178 Timehri. 



sequences likely to result from the war and the abolition of the old 

 indenture system. In essentials, however, the position will be the same. 

 While we contend that the idea is erroneous that either money or credit 

 will be lacking after the war except during a short purgatorial period of 

 reconstruction and slump, it is unlikely that money will be raised for 

 some time at less than five per cent. This means an increase of the 

 Editor's estimate of £77,329 by about two-fifths viz., to about £110,000, 

 as the annual amount for which the colony would be liable after the 

 twelfth year for railway and colonization schemes. 



The Secretary of State's despatch, which arrived after the Commit- 

 tee reported, asked for information as to the possible traffic and laid 

 down as an essential for imperial financial assistance " ultimate financial 

 control " of the colony by the Home Government. There 3re many 

 ways of securing such control and it does not necessarily imply a surren- 

 der of our very old-fashioned constitution, which cumbrous and illogical 

 as it is, has still many adherents. We doubt the advisability of compli- 

 cating the difficult problem of opening up the colony by any political or 

 constitutional issues beyond the simple question of how to secure ulti- 

 mate financial control for the financially predominant partner. The 

 Railway Committee has not sat since the outbreak of the war and the 

 information asked for by Viscount Harcourt has yet to be supplied. 



We have no doubt that His Excellency Sir Wilfred Collet, when the 

 progress of the Eupuuuni cattle-track has furnished him with preliminary 

 data, will not overlook this matter and it may lead to the addition of a 

 Railway and Development Committee to the list of Committees appointed 

 on August 1st, 1917. 



THE HINTERLAND RAILWAY COMMISSIONS REPORT AND 

 ACCOMPANYING MEMORANDUM. 



From Timehri, Vol. S, p. 190. 



The Committee appointed to discuss His Excellency Sir Walter 

 Egerton's Despatch No. 5 of the 5th Januar}', 1914, to the Secretary of 

 State for the Colonies with respect to a railway into the hinterland of 

 this colony, met on Monday, the 20th April, 1914, in private. The mem- 

 bers present were : — 



The Hons. C. Clementi, M.A., Government Secretary; J. J. Nunan, 

 K.C., Attorney General ; J. Hampden King, Immigration Agent General ; 

 D. M. Hutson, K.C., and J. B. Laing, members of the Executive Council ; 

 the Hons. E. C. Buck, A.M.I.C.E., Colonial Civil Engineer; J. P. Santos ; 

 F. Dias, A. P. Sherlock and C. F. Wieting, members of the Legislature ; 

 Msssrs. C. \V. Prest and J. S McArthur, Mayor of Georgetown, Financial 

 Representatives; J. A. Abbensetts, Mayor of New Amsterdam, ,1. 

 Cunningham, representing the Royal Agricultural and Commercial 



