THE OTAGO CENTRAL JOB.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 327, 20 July 1889, Page 2

THE OTAGO CENTRAL JOB.

It is pleasing to learn that the Otago Central Railway Bill will not after all be forced upon the country, for Ministers now find that when they take upon themselves to try and catch votes by supporting one job, there are plenty of others prepared to come forward and try and take advantage of such a disposition. This is what the New Zealand Herald has to say about the affair;—There seems lit tie doubt, however, that the Bill will pass, and we regard the prospect as a convincing sign of the decadence of the Parliament which the Ministry have the hardihood to attempt hoodwinking by so barefaced a Bill, the proposals of the Bill when analysed are simply to appropriate £15,000 a year from the cons li lated revenue, and to mortgage forty-four ' shepp rqns with an aggregate of 067,884 acres, now producing to (he consolidated Sivenuc a yearly sum of £15,072, Not is tl li the worst feature. The Government ffiaj (borrow from any of its trust fundj,

and no doubt will regulate its borrowing according to the ‘ good ’ or • bad ’ behaviour of the member or members concerned in the district. It they be ‘ good ' the railway wi 1 80 on; if not, their popularity with their constituents will be made to suffer. The runs so mortgaged will be closed against Battlement until the mortgage is paid off, or a loan authorised to issue debentures instead of them. This will doubtless be the ultimate result of the finessing which marks this bill. It is in every line an unprincipled measure, seeking to disguise its real meaning, favoring a particular district, throwing a new burden on the taxpayers, placing further off all hopes of remitting lhe obnoxious property tax, and giving to Ministers a power of influencing members which they ought not to possess.