GOVERNMENT SQUANDERING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 646, 25 October 1909, Page 3

GOVERNMENT SQUANDERING.

Sir,—l notico that the Government. has just borrowed another million, half of which is for the Government advances' to settlers, 'while 'the ! other ,£500,000 is.'for public works. • Now, the' half million for \he advances to settlers is'for :» very good .purpose and :is needed! bat.thofo :is:no do,not that this" half-million for. public ■works will be squandered,'as already Millions have' previously beenduring the Seddon and the Ward Administrations, mora particularly tho latter. Millions havo been simply thrown and squandered away, .on', these public, works by this preseilt Government. For., instance, just for one,.case. " Take the Seddon, railway ' works. .' I refer to,, the. line. from. Seddon to Flaxbournc, which \ the Government' is still pottering 'away with. ■. Now I am ,told.-that. tho • Government promised tho successful applicants for . Mnxbonrne that the railway, . wonld be thero before two years.' Th'is promise,., like many/more of thom,, aro just like' pie-crusts, easily broken,' for.four years have now passed since then, and at the present ra'e of pro. ; eress it will be .at least another twenty, .vear;t before 'the lino is completed to Flaibouriie. . This is a very easy line to construct, as it traverses good easy country the whole., way, but it. is simply sickening the way tile Government have been tinkering with .it', and it ,is disgraceful the amount: of- money that has boon already squandered away in" connection 4 -with'it : enough has already boon spent to:con.'struct; the whole.. lino nearly-twice.over,.yet : it .is-not like half completed yet, and already four fears .behind, time;; This, is only, ,0116 of' the hundreds more of public works jobs' where hun- , dreds of'thousands of pounds are sin«ply;sf|u.in,d,ered,!.away; yearly.."This SeddonOjlaibourne : ' line>,is only .; about • fourteen miles.'ia length, only ajverjf. small .pieco, of work, and if,in tho' : first 'place 'it;-had beea let or ioui

: small contracts it would have been completed 1 some two years, ago ..according to promise, nt 3 far less than olio-quarter what it will have cost . the Government, th&. trains would have been » running, and-, thb lino earning. revenue thifc j laspwo.years., But'progress of this kind,;t<v 1 B e vner with saving considerable money, is not the present Government's motto..Their-aim „■ in. regards to public works • .and' most other things is to get a lot,of small jobs in hand, i *}}<{■- to keep : them hung; up as long'as po&j sible, and squander money ..on them year ;af- . tcr jeat. Aho biggest squandering is done L election time,'.this-being the clec«- ' tors bait, but the people'have got, sick and • J ir ?d ot these tricky.,ejection, baits, and .the , baits from vthis out' will indeed have' to *be , very tempting, and dished, up very carefully ■ and niccly before-the .publio will swallow them k -Again. j -There is not the', slightest '.'doubt 'that this j. Government is on its last legs, and well, the ■ 1 nine Minister and his colleagues know' it; i now they are working all sorts of aedges I Jo haiig on_as long as possible by offering i tempting baits; yoft,.soap, and polishing things , J®. the) cau. But it won't wash, for i ™ e peoplp can plainly , see for themselves that , the coun.ry badly needs a change," and"■ that f thls 1 Present .Government waivts the much- » nwded- push mtho back." They sco also in i ~?*•. Massey a real straight,-honest man of the 1 . highest integrity, and they are just about to . reward hini and his party for tho gallant way , they havo tried .to keep this Government from •• squandering far more. than they have done ' these years past, It is only a question of timo (and very short at. that) when Jhe Reform .party will come to power. Then we can with , safety look forward to getting, progresscom- , bmed . with good, sound,-hoivist,. and careful . admiwstration, which is the only thing that i . will res.oro«tnQ much-needed .confidence in this r country, and at tho''samo time .check this dis- » Gleeful, reckless, extravagant squandering of! public money on theso public works Where millions have been thrown-awny.~l am, etc., 1 1; y.' : ; small ;conte.4cts.