The Great Western Railway and Electric Ore - Reduction Comp Any Bill, No
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(No. 71.) 18 9 9. PARLIAMENT OF TASMAN IA. THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY AND ELECTRIC ORE - REDUCTION COMP ANY BILL, NO. 3. (P~IVATE): REPORT OF SELECT COMMITT~E, WITH MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS, EVIDENCE_, AND APPENDICES. Brought up by Mr. Propsting, November 22, 1899, and ordered !Jy the House · 0£ Assembly to be printed. Cost of prmting-£46 18s. (No. 71.) SELECT COMMITTEE appointed on the 26th day of Septeinber, 1899, to consider and report upon "The Great Western Railway and Electric O,re Reduction Company Bill, No. 3." ( Private). MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. MR. BRADLEY. MR. BIRD, MR. FOWLER. succeeded by MR. HALL. MR. PAGE. :MR. MURRAY. MR. PROPSTING. (J.liover.) MR. MINISTER OF LANDS AND WORKS, succeeded by MR. W OOLLNOl:-GH. DAYS OF MEETING. Monday, October 16; Tuesday, October 17; Friday, October 20; Tuesday, October 2!; Thursday, November 2; .Friday, November 3; Monday, November 6; Wednesday, November 8; Wednesday, November 15 i Tuesday, November 21; Wednesday, November'22. WITNESSES EXAMINED. Mr. Hugh MacDonald Chrisp, Surveyor-in-Chief to the Great Western Railway Company; Mr. ·walter Harcourt Palmer; Mr. ,valter Ormsby Wise, Secretary to the Law Department; The Honourable Edward Mulcahy, Minister of Lands and Works ; Mr. E. A. Counsel, Surv~yor-General; Mr. John Macneill M'Cormick, Engineer of Existing Lines, Tasmanin,n Government Railways; Mr. F. Back, General Manager, Tasmanian Government Railways; Mr. V\r. J. Mc Williams, M.H.A.; Mr. Stephen Terry; Mr. Jame5 Harrison, Inspector of Mines for the Mining District ; Mr. R. Trivess Moore, of Melbourne. REPORT. YouR Committee, having taken evidence in support of tfie allegations contained in the Preamble of the Bill, have the honour to.report that the said Preamble has been proved to their satisfaction, subject to certain Amendments which the Committee recommend. Your Committee having agreed that the Preamble, as amended, should stand part of the Bill, then entered into consideration of the several Clauses, and have the honour to recommend certain further Amendments and additions. Evidence and Correspondence having been submitted to· your Committee, suggesting that financial aid be g·iven by the Government to the P1·omoters, your Committee deem it proper to draw attention to.thi,; suggestion, but make no recommendation in respect of it. Your Committee have now the honour of submitting the Bill, with the Amendments and additions, to the favourable consideration of your Honourabl~ House. W. B. PROPSTING, Chairman. Committee Room, Hous_e of Assembly, 22nd November, ] 899. Cfo. 71.J . IV M T·N UTE S OF PROCEEDINGS. MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1,899. The Committee met at 3 o'clock. Members present.-Mr. Propsting, Mr. Woollnough, and Mr.. Page. The Clerk read the Ordm; of the House appointing the Committee. Mr. Propsting was appointed Chairman... The Committee deliberated. The Chairman laid upon the Table the Petition praying for leave to b1-ing in the Bill. Mr. Vivia~ Butler appea.red as Counsel for the Petitioners. · Mr. Butler addressed the Committee in support of the Bill. Mr. Hugh MacDonald Chrisp, Surveyor-in-Chief to the Great Western Railway Company, was called in, made the deel~rati.on prescribed in 35 Viet. No. H, and was exammed before the Committee. · Mr. Cl1risp withdrew. At 4·40 the Committee adjourned till 2·30 to-morrow. TUESDAY, OCTOEER 17, 1899. The Committee met at haJf~past 2. /Jfembers present.- Mr. Propsting (Chairman), '"i\ir. Bradley, and Mr. Page. Mr. Walter Harcourt Palmer, C.E., was callf'd in, made the dechtrution prescribed, and was examined before the Committee. Mr. Palmer withdreiv. Mr. Vivian Butler submitted to the Committee the following documents, which were ordered to be printed:- 1. The Prospectus of the Great Northern Railway of Tasmania. 2. The Opinion of the Solicitor-General on Sections 17 and 83 of" The 1.:i-reat vVestern Railway Act, 1896." 3. Letter dated 23rd March, 1899, from Ellis & Co. to W. H. Palmer. 4. Letter dated 27th May, 1899, from Messrs. Jackson & Prince to W. H. Palmer. 5. Letter dated 5th June, 1899, from John Norton to J. w·. Bakewell. 6. Letter dated 7th June, 1899, from H. E. Wamer & Co. to W. G. Bakewell. 7. Letter dated 8th June, 1899, from John Ilrunlees to W. H. Palmei·. 8. Letter dated 9th June, 1899, from Edwin Sloper to W, H. Palmer. 9. Letter doted 16th June, 1899, from Walford Bros. & Co. to W. J. Bakewell. 10. Letter dated 19th June, 1899, from J. W. Stubbins to J. W. Bakewell. ll. Extract from a letter dated 22nd June, 1899, from H. Tennant to W. H. Palmer. 12. Letter dated 8th August, 1899, from W. E. Dalton to W. H. Palmer. 