Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1885.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1177, 5 September 1885, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1885.

"jfEAStTRES, NOT MBIT." ' The Government contrived to avoid the main issues raised by Major Atkin> son in the series of resolutions which he tabled in the House of Representatives at the end of last month by getting Mr Macandrew to move an amendment on the first. The House debated this, and it was eventually carried; and

although it by no means~ traversed the resolutions, the Premier chose to consider thkt these were practically disposed of, and declined to allow them to take 'precedence on the Order Paper. It is .mush's toy.be; regretted,^.we think, inthe interests of J the-c^,iitty, that all the propositions of" the leader of the Opposition were not discussed on their merits ; and we believe, moreover, that they very generally express public opinion, which has little, confidence. in Ministers, and less in their policy. No doubt' a i technical l victory was scored in the defeat of Mr Hislop's proposed addition to Mr Macandtew's amendment; but the notoriously equivocal tactics by which the division was carried deprive the result of all significance, politioal or moral. The present position is that the House has resolved " that it is inexpedient that the discus, sion of the items of the Estimates should h6 taken in the form of a general resolution, and that it is inadmissable to take the question of a new loan' until the necessity of • sueh 1 loan has been made apparent, and until the Estimates (notably the Public Works Estimates) have been considered." The Government, it will be seen, are by no means out of the fire. They have to ask, Parliament to authorise by Statute further borrowing to the extent of one million ; several important parts of the ordinary Estimates , are not yet voted ; an<l the Publio Wdrks Estimates have not been considered at alii The Opposition, or any ' member objecting to their proposals as a whole or in part, can at any time, on the motion of going into Committee of Supply, submit such objections to the House ; and it is of course open to Maj6r Atkinson, being refused the opportunity of moving his second, third, fourth, and fifth resolutions as t " Orders of the Day," to bring them forward on any occasion when it may be proposed to proceed with the Estimates. We, were i inclined to differ somewhat from most of our Otago contemporaries in regard to the desirability of allowing tire East and West Ooaafc md Nklsou railways to be constructed on certain terms and conditions by private . enterprise. Meiggs and Sons certainly opened their mouths very wide; but we, entirely failed to, see what reasonable grounds existed for'the refusal of the House to allow the matter to be considered by a Select Committee.. The proposal that the construction should be undertaken by the Colony stands on quite a different footing, and is manifestly open to very serious objections. The estimated cost is £3,130,000, and possibly if the lines are pushed on and finished in four or five years, they would be completed for something like the estimate ; but if undertaken by the Colony, the cost would most certainly be more. Presuming that even so large an amount as £300,000 was appropriated annually for the purpose, the construction would extend over ten years. The Minister of Public "Works himself pointed out, in speaking to the motion for the appointment of a Committee, that, judging by what has taken place on other lines built at a similar rate in different parts of the Colony, it would ba found that a considerable sum of money would require to be expended on repairs and maintenance of those portions first constructed, which would materially increase the cost ; and " independently of this we should have an enormous annually-increasing burden on the consolidated revenue in the shape of interest, amounting in all to about £684,000." Sir Julius Yogel, iv the same debate (for ifc suited him then to deprecate the construction by the Colony), declared that " if we are to take in charge the construction of this line, additional upon other works to which we are committed, the question will have to arise of how the funds are to be provided at Colonial cost. And it cannot but be the , case that the undertaking of this , work by the Colony on, ijs own account would mean a very' serious retardation of works in other, parts, of the Colony, for which a deniand is' springing up." This, however, is, what the House is now asked , to. approve,, since, the vote of £150,000 now proposed would immediately^ 'commit the Colony to the construction of the lines, involving (according to the Hon. Mr Richardson) a liability of expenditure of an amount not fa? short of four millions. Surely Major Atkinson is fight in affirming that "in the present condition of the finances of the Colony it is not desirable that the Government should now undertake the construction" of these railways. In iregard to the North Island trunk railway, it would be absolutely preposterous to proceed with the construction, if the Native territory to be traversed is to be closed to European settlement. Major Atkinson desires that no further expenditure should be, incurred until satisfactory arrangements have been made for the acquisition of not less than 500,000 acres. The present Native Minister, with the purpose of re-instituting personal government, has been and is playing into the hands of the Native chiefs, who desire to maintain the isolation of the Native districts. His policy is , condemned by all the members of the House who are conversant with Native affairs ; and there is little doubt that if he has the opportunity to carry it out, settlement in the North Island will be indefinitely! postponed, and the railway through the interior will b 9 neither useful nor remunerative.' In frespect of the fifth resolution, which-, proposes retrenchment in the .public expenditure, there can hardly be, two .opinions as ho the expediency, and.- prudence of material economy.- Major < < Atkinson — and he . should 'BurelyJ ktifow—^considers this to be practical with6u6 v jm'pairing the efficiency of the servrceV 1 ""'' ;<

Sir Petbb Soratohi.ey., British Commis* sioner, has taken his departure for New Guinea, to found (be first civilised Government there,