THE RIVAL ROUTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8948, 4 August 1892, Page 5

THE RIVAL ROUTES.

MEETING OF AUCKLAND MEMBERS. DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.! Wellington, Wednesday. A meeting of the Auckland members was held to-night, to consider the difficulty whtoh has arisen in regard to the question of railway communication between Auckland and Wellington. There were present: Sir George Grey, Messrs. T. i Thompson, Reea, Lawry, Jackson Palmer, Houston, and R. Thompson. Mr. A. Kidd, representing the Auckland Railway League, was also present. Mr. Rkes, who was appointed chairman, said that the meeting had been called to consider what the Auckland members should do with referenoe to the appointment of the committee. Mr. Sfaera having withdrawn his motion, Mr. Palmer had immediately tabled another notice of motion for Friday, and although that was a Government day, the Government, he understood, had expressed their wilingnosa to give facilities for bringing up the motion on that day. What that meeting should do was to obtain an absolute promise from the Premier that he would give facilities to have the question fully discussed. Mr. T. THoaSjpsoN announced that Mr. Kelly and the Taranaki members, Messrs. McGuire and E. M. Smith, could not attend, but were quite in accord with the meeting. Mr. Palmer suggested that a deputation should wait upon the Premier and obtain a definite promise from him on the subject. The Chairman explained to Sir George Grey that the Auckland members had been greatly surprised when Mr. Shera withdrew the motion.

Sir George Grey said that from what Mr. Shera had said to him he learned that it was his fear that if the motion were brought forward in the usual way it would simply be talked out, so that it would amount to nothing at all. He could not bring it forward in any other way whilst his motion stood upon the order paper, and so determined to bring the matter to an issue in such a way as to get a decision in positive terms. Mr. T. Thompson said that the Auckland members complained that while the motion was the outcome of a consultation amongst them, Mr. Shera had withdrawn it without consulting any of them. Ho moved that Sir George Grey, Mr. Rees, and Mr. Palmer be a deputation to the Premier on the subject. Sir George Grey thought that the deputation should not only get a promise that the Government would give "facilities for the discussion of the motion, but would get them to tell exactly what they intended to do to get the railway made. Mr. Rkks remarked that that would be still better if it could be done, but he thought the Government were afraid to say anything definite, because of the Wellington members. Sir George Grey replied that in that case the position of the Auckland members was & very miserable one. There was no use in going to the Government if they would simply say nothing on the subject. Mr. Lawby seconded the motion, feeling that the Auckland members would be quite safe if their interests were entrusted to the deputation. What they wanted was to have a distinct issue on the question, and he had reason to know that the Government would give facilities for getting that issue before the House.

Sir Gkorgk Grey repeated that he would rather not go merely to ask the Government to give facilities for the discussion of the motion. He thought they ought to ascertain from the Government, if possible, what assistance they would give in tho performance of the work.

It was resolved that that should be included in the domand made by the deputation, and in that form the motion wp»s agreed to. Mr. Shera asked for permission to-night to more his amendment requesting the Government to appoint the Railway Committee, but the Speaker told him that he could not do so. Air. Shera then accused Mr. Jackson Palmer of having sold the interests of Auckland in reinstating the committee, and asserted that he had been instigated by Mr. L'adman.