I'd like to have a jolly good row with
somebody." "Get married," said I. This tickled him greatly and restored
his good humour. He lived and died a bachelor nevertheless.
In 1896 the _Railways (Ireland) Act_ was passed, and with it Robertson
had much to do. Its purpose ran: "To facilitate the construction of
Railways and the Establishment of other means of Communication in
Ireland, and for other purposes incidental thereto." It provided for
further advances by the Treasury, under prescribed conditions, for
constructing railways and for establishing lines of steamers, coaches,
etc., which were shown to be necessary for the development of the
resources of any district, where owing to the circumstances of such
district, they could not be made without government assistance. It also
authorised the construction and maintenance, as part of such railways, of
any pier, quay or jetty. This little Act, which consisted of thirteen
sections (I wonder he did not think the number unlucky), was Robertson's
particular pet. Concerning its clauses, from the time they were first
drafted, many a talk we had together over a cup of tea with, to use his
own expression, "a wee drappie in't.
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