for the Kakuata block of land,, which the Minister of lands had recently handed over to the township, that the Government could not consent to give. Then they had asked for Komata block, but Mr Sheehan himselt must be aware of the fact tbat the Government had not yet acquired the title to the whole of that block, and although they had acquired it, it would not be Crown land in the sense in which Crown land was used in the District Eailways Act. In reference to the Piakp lands he thought the greater part of them were outside the limits of the Act, although of course that could be cured by an amendment Act which could be introduced next session. After some further discussion the plans were produced and carefully examined, the apparent confusion was inspected and removed, and the Premier then saw that having not heard all that the deputation had to argue it would be better for him to consider the various points raised, and having done so he would give a final reply on Monday.