North Island Trunk Railway.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7201, 9 February 1892, Page 3

North Island Trunk Railway.

[Peb Pbess Association.] WELLINGTON. Feb. 9. An influential deputation waited on the Hon R. J. Seddon this morning with reference to the North Island Trunk Railway; Dr A. K. Newman, M.H.R., in pointing to the fact that a tender had been let at the north end, and that tenders had not even been advertised for the section from tbe southern end, remarked that thb future prosperity of Wellington almost depended on something being done at the south end. The people of this district were anxious that a tender should be let at once, as they were afraid the vote would lapse ; and the deputation had waited on the Minister to ascertain the cause of the delay. It wa3 also pointed out that the feeling in the country districts from Marton to Wellington was very strong in favour of the work being gone on with at the south end, and that some alarm was felt at the agitation aroused in Auckland in regard to the route of the line. Mr G. Fisher, M.H.R., observed that the people of Wellington were not going to be outdone in tho matter of agitation. Mr Seddon said the principal reason why tenders had not been invited for the Makahine bridge contract at the south end was that the plans were not ready. The staff had been kept very busy of late, and only those works which were most pressing, such as the Te Aro railway, had been put in hand. In fact, too much sweating had been done in putting some of these workß in hand, and he could say that never before in the history of the Public Works Department had Buch an amount of work been accomplished in Buck a short space of time. If he had pushed on with the preparations for thiß contract | it would have meant an increase in the staff. Besideß, the Native difficulty in regard to the lands through which a : section was to pass was not yet settled, and . it would be useless to call for tenders for : the Makahine bridge contract until the : railway was made to it. He assured the deputation that the plans for tbe work : were now being prepared, and he had every reason to believe that the difficulty would soon be overcome. Taking the : political phase of the matter, and the ; agitation in Auckland, he could say tbat as far as the Government was concerned its policy was contained in the Public Works ■ Statement, and there would be no diver- 1 gence from that without the sanction of ' Parliament. Were the Government to 1 allow any agitation in particular centres to ; direct its policy during the recess there would bo no end of confusion. The Parlia- : ment had voted the money for the work and defined the route, and the Government intended to adhere to what the Parliament | had sanctioned. He gave the deputation : full particulars of the cause of the delay, ; and felt satisfied that they would not say the Government had acted wrongly. He explained why he let a tender : for the deviation at the north end, ' and said that, if the Government had paid attention to the pressure brought to bear on it from the Auckland people to put the work in hand at j their end shortly after the session closed, it would entail great loss. What had been done was in accordance with the vote of ' Parliament and in the interests of the ' Colony, and the Government intended to keep that course throughout. He also mentioned that, before letting the five miles at the north end, he ascertained < from Mr Cadman that the position of the Native lands through which the section passed warranted him taking the step. In conclusion, he assured the deputation that the vote for the railway could not lapse, as the contract was under way.