POLITICAL RAILWAYS.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 241, 25 November 1873, Page 2

POLITICAL RAILWAYS.

" Political railways " are not says the Oaso Guardian onOued 10 New Zealand. Thej hnVd lon^ bieu enjjineeie.l in the United Stiitoi; and now we hnve tlie V.otorians, who were le'du- to us by Sir Divid Monro as models of busi-ness-like sagacity and prudence in railway contraction, launching out far political railways to the lianilso.ne figure ol lour millions tlcrlmg. hecei'it debutes nn I {I. vision's in the Victovmn Assembly, vemiml in forcibly of whnt Imppenc.l in Wellington in 1870 and 1871. The Argus tells us that, "Wiieu the Government sub jutted its rmluaj policy to the Assembly the roinpreln-nMre nature of the propositions presented secured ununimoiH approval, and nothing worthy the niiine of a debute took place on t!»e securd readme, it being understood iliat the only diflcrence of opinion entertained was a* to U\e details of the measure." But. thw s«ate of things was not to last Lending members of the Assembly, defirous of making political capital, proposed additiona to the Government lines, and Mr Mcß.iiu carried his motion fur exlen.l.n^ the B llarut and Anrat railway from Stawell to Horsham. This extension is not surveyed j but the Argus regards the vole, as indeed it was clearly intimated in the House, to mean a new department involving " a possible pol t oil crisis." Tne Argus says :—: — " The division on the ctuu.se proposed by Mr WBnin, liowpv r, was a te.ir-poiiifc hs to an entirely different policy lo that proposed by the government. This new policy 13 to borrow borne four millions of money, in 1 to make railways everywhere. It was enunciated by* Mr Vide, and the hon member confessed that he had been moved to take this extraordinary step by a desire to prevent the Government itnikins; any political capita) at the next general election by roinismg farther nulw.iy extensions. Mr Vale wants to make provis on in the present mea>ur3 lor purchasing the Melbourne and Hob<on's Hay Rulwav, for the roust ruction of the outer-circle hn»,a line to 1 he Plenty and Upper Yarra, one to Horsham, one to t>t .Arnaud, one to Queenfciii'e, one to Mordinlloe, 0 a lbournr, and Schnapper xoint, one to Dnlesford, one to Bright, one to Waluuiiyab, one to Major Plain*, and some of era. Tie vote in favour of tlie florsham • xten-itn mnant approval of this policy, altt ough afterward* Sir C. u. Dully said he did not inten I tomd>rseit. A number of other menders, however, t..1l the G >vernment that they ha I belter •iicctitnb at once.nnd take their rndwav policy from the committee. The Government may do it i"i they nro loat to all self-respect, and are content to be the mere toolsof a railway lou-rolling association." I The Victorian Government ha I Ifnnruinced that a new I railway construction bill would have to be introduced next session ; therefore the action of the Hoti«e could only be regnrdel as "a deliberate attempt to einbarra*^ the Govern ment." The follow in^ remark* of the Argus bj^eVer, draw a sketch of tlie Victorian Parliament so like our own experience of a similar branch of legislation, that we cannot refrain from quoting it. Our Melbourne cjntemporarv 8 iy.« : — I "Mr Berry j-idtifipd his vole by innocently admitting that engineering railway bills through Parliament tended to doI moralise the Li .'Mature, and that, therefore, the present moribund Parliament should provide for all railway extensons for yenn to eon c, absorbing all the dn moral i*at ion it<elf, and leaviuc; no other cour-e open to its succesa )r but <<ne of peace and purity. Mr Berry is open to anr amount of dem ra'isation in order that whoever may liapp n to succeed him in the representution of Geelont; West may be mercifully fieliverel from 111. lenpration. Tlie proposition that a number of railway lines f,»r which no surveys luxve been ma le, a«d which cum )t possibly be com'nenced fjr some time ' o comp, should be included in the present measure, appear, to be simply mon>tro<H. If carrie 1, no go id end could possibly be ac'iieved, and we arj reluctantly forced to fie conclusion that the wholt alfair is an electioneering <lodge, an I one of wh oh hon -Members in their calmer motnutits cannot but feel ashamed."