Legislative Assembly Hansard 1912
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Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 1912 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Adjournment. [19 NovEMBER.] Wee JVlcwy1·egor Tramway. 2527 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. TUESDAY, 19 NOVE)IBER, 1912. The SPEAKER (Ron. W. D. Armstrong, Lockyer) took the chair at half-past 3 o'clock. PAPER. The following paper, laid on the table; was ordered to be printed:- Statistics for the State of Queensland: for the year 1911. QUESTION. CouxcrL's OPINION-RESTORATION OF PATENTS .. Mr. FIHELLY (Padd·ington) asked the Secretarv for Public Instruction- " i. On what date w<ts the opinion on restoration of patents obtained by the Crown from Messrs. Irvine and Schutt? " 2. What was the fee paid by the Crown for that opinion?" The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC IN STRGCTIOX (Hen. J. W. Blair, Ipswich) replied- ." ThA AttornDv-General adYises me as folio,, s : -- · " 1. No opinion from Messrs. IrYine and Schutt was obtained bv the Crown, but their opinion was ha.nd -d to the Attorney-General. '· 2. No foe was paid by the Crown for this opinion." WEE MACGREGOR TRAMWAY AGREE MENT BILL. I~ITI.ATION. The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS CHon. \Y. T. Paget, 1fiackay) moved- " That the House -,,ill, at its next sit ting, resolve itself into a Committee of the vYhole to consider of the desirable ness of introducing a Bill to empower the Commissioner for Railwa:~' to enter into an agreement with the Macgregor Cloncurry Copper Mines, Limited, with respect to the construction by the com pany of a tramway connecting its 1nines with the Malbon to Sulieman Creek State Railway." Mr. RYAN (Barcoo): From the form in which this motion has been moved by the Secretary for Railways, I see that this. must mean a syndicate railway, and I regret that the Secretary for Railways has not seen fit to give some explanation as to the nature of the agreement which is proposed to be entered into with the Macgregor Cloncurry Copper Mines, Limited. He might have known when I called "Not formal" that my desire was to obtain whatever informa tion he might be pleased to give. The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS: I will give· the information at another stage. Mr. RYAN : It is well known to the han. gentleman that this party is opposed to syndicate railways, and it must also be well known to him, and to the Government, that proposals in the nature of syndicate rail ways are likely to meet with very strenuous opposition from this side of the House. It Mr. Ryan.~ 2528 Wee Macgregor Tramway [ASSEMBLY.] Agreement Bill, .is the general desire to cloee the session on leads to a eul de sac. It does not go through December 6th, and I do not think the han. pastoral or agricultural country,_ and _the~e gentleman is likely to facilitate that result fore it i~ distinctly a miueral !me w1th 1ts by not giving information when " not attendant circumstances-that is to say, every formal " is called to a motion of this kind. 100 000 tons of ore taken out brings the end w~ are !'bsolutely in the dark, if we allow of ~sefulness nearer whereas a line passing .this motiOn to go, as to the nature of the through a district' in which _there is not proposal. only mineral areas, but agncultural . and The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS; We have pastoral interests, provid~s a contmual till sunrise to-morrow. freight. The proposal wh10h the Mmis~er seeks leave to introduce is one by whwh Mr. RYAN: Till sunrise to-morrow, but the Commissioner can enter into an agr~e .still there will be one stage passed in which ment to supply certain material on whwh we can put up a fight on this matter, and interest will be paid at the rate of 5 per there must be some special reason why the cent. The company will do all the wc;>rk, hen. gentleman has not seen fit to give us which is estimated to be about two-thuds an idea of the nature of the agreement. of the total value. The construction of the I trust some other member of the Cabinet line will supply work for a 11umber of men, will see fit to rise and give an explanation and wiil open up a district the reports of as to what this proposal means. It rna: be which we know from our own departmental that this party rna;;· desire to move an officers arc of a verv satisfactory nature; amendment to this motion with a view to that will ~ive work "to miners .for