UNITED POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 301, 20 December 1928, Page 9

UNITED POLICY.

PROMPT START MADE.

COMPLETING THE RAILWAYS

PRIME MINISTER'S ORDERS.

MKN REQUIRED AT ONCE,

A REMINDER FOR "CROAKERS."

fßv Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. One uf the. big policy points of the Wanl Oovcrnment is already going into operation. Tho Prime Minister, Sir Jcsrph Ward, announced to-day that the Public Works Department had been instructed to arrange for additional numbers of men to be put on the railways that lmd been previously announced as part of the general policy of tho Government, and to make arrangements to push on with construction of the Tara-rtnki-Aiiokland railway, the GisborneNnpirr railway, the Inangahua-Westport rnilwny, and the Midland railway to Nelson.

The officers of the Department, said Sir Joseph, had been advised to put matters in motion to get ready for going right on with these works. Definite instructions had also been given that surveyors were to be employed without delay to put in hand the surveying of the South Island trunk railway, and it was to bo done as expeditiously as possible.

Objections Always Raised. Emphasising the fact that the Government was not going to delay starting these works, Sir Joseph said he remembered that similar expressions to those which had been urged by some opponents of the South Island Main Trunk had been made against some of the principal lines that had been constructed in the country. The North Island Main Trunk railway was a case in point. He was head of the Ward Government when this line in its later years was prosecuted vigorously.

There were croakers, no doubt with the best of intentions, then, as is the case now, who predicted failure from the point of view of the railway paying its ■way. Statements of the kind were cirrnlatcd. for years, and so, also, with the Canterbury-West Coast railway. The pouring out of opposition to it on the grounds that it would be a great white elephant was endless. The Government did not hesitate to push these lines on as fast as possible to completion. Now. anyone making similar statements regarding any of the five lines (including the South Island trunk railway), all of which the Government was determined to push on with in order to complete them as early as possible, would rot deter it from carrying out its policy. He predicted that in the whole of these cases similar results on completion of the different lines referred to would be achieved.

Gisborne-Napier Survey. Regarding the Gisborne-Napier railway, tome question had been raised as to the route. Naturally, those who were raising the question were entitled to consideration. There was a difference of £600,000 between the two routes, and official representations were quite clear that the shorter route which would save £600,000, would meet the whole,requirements that the Gieborne-Napier railway was started with the object of proTiding. Before definitely deciding this natter, however, a full report would be obtained. There was one thing, however, quite certain, concluded the Prime Minister, and that was that if the results required could be obtained by a caving of £600,000 the Government would most unhesitatingly adopt that course.