Ashborton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1913. PUBLIC WORKS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8725, 26 November 1913, Page 4

Ashborton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1913. PUBLIC WORKS.

The Stateinentslpfeseiited to the House yesterday by the Minister pt' Public Works is notable chiefly for the fact that the expenditure on public works last year was the largest for 30 years, and that notwithstanding this great drain on the fund it was in credit nearly £400,000 when the year''closed. The extensive to loan money is of course responsible for this result, but .though !it may appear /satisfactory.... from the Minister's point of view to close the books with'a balance.to. ; credit; ,it is scarcely open to 'doubt.that the country is not getting ,as much benefit from loans as it would do if every available pound was spent in development work. The interest on this huge surplus is absolutely lost, 1 while backblocks settlers are pleading for its expenditure on roads and bridges that indirectly would represent a reproductive investment. The ■ Statement, shows that railway construction is going pn steadily, but at an abnormally slow rate on all lines. The total mileage ■ completed during the year was 1 52, almost completed 28, and. 1 .about 65 miles are under conVstructioh. The progress of: the South Island Main Trunk line is not being accelerated. The.record | for this line is 28 miles iii ][;%% ! years, from the Blenheim eiid, ' and as only: £20,000 is provided for expenditure at both ends dur- [ ing the coming year, the record of a mile per annum is not likely to be exceeded. Seeing that excessive '. Ministers of Railways have recognised the great importance of this | arterial line, and that Sir Joseph Ward made a definite promise, when Minister of Railways, that .as soon as the North Island Main Trunk was completed vigorous prosecution of work on this line would be commenced, the miserable pittance allotted might form the basis of a. legitimate protest! from the leader of the Opposition. An interesting point is. raised by the Minister in his reference to the vexed question of the maintenance of main roads. ;• Local bodies through which.these roads pass contend that it is the duty of the Government, to keep them in repair; but so far they have not been able to convince the officials of the Public Works Department that this is i> reasonable proposition. The Minister now. says that "it will not be an easy matter to define what constitutes a main road. v This opens up ; entirely new ground, but there can surely i be no two opinions on the subject -—not' even -the " terminological inexactittide "": of legal phraseology could possibly prove thai a. road •■which carries the bulk of the traffic is not a main road. In any case, the local bddies will not quarrel about the definition if the .Government does its duty andl maintains the roads that are es-' sentinlly public in the sense that I they are used by the travelling public who do not contribute to their upkeep. F.pv the rest, there is little in the" Statement that '.earls' for comment. There.is no ; -evidence in it of a progressiVe policy in public ; works, and the settlers in the back-blocks who hoped that their claims^:to sideration wouldr have received special attention ' will be able: to ■extract small comfort from the Minister's concluding. iwords :— "There are still' far too many settlers who Have had for- years past either no access, or quite inadequate access, to their'proper-' ties, but the number of these, I' ■•am pleased to say, is diminishing/'-- ■-■.■. ' -■•:-;::;. :