RAILWAYS WANTED. WHAT GOVERNMENT CAN DO. A BORROWING LIMIT. AND CABINET'S RESPONSIBILITIES. EASY TO ASK DIFFICULT TO GIVE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 62, 11 September 1911, Page 7

RAILWAYS WANTED. WHAT GOVERNMENT CAN DO. A BORROWING LIMIT. AND CABINET'S RESPONSIBILITIES. EASY TO ASK DIFFICULT TO GIVE.

"I want to «B.y at once that the Government is in the position of having to provide the money, and that w© canoot give light promises that the Government will carry out this or any other public work." This observation was made by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, today in replying to a- North Canterbury deputation, which asked that a railway should be constructed from Calvesderi to Waiau. The deputation, which was introduced by Mr. G« W. Forbes, and was fortified by the presence of the Hon. D. Buddo a>nd several members of Parliament, and also included as a listener the Minister of Public Works (the Son. It. M'Kenzie), produced 1 a mum of statistics showing the area of nfst-dass land which the line would open up and the capabilities Qf the dietrict as a grass-growing centre. One speaker asid the line would tap 150, 000 «cr« of first-da** agricultural and grazing iaW'-knd 1 capable of producing half a itsffllm bushels of grain per year. it was farther f epreseflteci that the line e&nM b§ constntfited afi & cost of £4000 p« mil# It w««, Sir Joseph eontintwd in repfy, very -easy for the member for th© district td tell them th*t the Leador of im Opposition tttf in favour of the suggested railway, but it was a different thing for the Government when it had to provide the jnoney. At puwpfft th* railway* which? required to- Ye constructed would cost .between, fifteen arid twenty millions* sterling, L»tt«ly toe Government had been prosecuting eighteen or nineteen different railway lines, The Government was prepared t© ask the House to provkk for a certain number of new tailway lines thk year, but iv comma to * determination they had to be guided by their borrowing powers. Of* of the strongest tefre*ertt*tnofl» which the deputation had made was th& fact that the land to be tapped had been purchased by the Government for «ttlef» with borrowed money. The Government had to take into account tne amount it could borrow and had to seriously consider the propositions expenditure which ware put before it. He had no hesitation in saying the suggested railway was desir*ble. At the end of the year they would complete the Midland railway through to the Bealey, and when that rtss done this railway they wete asking for wotild be put under- way. What they really had to do was this- -and he irtsaed to be qnfte frank : was to reduce requests for aboat eight millions into on© million. The only alternative was to double tie amount the country was borrowing. The whole point w*# whether that would be a prudent thing to do. The Government had told the Hohsm* th*t it was prepared to borrow a million and a-haif, and with that the Government had to provide for railways, roads, bridges, and telephones, so that it was not possible to tell that deputation—or afl y o tJief deputation — what provision the Government would make for railways this year until it had enormously reduced the applications in hand. The deputation had its difficulties and so had the Government. It was carrying out a very progressive public works policy, but it had to keep within the limit of its borrowing powers. All tie could say was that he was sympathetically disposed towards the deputation's request. If they could not do r& this year they would go on witft. the construction of the line the mdmtent they had the Midland railway completed to the point he had indicated.