Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITTIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA" TUSEDAY, JULY 3, 1883.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 10237, 3 July 1883, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITTIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA" TUSEDAY, JULY 3, 1883.

"pointed in April last to inquire into the merits of the various proposed lines for connecting Canterbury and the West Coast of the South Island, •.wasJaid-oik-the-tableof thTrHdule'on*" Wednesday night. Its first effect has been somewhat curious. No sooner'ijw.a'd fthe' reports in the hands of, jhoj}. , members than. Sir. George Grey gave notice that on Wednesday, • JvilyHth,' ;He would' inbye, ' ' r Thfft|this JETotifre, will, -Jon a future, day,- resolve /itself into a committeeof the whole] to consider of an address to the Governor to request his Excellency to, cause a' sum to' be placed on the Estimates ! f or 'the construction of a ' railway for the connection of the City of Christchurph, with.,Jlie ; Weat'Coast of the . Middle Island.''-,. , This,-,-: <notide'l Jof motion, ha's^ iome, as v a t great and rattier ' 'disagreeable surprise b jto ja large ■> number" of ' 'the " p.Jppie.'s , ;re,pre'sentatiy'^.''' Qur i-eaders t w.U,l remember that ''fqij many months past the South Island has been in a state _01- .ferment with regard to rall-J way route.si jiiiLftsfc'.' '- session the Government, with a view to, parrying :out /the' i'origmar'-'schetnel of 'trunk railways'; ' included" in.' !the, .Lqaiv' Actjasum for^he continuation northawards of the. line which is -already completed Ifronv the 1 i Bluff to a point, considerably beyond Christchuroh. When" tHis' northern jcpntin'uation jeas .first proposed; "the. , ,'que.stion ■which principalTy. agitated jthe (.public mm& in"' that portion' of the colony wap whether the line should run .for a 'great .part qi itej length, along the Eastern coaster yhether it Should l be taken-frjKa^cQntral route, f But these questioris'he'came speedily complicated others, r namely^ whetherj a line So cohnep't^he^East andiWest Coast? was not of more-importance than the continuation;; and whether a considerable, .portidai,-' of the latter : might l not s'eryS ; as ;J ; a "first' instalment of - the -former. ' 'After months of agi-! tation and .'consultation' it ! was found impossible,, to bring., all part|es to one way of ' thinking with' ! regard to the! various proposals, ' arid even those; who., were ,<bent' on obtaining" ifhW; Eaßt and West-Coast Bailwajyjoujd not-'agre'6"> amongst "themselves o %y' whibh 'route : ,ij should , be,,carriedjthrpugh..;, 'A's;far; as .our. information 1 goes. the. -Canterbury members, 'and; at least some of - the West Coast : members; came r to- the conclusion that it would be ( necessary, to- allow the questionbf route to remain' in abeyance,-,- and , to . content ■ themselves with endeavouring- to obtain a recognition from. Parliament- of the necessity of constructing the East and West j Cdast Railway! Further than this it , was .determined , not ,to , move actively iiT'the matter atall Vntil the rqport : of the, Commission should have been sent in. It was generally understood that these questions connected with South Island railway extension would cause some trouble during the present session, but it certainly was not expected that Sir ; Gaorge • Grey would put himself at ; the head of the movement . forobtaining the East and West Coast Hallway: By this motion he has done so, and has, moreover, timed his action and directed his course so as ■completely to take the wind, out of Mr Montgomery^ sails, and to cause; embarrassment to many of the.BUp-. porters of the Government, whohaye pledged; themselves to their const i~ 'tuents to do their best to obtain trio" : East and West Coast Railway. On a~- question Tafgely affecting- the interests "of thje^part of the colony, Mr Montgomery represents, his leadership has.. been contemptuously ..swept on one side, :.and. apparently he must either follow Sir George Grey or declare himself against a scheme which' neither his constituents nor the constituents" of most of the Canterbury And JWestland members desire to see shelved. .The Canterbury and West . Coast members who support the Government:, will, if they, vote for the motion, find themselves marching under Sir George Grey's banner ; and, if they reject it, will oppose that which in trufcn.ih.oy ardently de- ■ sire, and will at the same time run the risk of offending their constituents, who will care little about the leader of the, movement. as long as they get the railway. But if Sir George Grey imagines that the carrying of his motion would unseat the present Go-' verninenti- cause them any consider^ able embarrassment, or diminish their prestige, he is very much mistaken. We* are not sure that it would not be good policy on the part of the Government to make no effort whatever to keep their party together on the occasion of tho division." It is evident that if Sir George Grey succeeded in carrying his motion, nothing could" be done until the House had tak n "into consideration the report of the Commission which has just been laid on 'the table. Tha question of route would still have to be decided, and it ia ludicrous to suppose that the country is to be hastily committed to an expenditure of probably £2,000,000. It is quite clear, however, that whatever object Sir George Grey may have in view he is not sincere in " bringing forward this motion, and that he is not truly desirous of .the construction of the Ea9t and West Coast Middlo Island Eailway. We are not now discussing the merits of that scheme. It may or may not be advisable that the line should be made, and it is possible that if tho House were to declare in favour of it the financial difficulties could be overcome. But no mau can shut his eyes to the facts that last session the colony was committed to further loans amounting in the aggregate to £1, 000,000; that under the £3,000,000 Loan Act the expenditure is to bo limited to £1,000,000 a year for three years; that the whole of the loan is apportioned to the works set out in tho schedule to the Act ; and that tho East and "West Coast Middle Island Railway is not included in tint schodul'). All t.liosn 0,..! —Q?y ;.;.-. i'iou-:. c.u' r:if3orati<m=> , ;m(l siii*.":' ;■; h;i--,>: h-.-su dhi-ilr nr.rj j pu- l_:o.-:jljf 0.-ti-iookiid ~-jy lih- .Jooxgo 1 G-roy.'j If ;t bo contended that o;wu

of the points to U which we Shave. I alluded can be fully discussed in the debate aa.\£ja.% mptiojt,;, that the source, w%iice "the Mnas'-tiKi&akfi this railway are to be derived, can be determined on the same occasion ; and also that the report of the Com mission^c^n^.b^e -satisfactorily- F dealt? wer is tfiat- he "frho expects siich^ gjeat. things_ifl,J:pQ.«sanr - "gTimn<rße practical, and is entirely ignorant of „■ what can. and^what cairf not be? abco'mplishea* in wie- course of a Parliamentary debate.