The Ohinemuri Gazette. AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1903. RIVAL MIDLAND RAILWAYS.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XIII, Issue 1079, 23 March 1903, Page 2

The Ohinemuri Gazette. AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1903. RIVAL MIDLAND RAILWAYS.

There are already indications that 1 a considerable portion of the time of the House of Representatives during the coming session will be taken rap in discussing the rival merits of the North and South Island Midland Trunk Railways/ Mr Millar, one of the Dunedin members, champions the cause of the South Island. He has intimated his intention of journeying over the route of the North ..Island i Trunk in order to find out " something nasty" about the line, and suggests a coalition of the Ofcago and Canterbury members with a view of blocking the completion of I the North Island line. The Ly ttelton Times, in a sensible article on the merits of the two lines, says that if Mr Millar did inspect the , Northern line' fre would find that lit oflers much better poppets ! than can be claimed for either the I Ofcago Central or the fyliHJand i Railway. It would open up a ■ vast area of good country, and j | would add enormously to the trade | and productiveness of the North j | Island. We are not, continues the ' ! 'JTime^ like Mr Millar and his ! colleagues in the peprpseniaiion of I Dunedin, pledged jbo the constnj^ i tion of any particular rajlvyay, and ! we can say unhesitatingly that tb,e j , North Island Trunk is by far the j most important of the three great j lines to which the Government in .committed. It would be absolutely deplorable if the Otago and Canterbury members should go up t to Wellington next session, as' suggested by MY Millar, with the; , determination to oppose $>t)Q com- i pletion of this work, except on the condition that their own lines shall be finished at the same limo. The Otago Central ought never ta be carried further' tbaii Alexandra, and the Midland Railway can well wait until 'communication is established between Wellington and Auckland. The colony cannot afford for the sake of getting one necessary railway to pay the price > of three, and we trust' fjhat the Canterbury members, at any rale, will refuse to join in a compact that would be a positive disgrace to the House.