PASSING EVENTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4907, 24 March 1894, Page 7

PASSING EVENTS.

Mr Bichard Price Wilka.lway liam9, tha eiriinent civil ENTJ-iiPEisE. engineer, bas, on behalf of an English syndicate, mado a proposal to construct light railways for the Government of Now South Wales on a "modified land grant system," and we learn tbat there ia not the slightest likelihood of the Government entertaining his proposition. As Mr Williams, when passing through Wellington a week ago, stated that he was prepared to submit » similar scheme of railway construction to the Government of New Zealand, it may be well briefly to notice the nature of the proposals. The idea is that the Government ahould give the land required for the railways, and alao a lease for twenty-one years, to a Land Truat, four 320-acre blocks of contiguous land fcr every mile of railway constructed. The trustees undertake to construct the lines, to guarantee interest on the capital during construe- i tion, and, for a further term of five years, to partly clear the land, erect homesteads and -carry out other improvements } and at the expiration of twonty-one years from the commencement of operations to hand railways and lands ovor to the Government free of coßt. The project contemplates tho working of the lineß by the tiusr, during the whole period, they receiving all j the revenue and creating a sinking fund to extinguish the cost of construction. The trust or syndicate undertakes to construct the lines at cheap contract rates, .based upon an estimate of J61600 per mile in open level country. It ie assumed that I after five years' working the line 3 would be on a paying basis, but in the event of loss after that period it - ehould be borne by the Government. Apart altogether from the equitableness of these proposals, upon whioh it is too early to pronounce, we qucßtionif any colonial Government is prepared to make the experiment of handing over a large portion of its 69tato to be "farmed" by English capitalists— for thnt is. what the scheme, amounts to.

When in Wellington Mr its Williams expressed surprise application at the non-connection of to : Auckland and Wellington new zeal&hd. by rail, and remarked that, with the exception of what he called "this wretched Midland," tho railage mileage of New Zealand is now practically the same as it was wh.n he was here eight years ago. No doubt it would be a severe tsmptation to Auckland, Wellington and Otago, if the syndicate represented by Mr Williams should make proposals to complete the Noith Island Trunk and Otago Central Railways on a -system that should involve neither tbe alienation of Crown 'ands nor the expenditure of public revenue. And if a political coalition were formed to secure the acceptance of su*.h proposals, could Canterbury and Wectlaad with any show of fairness object ? Certain municipalities— among them Glasgowhave obtained possession of excellent tram lines and rolling stock free of cosh, simply by giving concessions of traffic to a company for a fixed term of years ; but it is a different matter when it is proponed to part with the people's land for a long period. The land-grant system of constructing railways in New Zealand has not been such a success as to encourage the people to make a trial of the modified land-grant system. If New South Wales, with her vast Crown territories, doss nob see her way to treat with the English ■syndicate, our own colony is not likely to be won over to take & more favourable j view of the proposals. 1

[ Ib would really seem as I eight though the experiment of hotibs. eight hours legislation were about to be tried in England. A cable message received several days ago stated that the .Government had introduced a Bill in the Houae of Commons affirming the principle of forty- sight hours' work per week in dockyards. This, of course, cannot refer to .Government dockyards, as no legislation is necessary to enforce the eight hours' system therein. In all probability, however, the proposal is the result of the introduction of the shorter hours of labour in the Government dockyards. A year ago, when Mr Campbell-Bannerman promised in the House of Commons that the Government would place itself " in the first flight of employers " with regard to conditions of labour, it mußt have been foreseen that if limitation of hours were enforced in occupations wherein the Government competes with private employers, legislative compulsion might be necessary in order to secure that uniformity under which alone justice can be done all round. It i 9 announced that tho Government is about to spend a large sum or money in the building of warships, and probably some contracts will be let to private yards. The Labour Party would doubtless insist npon all such contracts embracing conditions of a satisfactory kind a_ to wages and hours of work, and ib may further be deemed desirable to Bpread the additional work over as many hands as possible, bo as to minimise the "unemployed" difficulty. To secure these ends, and to prevent the evils of overtime and subcontracting, legislation is necessary. If we are right in our conjecture, ifc is evident that the eight hours' principle has made , ra,pid advances in England. The compulsory limi -tation of hours of adult workers in dockyards once introduced, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to refuse 1 to apply the came principle to coal mines 1 and to men engaged ia other occupations j of a dangerous, arduous, or unhealthy j kind. The progress of the legislation to which we have drawn attention will be j watched with interest by workers every-