RAILWAY POLICY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 761, 9 March 1910, Page 7

RAILWAY POLICY.

SPEECH BY HOM. J, Ai .MILLAR. ' ; " ' '.'■.'■' IMPORTArJI! -STATEMENTS. '■■: . (By; Teleßraph.-P.ress • Associatioli;. '": -'^/--w" : ' ■ *: ' FeildinQi Atatdh 8, ■ - The Hon; J, A. Millar KMUhed here last fcight. -fle was welcomed by the Chamber cf Commerce andthe-'Maydn:-. This morning,- in beautiful weather,hestaffed on a hundred mile motor trip ''through ■ AtiitiSahgiwahia, and Wnittiha.•'-', - ■■ ■■ : .'

-jßeplying to a deputation at.Apiti ask ang-for . railway extension! he said that /the.policy of :the' Government was first to drnish:, the. niain; lines; -such 'as the- Gisibbrne.v.Eoioruaj.; and',- Midland railways, :pnd then.consider' the.brunch'lines'! Frdiii twflat.hi had seen-of the Apiti district, Ihe believ-ed'that a, line--tfailld pa}y:anti (would- advocate- its . cbhstructioii, :' Hb giobght that a ttfal should, lie niade of Eght.Hate for coUMfy districts-.

■ The' Minister Was'biihqubted to-night at FeMng by the ' Chamber 'of CoiUiiierde; [Replying,to the'foast. ofvhis health;"-he Btated.that'he. had received hii"cdiicatiun' fha-t day, because his Ist had lubstlv.been (oast in: the. city; nbt thg'caiiiltt'yr'^Hie'ini- . Ejection. '■' of 'thW.;^^district.' hatl /giveVhiin flmß Utmost pleasure,.'beeatifß: fie had F.ten fetich a large area of good coilntry iVithirt ■the radius of .one. tpivh: ..--.A;steady' dewelbpmeiit was'gdiiig bit all bv£r New ?,<&- iJaiid: He added.that.he did iuit'Want'to eSe: "boomiiigi!'! as. shell "bbcmiug!'. al 1 ,yays carried a,reaction in. its trfliii.. In ifnture he would 6hbw' a.little liiorti .e'bil= Bideration• for. Teilding,,, ; Regarding the railways, :;he.-' said that that. Important' (Department had ' thirty'Million^.invested fc it,. aiid; required, .close.! attention.' iHis.' own' :policy.. Was' td endeavour,' to h^membeT,. thar the .;)'ailwaVs. : -.wfefe , intended; to, help , the; 'development of the Country,' and: the,object of the. State,:in (owning. the '■■ railways!.'; whs., to riin-.'- them J£br .the:: benefit.; of - the - country.. Stilly Itiibse'.'whb :had thp -iise of the railways Ehould .pay for-'.thoffli' and. \tite. first ; thing Much, he had in vieff whs to iliakS :the jrailwaysearnthfeif owh !per\cent.. : >Wheu theiebrht'f, had bceh itflrned,.: he 'intended ,'tb give, back., aliy pirplnsjby increased 'facilities, ,etcr Things Jhad.'been-done, with the. railways', in' the test 'that , were ;. iiiirhmiiiieratiVe, and; jwiiile dealing with theser Mi wbhld try pot to increase the cost-of carryiiiii produce.: sent tb the Hoirie market. 'He referred ;tp the -fact that,'. previously,; the Eailway Department had: decided to' carry thnber. for. fruit, eases -.frcdi iii'brder to (encourage', the: fruit .ihd'ti'stfjv ■ Tliis edit jcessionj hdweveiy had bbeh.[ibtisetl, pebplf ,earr£ihg"tihibar.' -375 miles fi-'ee rlibcause Mey" could get /cases . rtiie, flHinv ■ cheaper. JThat was hot. going- to lnSt.diiv hid beoii critibisiiig" the Defpart'meirt: regavdiiig",.thi>" (lifTSfeiitiar rat-, ting, and he wanted lb tell theVWahganiii tcditbrs' that, he was Dot going .16'. Wake ithe, whole of the people of New Zenlalid (pay. for. the. sake of the. port vii.WaiigaInhi. :Our.cbal freights should be its low as possible, because coal was a ha'cessary eoramodily: .Speaking-oft stock -truck;!, he ißaid thatthb railways could ilbt be eiTOcted to-keep triK-kis lyinj idib lialf the lyear.tp meet ah abiiu'riiinl deiiiahd Jii-biie ■district.."He. referred..to' the i\\ffl> fair at ieilding, v Svhere -40.006:- sheep*', were handled,'and said that tliey.'wauld reqiiife efflOtfiiclts and 10 locomotives lb'ileal with -~rwhich .was,tin impbssibie tliiiig tb do. "xhe. fat : stock reqiiii'eU' ttld , trucks, and *o the stores had .tb'-'waifc'', H6 had just .received'a.telegram sowing thftt 2i)o trtlcks jwere . wanted fflf: Wiingantii.for" stores* .ta'nd, it was:.impossible tb iiieet such, a -case. ' To ''.meet other.•■demands'-, this year . 3210 trucks: aiiil 10 locbnibtives were' beihgvbuilt.- v His policy was "to 1 fof »ew ; locomotives, br tfiioks which ' added to the capital;6f llie'railways/:but ; of -loaii-.. money. The, 'Denitftm'ent',' was mow relaying nearly 100 mile's rif line per annum'out_ ]o f revenue. Gcherallv' speak3ng, the. railways were beltei ; . to-d'nv than they had ever been and the ■railway officials .were anxious tb do ■■ the best tfiev possibly could for the i'icoijie."of New' ,-Zealahd With the materia! af hand He Md'received a letter, frbhi the vice-pre/ sident of .the. Farmers' Union of N°w Zealand complinienliug the-officials oh the «xcellehce of their work.' The revenue now 'was' £304,000 more than: last year/ and the . this' year -woufd be reduced'by/ijier. cent, of'what it was last: year.,.: The. ratio, of .expeiiditure wb'uld -bo- 09 per cent, (possibly 08 per cent.) .this year,' which compared favour* ably.with, other countries... Sonic time ago the Department knew that the coal trouble: was brewing aiid it hod stocked 40,000 tons of cOal. in- preparation for a strike. . Thefe were 181 inileS of rail-,-ways more this year than last, at a small increased cost.- This year he did not ahhcipate paying the full rate of interest, but would,go closer to it than, .'had'been the case last year and, by tho end of next year, he hoped to pay the full rate.