NORTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2326, 29 September 1898, Page 24

NORTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY.

The Auckland members continue to bo greatly agitated about the rival routes for their railway. A meeting of Auckland and Taranald members of both Houses was held this morning to consider the report of the subcommittee on the question of the Stratford and the Central routes. The sub-committee decided, though not unanimously, in favour of the Stratford route. Both sides freely stated that the first question put to the meeting was a straight out vote on the subject of the rival routes. This question had not been raised by motion, and the chairman (Sir Maurice O'Rorke) put it to the meeting purely on his own initiative. It was strongly; objected to by certain members, who pointed out that no suoh motion hexl been moved, and also that it put many of them in an awkward and unfair position because, while they preferred one route to the other, if they could not s>et tho route they wanted they would support the other. The chairman, however, insisted on pxitting the moiion, whereupon Messrs Brown, Bollard; and Massey refused to vote, and Messrs Lang and Monk voted under protest. On. the vote being taken the division resulted in favour of tho Stratford route by 12 votes to 7. Mr E. G. Wright, who was chairman of the North Island Main Trunk Railway Committee of 1592, states that the evidence was all in favour of the Central route, and the present agitation in Auckland in favour of the Stratford route was futile. The advocates of the latter were kicking' against the pricks. Looking upon the line as a colonial matter, and in the interests of the colony as a whole, the southern members would, he thought, combine with Wellington in favour of the Central line.