The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1892. THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2799, 14 October 1892, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1892. THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

The many modifications that have been made in the Midland Railway contract, and the fresh demands that the Company continues to put forth for further concessions make the country somewhat impatient of hearing the name of the enterprise. The Company's requests occupied the time pf the public Accounts Committee qf the House pf Representatives off' and on for nearly the whole session, and we fear the conclusions arrived and recommendations made cannot be *c fifarded as definitive, It is satisfactory however, to know that the Company's proposal for a State guarantee met with an unqualified rejection. The Company could have had no reasonable hope of sijch a proposal being entertained by Parliament, and the decisive manner in whigh it was rejected will let them see that any further attempt in that direction will be futile. The extension q[ th.p contract time is a concession for which the company should be grateful and to which little exception will be taken by the public. Where the Committee have failed to come to a decision which would finally stop the applications of the Company to the Government for variations of the contract is on the land grants. The company wished the Government tp buy b.ack the lands ceded to the Company iif fcepms of tbp contract; and instead of giving an opjnjoft, ba?pd on the large mass of evidence that wa^ taken on the question, which would guide ■Parliamentinsettlingthe question for good, the Committee made only the halting recommendation that the Goyepnment should consider the question at some jndefinitp perfqd P,f futurity. This can only lead to further delay in the work pf constructing the railway, and the setting up of fresh petitions. It is evident that if the Bast and West Coasts are ever to be oonnected by railway, some Taore backbone will have to be evinced by the Parliamentary Committee whose duty it is to deal with the matter.