LAWRENCE-ROXBURGH RAILWAY

Evening Star, Issue 14529, 3 December 1910, Page 2

LAWRENCE-ROXBURGH RAILWAY

LIVELY DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT, THE GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. WAS INFLUENCE USED? [From Our Paiti.t amr. k tap. y Reporter.] WELLIN'~).s. December 3. In the House of Representatives tonight on the railways appropriations, .Mr Anderson brought up the question of tlie Lawronce-Rox burgh Railway. In his opinion this railway should never have, been started. No private company would ever have undertaken the ex penditure of vast sums on such au enterprise. He did not s.iy that the people of Roxburgh should not have railway communication ; his objection was that the route was a wrong one, and should never have been authorised. When the Government last year stopped work at what war, known as the Big Hill tunnel their action was generally approved. Now it transpired that tiro Government were going to turn turtle on their previous decision, and go on with tho work which uad been abandoned. Likewise the Government had turned a somersault in regard to the Prime Minister’s assertion that the residents of the locality would have to guarantee a return of per cent, on the cost of construction before the line would be proceeded with. Mr Anderson also asserted that a properly-made road up the Bengor Gorge would have brought the Roxburgh people within fourteen miles of the railway. Had the- line been taken by way of Moa Fiat, Roxburgh would have been better served than it was at present. He had no hesitation in. saying that the Moa Flat route would have been the cheapest and best. The line over the present route should never have been started, and he desired to enter a very emphatic protest against the attitude of the Government.

Mr Malcolm said that for eleven years he had fought against the contraction of the line from Lawrence. The Government were deserving of condemnation for their change of front upon tho question. Mr Scott said he had no hesitation in putting the, attitude of the members for Mataura and Clutha- down to jealousy, because the route from Lawronce_ to Roxburgh was not approved by their respective districts.

Mr Wright said lie thought the Minister should give the House some reason for the complete somersault which the Government had turned on this question. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie: Don't think you are going to pull my log. Mr Wright: The House is entitled to some explanation. Why was the work stopped and then recommenced ? Hon. R. M'Kenzie ; It was never stopped. Mr Wright ; Do you mean to say that it has been going on all the time? Hon. R. M'Kenzie : Yes. If you look at the Public Works Statement you will see that £14.000 was spent on the line hist year. Mr Wright said he would like to know whether th« attitude taken by the Government. was due to the influence of the Dunedin ‘Star.’ That paper had attacked the Government most fiercely over th-nr attitude in regard to the line, and then the Government had suffered a complete change of front. The Minister : The Dunedin ‘ Star ’ had nothing to do with it. Mr Pearce objected that the Dominion as a whole was being compelled to carin’ on its shoulders a. costly work such as this line, which would never be a paying concern. Mr K. H. Taylor alluded to the debate a- a wicked waste of ;m Members emiM jo no good by wasting time ■I, vis way Mr Anderson in turn characterised Mr Taylor s remark as an impertinence. This utterance the Speaker called upon Mr Anderson to withdraw. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie said tho line was to be pushed on to Beaumont. The objections raised by Messrs Malcolm and Anderson were based on their fear that if the railway readied Beaumont tho prospect, of getting new railways up the Clutha Valley and Mataura would be very remote for some years at any rate. The line was not to be treated as an urgent, railway, but it would bo proceeded with steadily. After visiting the district recently ‘ho had come to the conclusion that too much money’ had been spent to allow the construction of the lino to be dropped. By the time Beaumont was reached he believed it would bo a. payable proposition The vote was passed without amendment.