POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2973, 4 August 1891, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

[|JV TELKGItAI'H—HI'KCIAL ItUPOUTKI!.]

Wklli.nuton", Last Night, VAILE'S RAILWAY SCHEME.

■V i)KI*UT»TION' consisting of Messrs Roes, l'llmer, Thomson, K. M. Smith, Hogg, I'mkert'in and K irnshaw, w.ited on the Government this afternoon to urge that a trial -it Vaile's scheme of railway management should be made on some section of the Xew Zealand railways. Messrs Bdlanoo, Seddon, Cadman and McKenzie were present during the interview while Mr McKerrow, Chief Railway Commissioner attended on behalf of the Railway Commissioners. Mr Rees, who was the principal speaker, said he had a petition from thirty-two members of the House, praying that a trial should be given to iho scheme, and he could guarantee to obtain the signatures of ten more members. In addition to this, he said there was a majority in the House in favour of the system being given a trial, and Mr Vaile himself was satisfied that, given a fair chance, his mode of working would pay, and it would also tend to better tho settlement of the land. He said that if the Vaile system of railway management was introduced, there was i great hopo that the waste land; of tho Waikato would bo thrown open for settlement, and he asked the Government to tike up tho Bill ho had introduced with this object. in reply, the Premier slid he had never been in favour of the principle of managing tho railways by a hoard, but now that tho Commissioners were in power he would not care to interfere with them until their term of office had expired. He pointed out that the Commissioners ouldonlybe thrown out by a Bill, but it was no use introducing such a measure, us oven in the event of its passing the LowerHouso it would be thrown out in another place. The best way* to act in tho matter would be to pass a motion in the House requesting the Commissioners to give Vaile's system a trial ou some section uf tho railways under their coutrol, and tho probability was that tho raj nest would bo acceeded to. The only difficulty would be in tho case of a deficit in the section experimented on, in which event tho rest of the colony would have to find the amount, and to such a course exception would probably be taken, especially if a trial took placo on any of the Auckland railways. Mr Thompson remarked that members were not particular where the trial was made, and they did not ask that the Auckland province should be decided upon in preference to any other portion of the colony. Mr Palnior asked Mr McKerrow whether. If the House passed a resolution on tho subject, the Commissioners would take any notice of it. This being a critical question, the other members of the deputation thought that Mr McKerrow could scarcely answer it without first having consulted his colleagues, and the question was accordingly withdrawn. Mr McKerrow, however, promised to give the matters brought before him his most serious consideration, and to go into tho figuies carefully. If the Government would undertake to take over any loss that might accrue in tho event of a trial proving unsuccessful, a great difficulty would bo removed. As the Government have taken away private members days, a motion, as susrgested by tho Premier, will have to be brought down to intercept .Supply, and it is uuderstood this will bo done. THE AGENT-GENERALSHIP. The latest, and certainly tho most original, tumour about tho Agent-Generalship, according to the Press to-night, is that Mr Ballance is to receive the appointment, and that Mr Seddon will, in that case, become Premier of the colony. Mr Buckley, the leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, is still generally spoken of as the most likely man to succeed Sir Dillon Bell ;.s Agent-General; but I have reasons for believing that the Attorney-General's appointment would be distasteful to many of the Ministerial party. ARTIFICIAL MANURES. Tho Chief Commissioner of Railways stated at the railway meeting to-day that the Commissioners were likely to make a reduction in the rates of carriage of artificial manure along the various lines of railway in the colony.