ADVANCE OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2669, 10 May 1905, Page 13

ADVANCE OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY.

AN OPEN LETTER. TO THE OT \GO CENTRAL RAILWAY LEAGUE.

(Per favour of the Editor of the Otago Daiiy

Times.)

Sias, — I was much amused, while listening to th© M.H.R. speakers at the new Otago League meeting "on Friday night, at the dread I hey -showed lest someone should bring them to task for their betrayal of the cause of constructing the Oiago Central railway. Mr T. Mackenzie, who made a mo-t masterly speech on the interests of Otago, was nox free from some qualms of conscience ; whilo Mr Arnold was quite miserable about public opinion, comfortably forgetting tho fact that it-js-the duty of representatives to lead and mould public opinion, that - they are the paid eeavants of the public, and to see that justice is done to the interests of Olago by way of getting an adequate and proportionate vote of public money : and also that it is their especial duty, far which they aro paid £300 per annum, to see that such votes granted by Parliament arc duly expended. 3 take, this .opportunity of tinging your league to merge into the new movement, whosa programme covers all the varied public interests of Ofcag-o. You have realised during the years in which you have led the almost forlorn hope of .getting the line to Wanaka, in face of promises made by Ministers and statements of expenditure, to find by the published returns at tho end of the financial years how basely you have been juggled with and deceived by Ministerial statement* made direct and also through the several M.H.ivs. If this has been your experience in the past to the present, how much more difficult must your tesk -in the near future be while the present Government holds office, realising, as you so often' have done, that its word is- not to b& trusted, when we will have" the Roxburgh, Gath'ns, Cfta-go Central, and Otago £»eague<? all to be shuffled with — battledore and shuttlecock played from one to the ether. Infinitely better it "would be to concentrate public opinion into one focus, which body could speak authoritatively for a united^ Otago. As one who has ever held that Duncdin's absolute necessity, if she is to maintain her place even a* a second-rate port and centre. i=^ thp. rapid construction of the line to Wau-aka. and a struggle for the future development of South "VTcstland by Haasl Ppss. permit me to pre.sent you with' a statement of the- betrayal of Otajran interests by some of her M.H.R 's. and the Hon. it. J. Seddon — who, by tho -way. often declared that I wa' Otago Central railway mad: but h* was never so mad himse-'f as to challenge the correctness of the figures which I from time to time published during the six year* T was in Parliament. X challenge our loea 1 M.F/.R's.. aided by the. right honourable gentleman, who will scon be in our mid^t, to disprove tho following pain. simple statement of facts regarding the defrauding of Otago Central railway expenditure to swell an absurd surplus: — Statement Exnenditu'-e and Votes, Otago Central Railway.

At the end of the financial year 1890-91, Mare'i 31, 1891, the total expenditure was £539,4 "8 13s 7d. At the erd of the financial year 1903-04, Marcn

31. 19Q4, the total expenditure was £1 030,564

0s Sd. Shewing a total expenditure during these 13 complete financial years of the «urn of £551, 12> 7s Id. This expenditure i« provided for by several sps-cifio votes of money for idle construction and maintenance of railways as follow: — Votes for surveys, land claims, permanentway material and sleepers, etc., rolling stock, and construction works. All of these votes are general votp« for supplying the whole <Jf the colonial railways as material is required in extendinsc the railways. The constructioa vote is -specific, and relates only to the named section cf railway.

Parliament voted for expenditure during the currency of these named 15 financial years the following* votes : — TPov the whole colony — Land claims £ 27,525 Survey new lines 20,150 Additions to open lines 2,990,553 Permanent way, sleepers, and rolling stock 578.700 Otago Central railway construction . . 690,000 There was oxxW expended on construction

during the whole 15 financial years the snin of £461,566 3s 7d out of a vote of £690,000 : a deficiency of expendiiui-e of vote, which

was absolutely lost to Q'fcago, oJ no legs a

stun than £226.455 163_5d_ — an amount which would havo carried the line well on to Clyde.

Figures, they say. will prove anything: yet it cannot be denied that if the local members of Parliament, who support the Government, will not take the opportunity to dispiovei this brief statement of facts in connection with the Otago Central railway tlvev will prove their disloyalty to the deve'or<ment of Central Otago and tho prosperity of Dunedin.

Again urging yoiir lea.gue to merge your organisation into the larger hope_, and believing thst such a eo'irse will help to force all Otag-an representatives into a more active service and avoid inevitable complicationas bftwep-n MirTsfcers and ako kindred societies, — I remain, yours sincerely. 'William Eabnshaw.

South Dunedin