Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1886.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1927, 7 August 1886, Page 2

Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1886.

The Loau Bill, shorn of LI 75,000 of the amount at first proposed to be borrowed, has, at last, been agreed to by the House, and, as the Legislative Council has no power to amend the Bill, it may be safely deemed to have passed, The Council can, of course, throw out the Bill, though they cannot amend it, hut there is no probability of such a step being taken. The Colony, therefore, is to borrow L 1,325,000 for specially defined works. In order to refresh the minds of our readers we give below the schedule as now passed : Heleneville northwards .. £50,000

For doubling railway line out of Auckland 23,000 Hamilton to Grahamstown ... 53,C00 Morrinsville to Rotoraa ... 93,000 Napier to Palmerston 92,000 Wellington to Woodville ... 101,000 Blenheim to Awatere 36,000 Greymouth to Hokitika ... 76,000 Upper Ashburton Branch ... 8,000 Livingston Branch 15,000 Otago Central ... 140,000 Catlin’s River Branch 38,000 Riversdale to Switzer’s 20,000 Seaward Bush Branch 8,000 Lumsden Branch 5,000 Edendale to Fortrose 28,000 Additions to open lines 150,000 Permanent way, sleepers, and rolling-stock for the above

railways 326,000 And for the costs and charges of the loan and contingencies 63,000

Total £1,325,000 Of this amonnt Marlborough is to receive L 36,000 out of the new loan for further construction of fhe Blen-heim-Awatere line. Other souqs are to be spent in this district in connection with public works, during the current and ensuing financial years, which were set down In the

Public Works Estimates and referred to at length, some weeks ago, in these colomns. But, out of the new loan of LI ,325,000, Marlborough is only to receive L 36,000, and, it is understood, there will be no fresh loan proposed until 1888, From our point of view we do not think this a very satisfactory position for this district. With our requirements in the Pelorus and Rai Yalley districts still unsatisfied, and the claims of the Blenheim-Tophouse line entirely disregarded, we think we have, as a diatrijt, a good deal to feel disappointed with in the schedule to the Loan Bill. It is quite possible, however, that the Blenheim-Tophouse line may be taken in hand by the Midland Railway Company, though, in that case, we may not see a start made for sime years. Those who are anxious to see the Rai Valley line commenced should lose no time in urging the matter in the proper quarter. The Minister for Pub'ic Works has promised ta make a survey of the proposed routes and, if a vote for the Rai Valley line is to be included in the schedule to the Loan Bill of 1888, we hope steps will be taken to carry out the Minister’s promise during next summer, so that the departmental reports may be made to Parliament in the session of 1887. In a general view, also, we are disappointed with the schedule to the Loan "Bill, for it is within our personal knowledge that many of the lines for which the money has been allocated are purely political lines which can hardly be expected to pay even working expenses. However, there they are, duly scheduled and agreed to by the House, and we suppose the Colony must make the best of the bargain. The lines we refer to have been promised to the districts to be benefited for years past, and those districts are represented by men in opposition to the Government. We merely mention this to show that, although wp have called these lines “ political” lines, they have not been scheduled by the present Minister for works as rewards for, or in anticipation of, political support; they were scheduled in accordance with promises made by the previous Government’ From a c'ose acquaintance with the country through which the lines we have indicated are to run we assert, with some degree of confidence, that they will be found to be the most woithless the Colony has yet constructed.