THE OTAGO CENTRAL.

Evening Star, Issue 8506, 4 May 1891, Page 4

THE OTAGO CENTRAL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln your leader to-night in reference to the Otago Central, you remark ; "Mr Reynolds admits that he was opposed to it from the first, but now, we may presume, he sees hia mistake," seeing I now advocate the extending the line. Now lam not disposed to admit that I made any mistake in originally opposing the undertaking. Were the question to come up de novo, I would even now give it my most strenuous opposition. Seeing, however, that over L 500.000 has been expended in carrying it forty miles through almost impraotical and, comparatively Bpeaking, useless country, and that if continued into the interior it would open up good land for settlement and secure traffic, the case is altered. It would appear that the line, if it stops where it is, would not pay working expenses. Already the bulk of the expenditure has been incurred, and to carry it to fcac terminus authorised by the Act (Lake Hawea), a further distance of 104 miles, the cost would not exceed the aam which has already been expended upon the forty miles completed. I therefora consider that it would now be good policy to carry on the iiae to a payable point. You take exception to my accusing Sir Harry Atkinson of diverting moneys allocated to the Otago Central to' works elsewhere, and say I " would be rather puzzled to bring coma to Sir Harry the absurd charges he prefers." If you refer to my letter in the 'Daily Times' of 21st nit. you will there find that I accused him of; diverting tho L 300.000 allocated and earmarked from the Loan Act, 1882; and in my remarks at the meeting on the 30th ult. I am reported to have said: "What had taken place was really spoliation, for the sam of L 300.000 allocated by the Aot of 1882 to thia line ought never to have been touched for any sfcber purpose." The sums subsequently aUocf.tei— some L39o,ooo—as far as I can Bee, have beea faithfully expended on the line.—l am, etc., WjfcLIAN H, RjByHOLDS. Montecillo, May 2. '