NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 34, 4 November 1929, Page 10

NOTES OF THE DAY

In its last-minute rush to complete the business of the session, Parliament should not overlook the fact that no report has yet been presented from the Committee which inquired into the Taupo railway. The issues involved are important, and hurry to pack up and begone is not a sufficient excuse for shelving the report. A good round sum in public moneys has been spent on the line, and the country has a right to know what conclusions the Committee has reached on the merits of the railway.

The passage of the Railways Authorisation Bill to-day should be made conditional on the Government undertaking to conduct a proper investigation into the economic soundness of the proposed works. The three main works requiring authorisation are the South Island and East Coast Main Trunk connections and the Midland railway. Sections are already authorised, but, including these, the total cost to complete these three lines is set down at £6,200,000. Parliament should realise its responsibility in authorising the spending of so large a sum, and should withhold its sanction until definitely assured by the Government that active prosecution of the works will be delayed pending the most searching and comprehensive investigation/ Such' an assurance is little to ask compared with th& magnitude of the grossed