13. Copies of the Correspondence between the Bight Honourable the Premiei· and the Agent-General (Sir Philip Fysh). Mr. Butler also submitted to the Committee a pamphlet entitled "Some facts connected with the project known as 'The Great Western Railway and Electric Power Company Limited,' formed under the A.et of the Parliament of Tasmania, 60 Victoria." · A.t 4·20 the Committee adjourn~d till halt~past 2 on Friday next. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1899. The Committee met at half'..past 2 o'clock. JYlembers pre~ent.-Mr. Propsting (Chairman), Mr: Bradley, and Mr. Page. At 3·45 the Committee adjourned till half-past 2 on Tuesday n·ext. 'l'UESDAY, OC'fOBER 24, 1899. The Committee met at half'..past 2 o'clock. lliembers pre5-ent ..:_Mr. Propsting (Chail'man), Mr. Page, and Mr. vVoollnough. :Mr. Walter Harcourt Palmer, C.E., was recalled and further examined. · Mr. Palmer withd1:ew. Mr. Butler submitted to the Committee :- (1.) Opinions on, and suggested alterations to, Sections of the Great ;Western Railway Act, 1896, (Private.) (2.) Letter dated22nd Jnue, 1899, from i\fr. H. Tennant, to l\Ir. vY. H. Palmer. , I At 4·15 the Committee adjourned sine die. · . THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1899. The Committee met at 11 o'clock. llfembers p1·esent. -Mr. Propsting (Chairman),· Mr. Fowler, Mr. Page, Mr. Bradley, aud Mr. Murray. (No 71'.)- . V The Committee deliberated. The Minutes of the last M·eeting were read and confirmed. Mr. Woollnough took his seat. Ordered, That Mr. Back, General Manager of Railways, Mr. Minister of Lands and Works, Mr. J. M._ M'Cormick, Engineer of Existing Lines, Tasmanian Government Railways, and Mr. E. A. Counsel, Surveyor General, be summoned to give evidence, the three last for 11 o'clock to-morrow. ( Mr. Bmdley.) Mr. Walter Ormsby Wise, Secretary to the Law Department, was called in a.nd made the declaration prescribed and was examined before the Committee. Mr. Wise submitted to the Committee copies of opinions ·of the Solicitor-General on Section 15 of the Great. Westem Railway Act, 1896, (Private), dated 22nd April, and 3rd July, 1899, respectively. Mr. Wise withdrew. At 12 o'clonk the CommittPe adjourned till half~past 10 to-morrow. I FRID~Y, NOVEMBER 3, 18119. The Committee met at half-past 10 o'clock. :Member.~ present-Mr. Propsting (Chairman), Mr. Page, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Hall, Mr. Woollnopgh, Mr._ Murray, and Mr. Fowler. The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. Mr. Butler explained that he had ascertained that the appendix marked E., which had been put in as being the opinion_ofthe Solicitor-General, was, in fact, a memorandum of the ex-Preri1ier. He wished at the earliest oppor tunity to correct this error. The advisers of the Company and Mr. Palmer were under the impression th~t the document was genuine, and it had been handed to them as a copy of the Solicitor-General's opinion, this being the first time he had had an opportunity of seeing the original documents. He very much regretted that the mi,take • had been made, and could assure the Committee that it was purely unintentional on the part of the Comp:i,ny's representatives. He also wi~hed to inform the Committee that advices had recently been received intimating the fact tha~ Mr. Austin, who was a member of the Board of Directors of the London Company, had withdrawn from that positi-Jn. The Honourable Edward Mulcahy, Minister of Lands and "\'Vorks, was called in, made the declaration pre- scribed, and was examined before t!ile Committee. Mr. Muleahy withdrew. Mr. vYalter Ormsby "\Vise was recalled a.nrl further examined, Mr. Wise produced a copy ofa memorandum from Sir Edward Braddon to the Solicitor-General on the si;.bject of Section 15 of the Great Westem Railway Act, 1896 (Private). , Mr. Wise brought with him for inspection, but did not hand in, the original of the memorandum attached to a number of other documents. Mr. Butler requested the Committee to call for the documents brought by Mr. Wise. Mr. E. A. Counsel, Surveyor-General, was called in, made the declaration prescribed, and was examined before• the Committee. - Mr. Counsel withdrew. Mr. John Macneill M'Cormick, Engineer of Existing Lines, Tasmanian Government Railw~ys, was calJed in, .. made the declaration prescribed, and was examined before the Committee. Mr. M'Cormick withdrew. Mr. vValter Harcourt Palmer was recalled and further examined. Mr. Palmer withdrew. The application of Mr. Butler for permission to inspect papm·s was considered by the Committee. Resolved, That Mr. Butler Le informed that the Committee coul,d not accede to the req u0st that the papers, brought down by Mr. vYise should be called for, or that he should be grantetl permission to have acc;ess to them; but, that if Mr. Butler should apply specifically to have any docmment called for, his request would be com;idered by·the Committee. (Mr. Page.) ' Ordered, That a letter 1.J.e sent to the-Honomable the Chief Secretary, with a copy of the papers ordered to be printed by the Committee, requesting him to have those appendices, mEtrkecl in red pencil, compared with the original papers in the Premfor's Office, and certified as true copies.