NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 641, 19 October 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Of much interest to New Zealand at all times, and especially just now, when the railway deputation is a fierce and ■nunioKHH species, is tho following extract from a speech by Lord .Robert Cecil on September 7 last in opposing the British Government's■', Development Fund Bill,, under which it is' proposed .that tb* State shall make grants for publicwoiks: •■■..•' ■. ' ."■■ \ . The, schema was ' likely to produce great waste of public money, and it was almost certain to produce very grave danger of political corruption. Hβ believed schomos of. the kind wfre in operation in almost all our colonies and in some foreign countries. He was told only the other day that it was common talk in Canada that a • wavering constituency always vot«d in the soma way as the majority of the country appeared to be likely to ■ decide, so that they might obtain a share of the'loa'ves. aild fishes when the Government cdm'e into power. A friend of. his described to him how ho saw a large army. of. workmen engaged in repairing tho wall of a public buildtng in one of our t colonies, and how when he expressed surprise to see so many, men engaged in a trivial work Uo was rebukod for Ms simplicity, and told that a general election would be ■ immediately Un -progress. •.'■.■.: In our own country was it not almost certain that one of the duties of every member of Farlinineht would be'.to extort from the Cjovorn : ment of tho day as much as ho could- in order to develop the various districts which he represented ?, When a critical by-election was in progress, when perhaps a Minister ' was seeking re-election, he could quito coneoivo tlio telegram ■that" would conio from those fountains of purity described as party '■ managers 'demanding' , that some great .expenditure on a harbour should bo-executed in. order to secure the return nf the newly-ap-pointed Chancollor of tho Duchy, i :..

The" Rangitikei election showed us that the timely tologram may bo sent by the Government. The commonta of the British press on Loed Robert Cecil's speoch arc vorV'interesting.' The Liberal papers objected to his arguments on the singular ground that what he foared would not. como to pass.; On al) 'hands'it'.was recognised that itwould bo -very- evil to _qx\ pose the 'Government to, temptation. £h& Times observed:";'. ■ .

A Government-armed- with power to.sanction and. ilnauco ; schemes of development - of almost cyory kind, :bo. they great or, small, would bo something more' than .human, find something less;than democratic, if .it., succeeded in applying, ; Uicso,powers without. reference' of. any ..'sort" to /its' own' political advantage. .' . ',' All growing communities. are familiar with the imnienso and indefensible levorago which such conditions create.for tho Oovernment in power. , ' ■' '.

It io rec.lly a little amusing to find'the "roads and bridges" membor' treated as one of Lord Robert ' Cecil's bogeys. They do. not' know this awful product in' England just yet. If Dr. Findmy is still reading .Mu. ; • Lloyd-George's speeches to find'arguments for his now theories, wo invite his .attention to.the recognition.of the necessity for. preventing a Public Works: Fund from becoming a- source , of. corruption. "At any rato," said' the Chancellor, "they had here thai check of an adyispry committco, and anjvman who had been at'the Treasury must know that such a committee ■'■ was : a safeguard against whichtho Treasury could fall back upon to. .rcsisi; political'pressure." !In'./'New Zealand we have no check, and Veknow what'happens..' v : .', •"> '-'■■.■,'■{.■;■ '

It has afforded us a, good deal of pleasure '. on ' the ' rare . occasions which- havo ■ ■ arisen to compliment' the Prime 1 •. Minister and : his colleagues tho Ministers for Railways and Public Works on their bursts' of' outspokenness in respect-of railway, matters. Each at ono time or another recently lias vory properly sot his face against.; tho : construction of a non-paying railway; or the; granting of .a concession, likely to add to ■the already .heavy annual loss on the .working, railways. At; the present moment* when- the pressure ; from tho railway. deputationist ■: is exceptionally heavy,, it is just as well 1 that we should recall;to. Ministers .their previous profession?, and oncburago them to .stand, firmly to them; Very few people who know anything of the ways of .politicians attach vory much importance , to tho broad generalities of members of Parliaassurances so" glibly made, and so easily forgotten, of a determination to judge. each , case on its_ merits, and to decido only ~as the, best interests'of the country dictate. ' The best interests .p£, the country are too frequently governed! by the voting strength of a constituency < affected by the matter under consideration. . But when. Ministers annouace a definite line of - policy, it has to bo , taken'. more seriouely, and the: Prime Minister appears to have dono something of this kind to an Otago deputation., yesterday— somethiiig whichalep appeared toshow a weakening in the attitude previously, taken up. After definitely stopping construction of the Lawrence-Eoxburgn line, on the ground that it will hot pay even 3.per cent., the Government is holding out hopes that if the residents of the district through which the line would pass will guarantco tho running loss, the railway will be constructed over a portion of the distance at least.; This,proposal appears to involve the laying down of a gonoral principle on the subject of railway construction. At first sight it seems harmless enough,, but there aro strong objections to it. Tho most obvious, of course. is the fact that so long as political control of the railways continues, there can never be any certainty that any condition imposed will be enforced for any longth of time.' Political pressure which can force a Government to ouild a railway, can also force the Government or its successors to romove the conditions imposed.,, Either tho circumstances warrant the constructionof a railway, or they do not, and the Government is making porpotual trouble for itself in any attempt at compromise of tho naturo suggested. Tho assessment of tho earning pov'er of a branch railway which feeds a main trunk lincjs, in itofilf, a fruitful source of trouble. Our; purpose, howovor, on tho present occasion, is rather to support tho Government in ■ resisting any unreasonable pressure which might be brought to bear on it lu the'raatwr of railway construction. We should Uke to

600 tho whole question of futuro railway development thoroughly investigated and carefully planned by an independent body o£ experts, and tho work then put in band on a systematic basis. In tho ond, this course would savo tho country a vast amount of money, and'.would act as a buffer between Ministers and the insatiable deputationist.