MR RICHARDSON BEFORE HIS CONSTITUENTS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7719, 16 April 1887, Page 2

MR RICHARDSON BEFORE HIS CONSTITUENTS.

.. Mr ■ .Richardson'- addressed ; liis;iconstituents hove ; to-hißlit. ?: '."Ho'.aaid -that 'though: 200 .'lrijle.v more' : railway: had ; to" : be work'ed'iilns year' v the I ,'expeiHlilnre had .veryi|itt]6inqieased'.-, J .H©,cpulrl,n6t. understand Mr. Fergnss's statement/: that the t Nfiiivd Alinister and himself (Air Richardson) had done .move, than anypna else to prevent settlement in llie:Kmg!~opuiitiy. Concci-ning native .land, trnnsaiqiibua all

tho Government could bo asked to do was to get all Grown grants issued by -file Land Courra,- : which should be done in-all ■cases- where, no fraud had been; proved. He was convinced that one railway Board on the Victorian; plan would tend' to centralise everything in Wellington more than under. the present system. He had prepared; a bill on lines similar to those adopted' in Germany. It provided for thieeßoanJs— one for the Auckland district, one for Wellington and Taranaki, and one , for the South Island— th<j members to.be elected by the ChamWs of Commerce, 'mayors of boroughs arid chairmen of county councils. Each Board would sit (luring, the- -recess. That for the Auckland district would sit in Auckland twice a "year, or oftenerit necessary. The Board, for the central district would sit in Wellington, Wanganui, and Napier, or si\eh other places as was necessary three 'nines a year. • The Board for the South Island would sit at least once a year at Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill. The Minister for Public Works would attend each meeting, or such officer of the staff as he might direct to attend to get information. The Minister would have to act on the Boards' recommendations if lie deemed fit ; all recommendations to be reported to the House and the Minister to give his reasons for not noting on them. Ihe Boards would have to hear all complaints fls to rates or against the conduct of officers.' Mr Richardson showed that the railways in Now Zealand are worked as econoiiiically as those itt other "colonies taking into consideration the condition of 1 this colony. The reductions in the railway rates had affected the, revenue to the extent of £50,000 per year. The falling off in the traffic was attributable to the enormous decrease in tho production of the principal articles on which therailway returns depended. 'The "receipts were now, hewpvor, 'largely increasing, and promised'#ood 'results for the current year. It would be unwise to change the' present basisof railway charges. " A vofo of thanks -and confidencp-was passed.