THE MI MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 278, 25 November 1887, Page 2

THE MI MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Consideration of tho Now Contract,

The new Midland Railway contract was under consideration during the whole of yesterday afternoon and evening sittings. l"our reade 1 ; are well acquainted with the details of the subject, and little or nothing was elicited in the debate. The Premier laid the contract on the table and moved its adoption. He Baid that the Committee had gone to a great deal of trouble in endeavouring to put the contract in a reasonable form. Ho did not propose to go into the general question now, but would point out to the House that there were two points to which they might direct their attention. The first was as to the guarantee clause. Tho company asked for a guarantee of one million and'a quarter, or that a guarantee .should be given that the land would be worth that sum. Tho Committee hud arranged that that guarantee should bo allowed within the area but not outside, and he thought that was not unreasonable under the circumstancos. The other point was as to gold-mining rights. The Government had thought 750,000 acres out of the authorised area for gold-mining purposes should be allowed. He wished to say that if the House agreed to the report of the Committee tho Government would endeavour to get tho contract made out in legal form, and to getit signed before tho House ro.se if possible ; but if not that the Government should bo authorised to enter into negotiations with the Company for a revised contract. A long discussion ensued. On clause 3, providing that, if the original area of land shall not bo of the value ot £1,250,000, then the Company should select further land up to that amount, Mr Downie Stewart moved an amendment, ''That the only remedy of the Company in respect of such diflerenco (if any) shall be a right on tho part of the Company to select from tho authorised area." Ho explained that the object of the amendment was to provide against any money guarantee being given by the colony. Major Atkinson opposed the amendment, and said that he had been asked by neveral members to state the opinion of the At-torney-General on clause 3. That opinion was that the Attorney-General considered clause 3 was sufficient to prevent the Company from making any money claim on tho colony. Mr Downie Stewart's amendment was then put, and lost by 39 to 34. Tho following is the division list :— Noes, 39 :—Atkinson,Ballance, Beetham, Blake, Buxton, Dodson, Graham, Grimmorid, Guinnegß, Hull, Hislop, Hobbs, Jackson, Jones, Joyce, Kerr, Liince, Levestam, Loughrey, McGregor, Mitehelson, O'Callaghan, O'Conor, Parata, Pearson, Percival, Reeves (Inangahua), Richardson (Raiapoi), Samuel, Seddon, Seymour, Steward (Waimate), Taiwhanga, Tanner, Taylor, TurnbuU, Valentine, vogel, Walker. Ayes, 34 :—Allen, Barron, Bruce, Cownn, Duncan, Feldwick, Fisher, Fulton, Fitchett, Goldie, Grey, Hamlin, Hodgkinson, Izard, Kelly, Lawry, McArthur, McKenzie (Mount Ida), McKenzie (Clutha), Mills, Moat, Monk, Moss, Peacock, Russell, Stewart (Dunedin West), Stuart Menteath, Thompson (Marsden), Thompson (Auckland North), Ward, Whyte, Wilson, Withy. The report, of the Committee was then agreed to, and a message was ordered to be sent to the Legislative Council requesting them to concur in it.

The House rose at quarter to one a.m.