TELEGRAMS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 112, 13 May 1911, Page 9

TELEGRAMS.

"A MAD-HEADED PROPOSAL." WHAT MR. MILLAR THINKS OF A CANAL SCHEME.' AND OTHERS OF HIM. [Bl TBtXORAPH— SPECIAL TO MUD UOBT. CHKISTCHUHCH, This Day. There is evidence of a good deal o "feeling anfougst supporters of the qana scheme in Christchurch in regard to th Hon. J. A. Millar's remarks at Lyttel ton. The Minister of Railways deal with the scheme somewhat severely. Hi described it as a mad-headed proposal and said that he had been, told by a pro vincial engineer that it was suicidal U depart from a harbour liko Lyttelton and offered his advice that th© por should bs kepi/ up to date in order t< cope with tho" growing demands for ship ping. Mr. T. E. Taylor. W.P., Mayor o Christchurch, spok9 very openly whei the subject -was mentioned to him, anc added: — "T undertake to say that he haj not read either the majority or the minor ity reports on the canal submitted to th( Harbour Board, and that he is nbt verj conversant with any of the facts or anj of the figures on either side of the ques tion. - I regard it' as a piece of impertinence on his part 'to give expressior to such unbalanced opinions. There art many men in Christchurch acquainted with details of the, scheme with whoir Mr. Millar could nob successfully argut the subject for five minutes. '.' Mr. J. J. Dougall, when discussing Mr. Millar's remarks, said that thej were a gratuitous interference on ths part of a Minister with a question thai concerned North Canterbury alone. As a member ot the Government Mr. Millai had no right whatever to interfere. The offence was somewhat aggravated by the fact that the Government had-consist-ently ignored Canterbury. The province built the tunnel end the Lyttelton lint years ago, before the abolition , of provincial government, and handed thost valuable works over to the General Government 'free 'of debt/ Ever since the province had been bled to pay interest ■upon money that it had really repaid.