AUCKLAND AND THE TRUNK RAILWAY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1510, 7 February 1901, Page 64

AUCKLAND AND THE TRUNK RAILWAY.

The people of Wellington do net seem to be s<3 deeply interested in the construction, of the North Island Main Trunk Railway.--as the Aucklanders. Public men in the North never miss an opportunity of impressing upon Ministers of the Crown the importance of the line and its

necessity to the progress of Auckland. When the Hen. W. Hall-Jones wa» in Auckland recently, the members of the Railway League waited upon him concerning the granting of certain facilities to enable the League tc fulfil its purpose. In his over-zeal, the Railway League’s president, the Hon. E. Mitchelson, laid himself open to a deserved rebuke. First of all,-Mr Mitehelson diplomatically expressed pleasure at Minis-

terial utterances to the effect that the line would be completed in four years. While perfectly satisfied with that position, he thought, however, that it was nec-'-ssary to agitate and see that the promises of the Ministry were carried out. The League, therefore, wanted the Government to furnish it with a map of the route from Auckland to Wellington in order that it might watch the line’s progress. It would also, Mr Mitchelson said, be advisable for the League to appoint an engineer cf *ts own t:> make periodical visits to the work, and report on its progress—these reports to be published, so that the people of Auckland would be in possession of ail the facts concerning the line. Tins en-

gineer should be supplied with a itoe pass from the Government, and with all the plans of the works. The Auckland people in this palpably asked too much. The Minister of Public Works evidently saw what would happen, and he imimdiately expressed his surprise that an ex-Minister of Public Work- fhou’d make such a request. -“Their object/’ Mr Hall-Jones said, “was to appo nt an engineer to look after the Minister of Public Works. Let him speui p.andv. There was only going to !)g one man running the weak. Their engineer could run it, or the Minister cor/d run it ; bin they could not both run P. While he was Minister of Public Works he would run it, and lie could not submit to any sort of censor/’

Mr Mitehelson quietly accepted the rebuke, and somewhat apologetically remarked that all the League wanted was to keep the Minister to his premises. This gave the Hon. Mr Hall-Jones an opportunity of showing how the Government is determined to fulfil its pledges with regard to this line. It seems the

Auckland people are fearful lest 'Wellington should be first connected with the Waimarino forest, the wealth of which is more than equal to the total cost of constructing the railway. This jealousy on the part of Northerners-—a harsher term might be applied—was shown by the Minister to be groundless. Auckland would be connected with this forest some twelve months before the southern end cf the line reached it, so that the Northern city would have all the advantage, at least for twelve months, of having tapped the resources of Waimarino. This assurance soothed the feverish impetuosity of the League’s leaders, who acquiesced in the suggestion that the work should be watched through their Parliamentary representatives, to whom the Minister of Public Works promised to supply all necessary information. The Hon. Mr Hall-Jones scored a decided success in the controversy, an cl Mr Napier’s observation “that he was perfectly satisfied with the Minister's bona fides,” must be regarded as a judicial summarisation of the relations of the Government te the North Island Main Trunk railway. Vigilance, no doubt, must be exercised by the North Island representatives, and it must be seen to that adequate votes are put on the Estimates every year for the completion of the line within the period fixed. That clone; the Government may be fairly trusted to fulfil its promises and obligations without being subjected to offensive censure or suspicious espionage on the part of the Auekiand Railway League. Although some weeks have elapsed since the interview above referred to took place, wo deem it well to draw pointed attention to it, if only to impress upon the members of the Railway League in Wellington the l necessity for vigilance, in order that no undue advantage may be given to the Aucklanders as the reward of their persist-

ence. It should be possible for the local league to imitate the activity of Auckland, while avoiding blundering displays cf jealousy and suspicion.

'twfiif. While drawing a van. along North Bridge street, Sunderland, a hors© slipped on to a telephone wire which had become detached, andi died almost immediately. " The wire had fallen across the electric wires and was fully charged.

IT IS BETTER TO KEEP WELL than to have the quickest possible recovery from illness. That is why there it such a universal demand for articles like Liebig Company’s Extract, notv called Lemco. 4

Mr Joseph Witherow, one of the oldest residents of Hawke’s Bay, died at his residence, Elswortli, Pa'tangata, on 'Fid-; diay last, aged eighty-five years. Mr Witherow settled in Hawke’s Bay half a century ago, and was very highly esteemed throughout the district.