a long enlarging the scope of it, otherwise, if we time, and ~ill supply the. Comi~Iissioner wit_h afterwards proceed with the Bill, we may frei..,hts outward and freights mward. It ts find that we will be tied down by the a ·p~oposal that has in it all the elements motion. From the Press reports which I of good business, ':'nd I . hope han. _membe~s saw quite recently, I conclude that this mat will be content With this mformat10n until ter has been before a meeting of the party, thev see the Bill which will be introduced m and it must be that every Minister is ac quainted with the nature of the proposal, du0 course. ' and before it goes through, I trust some Mr. RYAN: What about payment of the member on the front Treasury bench will principal? rise and give us some information, and if The PREMIER : It is merely proposed to it is not forthcoming, I trust some other provide rails and sleepers on a payi~ent of member on this side of the House will en 5 per cent. per annum, With the nght to deavour to elicit the information I have en take up our rails whenever we want them. deavoured to elicit. Mr. MAY: Will you have the right of re The PREMIER (Hen. D. F. Denham, purchase? Oxley) : In order to facilitate business, and with a view to relieve the hen. member's The PREMIER: Yes, all that is provide~; mind, I think, when he sees the Bill to they can either purch!'se from the Commis morrow, he will be quite satisfied that this sioner or the Commissioner can purchas~ is not what is technically known as a syndi from them. As for scr,ap iron, rr.ils that cate line. To begin with, it is a tramway have been laid down many years have line to be built under the Mining Act. Leen taken up and found tc;> be m pe~ fect or.der. It is a sound busm.ess _Propo~I Mr. LENNON : What will be the gauge? tion, and the House can deal with It c;>n Its The PREMIER : 3 feet 6 inches. Last merits as such. The hou. member ;sa1d .he year, before I came to the Chief Secretary's desired some information. I have g1ven m office, negotiations had been entered into fnrmation which I think is Sl}fficient, a?d with my predecessor by the Wee Macgregor I sincerely hope the Hou~e will _deal w!th people for the construction of a I'ailway on the Bill on its merits. It IS a proJect whwh the same principle and terms and condi should be dealt with in the sa.me m~nner tions as the Mount Elliott line, and the as any other railway-purely on Its merits. negotiations had proceeded pretty well to Mr. LENNON (Herbert): I listened w~th .the v>int of signing on, but I must confess great care to the statement of the Premier I wao not enamoured of the proposal in that givmg information that the Secretary fer form. Towards the end of last session the Railways evidently desired not to convey to 0ompany was desirous that we should com plete arrangements. I was not very in the Committee. dined so to do, because at that time I was The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS: Not at all. not fully satisfied as to the mineral-bearing Mr. LENNON: The Premier told us that qualities of the neighbourhood. Now, the it was proposed to enter in~o agree.ment, proposal before the House is quite a dif but it did not mean a syndicate railway. ferent thing. The mining company proposes That was a mere euphemism. to lay the tramway bed and do all the work The PHEMIER: I was asked for .informa in connection therewith, and the Bill simply tion, and I have given it. I thmk that asks that the Commissioner may enter into negotiations with the company for the use is a fair thing. of rails and sleepers, the estimated value of Mr. LENNON : The hon. gentleman has which is approximately £27,000, on which inferred that this agreement will provide, the company will pay the Commissio11er 5 amongst other things, for the supply of rails per centum per annum. The Bill that and sleepers on payment of interest 31nnually will oo SU·bmittt>cl to-morrow will give just at 5 per cent. Whilst it may _be .a fa1r retur_n the outlines of the agreement, but it is a on the rails, anyone knows It Is not a fa!r proposition of a business character, and can return on sleepers, because the sleepers 111 l:e considered by the House altogether apart, twenty years will be as rotten as the agree I talm it, from party predilections as to ment itself. what comes under the category of syndicates The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS: I suppose or c1herwise. It is a vast mineral area which the line has to be maintained.