PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5158, 29 July 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

[By Telegraph.] (feom own ovs. cobbespohdent.)

Wellington, This day

Last night's sitting was rather a disappointment. The galleries were full, and everybody was expecting that Sir Julius Vogel would make a Ministerial statement during the evening as to the intention of the Government respecting the East and West Coast Railway proposals, but instead of making such a statement, Sir Julius calmly slumbered in his chair, whilst his colleagues and the House wrangled and squabbled over the Whitmore Enabling Bill and the Public Works Act Amendment Bill. Such a statement will probably now be made to-day. Since I last telegraphed to you, other and more startling rumors are cfloat in connection with the East and West Coast Bailway. I told you yesterday about the proposed Select Committee to deal with the matter. It is now whispered that the Government and the Canterbury members see no chance of the present proposals being agreed to, and the Committee is therefore required to act as a buffer between the Government and the House, and that an alternative plan has been sketched out which it is hoped the Select Committee may be dis criminating enough to suggest. This little plan, or scheme, or plot, or conspiracy, or whatever you like to call it, is something like this: To reject the present proposals altogether, and also to abandon the proposul to construct the line by the assistance of a syndicate, as the contract estimate for the line was only £2,500,000, while Mr Meiggs' estimate is £8,860,000, and the estimated cost of the East and West Coast line, without the Nelson extension, was only something like £L,5C0,000. I shall not be surprised to find the Nelson people thrown overboard altogether, and a proposal made that the colony shall undertake the West Coast line, and raise a loan of £1,500,000 for the work, the expenditure to be spread over a number of years. It in even hinted that Sir Julius Vogel may be sent Home to raisejtbe loan.

The next step in connection with the East and West Coast Railway will be a proposal emanating from the Government, and will probably be moved by Mr Mont gomery, as a Canterbury member, to refer the question to a North Island Committee. It is however pretty well understood that North Island members will decliue to interfere in the matter; the opportunity will then lie open for the constitution of a committee to suit the scheming now going on for throwing over the Nelson people. Nothing definite is yet known as to when the subject will again come before the House.