The Press. Thursday, June 12, 1919. Railway Construction Policy.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16547, 12 June 1919, Page 6

The Press. Thursday, June 12, 1919. Railway Construction Policy.

The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce t carried a resolution last week demanding that tlie South Island Main Trunk lino, Being of "paramount im"portanco," should be completed before any other railway lino in the Dominion. This line is a very important one, and the case for its early completion is stronger than that of any of tho lines now under construction in the North Island. But it would bo absurd to say that its completion should be pushed on at the cost of further delay in tho construction of the Otira tunnel, and if the Marlborough. Chamber of Commerce docs make such a claim it is doing so in defiance of commonsense and of the opinion of the vast majority of the people in this Island. We are not surprised that the Auckland "Herald" has been quick to make the most of the Chamber's resolution, since dissensions in this Island over the order of precedence in railway construction is exactly what Auckland would like to see. Our contemporary declares that the resolution referred to "shows that the pre- " eminence of the Otira tunnel as a •' national work is disputed even in the "South Island,'' and that "under such "circumstances Canterbury and West- " land can hardly expert the North " Island to accept their grandioso pre- " tensions, nor will the Public Works "Department be disposed to starve "South Island lines in favour of the '' tunuel until there is substantial agree"ment among the provinces." Tho " Herald" then proceeds to discover a hitherto unsuspected regard for the South Island Main Trunk line, but ib does this so crudely that we do not suppose even the most infatuated Aucklander will fail to see that his "Herald" cares nothing for any South Islandl I line, and is anxious only to see the pro- | vinces of this island quarrelling amongst themselves. The people of Marlborough will not bo so dull, we thinic, as not to ■porceive this, but it would be as wield if the Tunnel League were to put itself in communication with Marlborough in order to secure both provinces against disagreements and misunderstandings which can benefit nobody but the Auckland agitators.

Our Auckland contemporary, in tho course of its article, draws one quito just conclusion from the Marlborough body's resolution. Tho rival agitations, it says, ''only show tho need for a classi- " ficntion of public works in the order " of their importance," and it suggests that this should be undertaken by " some non-political liody chosen for the "business acumen rf its members, and " commanding the confidence of both "islands." .These sentiments, coming from such a quarter, will be regarded as encouraging by those who, like ourselves, have long realised that there must be some radical change in the system under which tho money available for development purposes is allocated. The leaders of public opinion in other centres, cither because they have not felt strongly the need for reform or because they have regarded a practical reform -as impossible, have until now been content merely to go on urging the j local claims for expenditure on various projects. Auckland has been the typ-cal ' case. Auckland is suffering, like other provinces, from the policy of the Gov- I

ernment and the Public Works Department, although its grievances aro far smaller than go-?d A'ickl nders rrpree'nt them to be. And Auckland has hitherto concentrated upon the plan of decrying the rest of the Dominion and clamouring for the immediate satisfaction of Auckland's needs. The system according to which the public works fund is spent has appeared bad in Auckland's eyes only because it did not allot all the money to Auckland -works. "We aro glad, therefore, that at last a voice has been raised in the northern province on behalf nf reform on broader grounds than the discontent of Queen street.