BACKBLOCKS COMMUNICATION

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2222, 28 October 1907, Page 1

BACKBLOCKS COMMUNICATION

THE MONO-KAIL SUGGESTED (Special to Times). WELLINGTON, October 26. Mr. Tlios. McKenzio yesterday mado a bitter complaint in regard to tile Government’s public works policy. He quoted a letter from an Otago resident who held that a light line of railway could bo run from Stirling to Roxburg for £IOO,OOO. Such a lino would open up an immense area of fruit-growing country. Ho complained of the answers given to a question of his by the Premier in regard to the constuction of light lines of railways. “We had,” said Mr. McKenzie, “been frittering and wasting money on no system whatever.” The reply was of that, stereotyped fossilised sort of deliverance such as one got from people not familiar with the subject. He ouoted from the letter of the aforementioned Otago resident, in re the Department’s reply, to the effect. that .the adverse statements about light lines were characteristic of “antiquated fossils who did not know how the world was progressing, and were too prejudiced to learn.” Mr. Jas. Allen said he agreed with the necessity of giving traffic facilities to the settlers in the back-blocks, but he agreed with the Actirig-Mini-ster for Railways that narrow gauge railways would not be the best means of doing it. He said he had that day seon tho. latest diagrams oi the Brennon mono-rail, and he believed that system would give a cheap and satisfactory solution of the difficulty. The working model of the system hau been so great a success that the \\ ar Office was now spending a large sum of money to enable Mr. Brennan to make a practical trial of his system. The Premier said the Avar Office experiments were being made with a small car. The invention, however, had not been overlooked, and the High Commissioner had been lnstuctccl some time since to- closely iollow tlio m Mr CI Allen said tho AVar Office had ordered a big car now. He was glad to hear the matter was being mqunCCl The°Prcniier, referring to Mr. MeKonzio’s statements, said the Government must cut. its coat accenting to its cloth. They had the whole country to consider, and must not go too fast.