MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11544, 1 December 1900, Page 5

MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS.

ROUTE OF THE MAIN TRUNK LINE,

AN AGREEABLE SURPRISE.

NATIVE DEPUTATIONS.

[BY TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL REPORTKR.]

Te Awamuttt, Friday.

Tire Minister for Public Works (Hon. W. Hall-Jones) and part}' completed their inspection of the Main Trunk railway, and the route of the proposed light railway to Stratford, to-day, coming through some heavy cuttings from Maramataha (where the party put up last night) to Poro-o-tarao. The Minister was rather disappointed with the land immediately south of Poro-o-tarao, but going over the Main Trunk line, south of the point of divergence, he was agreeably surprised at the nature of the country, which he considers much superior to what it has been represented to be. The Minister was also gratified with the appearance of the country along the Ohura Road, especially at the Taranaki end, and he believes the railway would meet with considerable traffic The public road, so far as inspected, is not very suitable for light railway, and Mr. Vickerman, the Public Works engineer, favours an ordinary gauge railway. The Minister, however, is still impressed with the advantages in cheapness and rapidity in construction of light railways, and states that if the Stratford end is favourable, the difficulties at the other end are not s'.fch as to prevent construction of a light railway, which, however, could not follow the public road for more than 10 miles of the 30 miles which the Minister visited.

A deputation of Maoris, representing the Ngatimaniapoto, Wanganui, and Ngatituwharetoa (or Taupo) tribes, waited on the Minister for Public Works at Otorohanga to-day, and presented a petition against the above-mentioned Rohep'jtae tribes being included with the Waikato tribe, in the arrangement of districts under the Maori Land Administration Act. Mr. John Ormsby read the petition, and Mr. G. Wilkinson, Government native agent, _ translated. The petition set forth that the above-mentioned tribes were dissatisfied with the proposal to include them and the Waikato tribe in one council district. It stated that two meetings had been held at To Kuiti, and at both it was agreed that the- Ngatimaniapoto and Tuwharetoa Councils should be separate from that of the Waikatos. On Monday night last Mr. Hone Hoke met the principal chiefs the Ngatimaniapoto, Tuwharetoa, and Wangamii tribes, and all present expressed their approval of the boundaries of the Ngatimaniapoto and Tuwharetoa Councils proposed by Mi. Hone Heke. The Minister expressed his pleasure at meeting the chiefs, and at the hearty manner in which the legislation of last session had been received by the natives. He was convinced the natives would carry out the duties entrusted to them with honour to themselves, and with credit to the colony. He was entirely with them in their opinion that they should remain apart from the Waikato tribe. Ho would hand the petition over to the Native Minister, and would also see the Premier and other Ministers, and convey to them his opinion that the request set forth in the petition is a reasonable one, and should be acceded to. He hoped the result of the deliberation about to take place in the Waikato would be such as to bring about a proper understanding between the Waikato and the Rohepotae natives.

MR. HALL-JONES AT TE AWAMUTU.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION AND LAND SETTLEMENT.

THE £40 BONUS. AN ATTACK ON AUCKLAND MINISTERS. [BY TEtiKOEAPH.—OWN REPORTER.] The Minister for Publics Works addressed a public meeting in the To Awamutu Public Hall to-ninhfc. Ho referred to many improvements he had noticed in Te Awamutu and throughout the .North. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. Referring to his journey over the railway routes, he said some of the land he bud seen was as good as be could wish to see anywhere on the face of the earth. He was satisfied that the land in the Ohura Valley was worth making a railway to. The land to TauHiarunui might not pay interest at first on the cost of construction, but when the opportunity was given to settlers he believed the land would bo rapidly taken up. there were also excellent forests on the main line, and taking the carrying of timber and the quauty of the land into consideration, he believed the two .railways taken together would very nearly, if not quite, pay interest on the cost of construction by the time they were completed. Steps had been taken which he believed would lead to the two railways being constructed within the next four years. He hoped to have the section of the Main Trunk railway down to Kawakawa open for traffic by next Septemberif not quite ready for all traffic, then sufficiently ready to carry produce. Then he hoped 'to have thp section to Taumarunui completed in another 12 months. In the 'Ohura Valley the land, after going 12 miles in from Kawakawa, was specially good. When he had examined the southern end he would decide whether the railway should be a light railway or an ordinary gauge ''ailway. In that matter he would be largely guided by the possibility or otherwise of the railway ueing cheaply and easily converted into a*broad gauge railway when the traffic necessitated that. So lar as he had seen he. did not think there were any insuperable difficulties to the construction of either a narrow or broad gauge railway. If a light railway was found possible, and was constructed, then he believed the example would be followed in other districts. LAND SETTLEMENT. The Minister proceeded to speak on the question of land settlement, saying he believed that very soon the natives would see the benefit of the legislation of last session, and that much of the native land now lying idle would thus be occupied by farms ; ana so fa. as Crown lands were concerned he had been informed that during the next two or tliree months there would be close on 100,000 acres of land in the King Country open and available for settlement. THE £40 BONUS. Speaking on the £10 bonus, Mr. HallJones said lie had been reported to have sum in Wellington, thai because the allowance (Wily amounted to a small sum per head it did not very much matter. He did not say anything of the kind, but he did point out the cost per head, and he might point out that the cost pur head on the population of the Waipa County would be about threefarthings per head, and the cost per elector would only be a fraction over three halfpence per bead. If the people of Waipa believed that their member was doing his duty they would would not grudge him the £40. He'pitied the man who grudged a member £300 a year, little more than the salary of a second-rate clerk. There was no chief clerk in the Government service who did not receive more than £300 a year, yet it was said that the men who made the laws of the country were not worth £300. He was sorry for the meanness of the man who grudged a member such a salary. He intended to support any proposal to fix members' salaries at £300 a year. He strongly objected to the action of the ministers of two or three of the Auckland churches. He respected and admired men who spent their lives in doing God's work, but he despised the man who, pretending to be a Christian, used the pulpit for making political attacks. Such a man was degrading his high position and was deserving the contempt of all honest men. He denied that the £10 bonus had anything to do with the increase of Ministers' salaries, and denied that the matter of the £40 was even mentioned in the party caucus. VOTES OF CONFIDENCE. On the motion of Mr. Greenslade, seconded by Mr. McCardell, a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Hall-Jones for his address, and confidence in him as Minister for Public Works, and also confidence in the present Government. Later in the evening the Minister was entertained at a banquet.