Hawke's Bay Herald. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1870. THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5560, 11 December 1879, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1870. THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT.

jljr shnkiug' .contrast to the alarmist and \ [exaggerated Financial Statement fit. [Major Atkinson 'is -the Public J<! Work| Statement of Mr Oliver. Tlie latter is^ : calui,. ; cppl, and ..calculattogji-and^though necessarily somewhat inde'nhiteas' i .t6, v 'tlie ! future, 'owing to tlve < uncek^irijy. ! ii.^n'4ing- ; •;the floating of the present or future loans, it presents a fair picture! of bhv prospects and reasonable 'hopes', 'aiikd f f r6m' ; 'the • extremes, pf , the optimist; or -the, pessjmist. : That the ideas enunciated are not original notatrali detrac.t f ronr the "meritTof Z the Statement— it is rather creditable thsmj' ■ [otherwise to Mr Oliver he should amid the white heat of party, feeling abounding just rib <v, ad'b'p^ '.so niuQniip'f hls f . predecessor's policy, .arid frankly, admit,, its source. . . •■ , ■: .. > •:. • . n •.■'• 2 : ■. ; If the Ministry adhere to tlie'ii '''ex-' pressed determination to proceed ,/pnlyj with railways which are likely... to be commercially successful, a new era will, have dawned oh our Public ; Wb'i?k§ P'oiic^; " •We say " if," because the House has jbefore heard bi'ayc words; but lias seen' their utterers verit&Me ddWUrds when the Jiour came., for execution. ,. -"[We need n.ot ' go JEurther. back than. tne coroWendemenipf the .Grey . regime ■td > find^ah ' instance of this, Tiic ideascniiun.ciateclJbyMr... I Larriitch. and 'Mr Macandrew were wise knd far r seeing,,but those, ideas were riever/ tully carried out. : The log-rollers 6i jflle House rose; e« mctsie' against a jipiiby. r Wliich could aim billy at the general welri : i fare of the colony, and r d6privd their pari ticular district of the temporary 1 ad vantages attendiug the expenditure of public nioney in unremuuerativo. .works. The . colony saw and wondered at the power of ;' the' Nelson lbg-rollei'sj 1 foi I.1 '. this was- -the first, though happily neither' ttie* woi'st iidr the last, exjiibition of politiearde'pravityj 1 which was enacted in the broad light of * day. It was the ! old tale of the highwayman and the merchant re-told. ~" Your money, or .official lives " was the^ultima-^ , him. offered— and the coibriial; .'bUostiwas ■. " given lip to spoliation. To i retain their seats the Grey Ministry word obliged 1 'to[ follow tho example of, their .predecessors, silencing opposition by "political rail- . way" arid votes' for local wprM J! ""W"ill the Hall Ministry make a bolder stand -. by their ; colors?-. For the sake ..of . the": future of the colony we sincerely hope that they will — but Acsh is Weak. Naturally one turns with some curiosity' to the proposals for the year, to see what price is paid for the iour Auckland votes recently purchased. " Many prophesied that disappointment would 'fair* to' the\ lot of tlie four, and we shall be somewhat surprised if they consider the proposals of 'tlie- Ministry -a fair fulfilment. of: the ' promises made or implied,. The Kawakawa line is to be completed. This is necessary to develop a valuable goldfield, and when it is finished it may bo expected to pay well, as the distance id Veryr short.,;[Besides, tke country was definitely committed to tke line. The Whangerei-Kanio line is also intended to develop a cbal^ field, and the only chance of rimking. it* pay is to complete it- Tho;£aipara;line is to be fuather extended, 1 and "this will,-, we suppose, result in' a still; furfcner loss [ to the colony. This, railway has never paid even working expenses,- aridv is 'not likely to pay ; its extension may therefore . be regarded aa a s,op to Auckland. The : Thames-Waikatp.lineis also to, bet pushed,-, 6n wiih this difference --that it is to be proceed with from tho "Waikato end. The Grey Government committed the^c,plpny to this line, and for ; \t they ;must s b^iheld ; responsible. , We. have_Jiot;tlie\Btimate,sJ before. usi and cannpt, therefore, see;the total expenditure pn, tho Auckland lines, but it is certain' that the : four;who '.' ratted " expected something more than they have got for their votes. ~ j Hawke's Bay does not get much, but we cannot eomplainvery loudly of unfair treatment <as we have only one railway lino on which works can be carried-putr '-'• and that has now arrived at a piece of. country on which progress must of necessity . be slow. The province is not yet prepared for branch lines to be constructed i solely at tke Government expense, arid"tkougk we might in these dopressed.times : wish for something more, it is the duty, of,, the Ministry to see • that unremunorative works are not undertaken. ' „' , J For tke rest, tke- proposals of Mr Oliver seem. fair. Ofcago is to get a big skafe, : biit she is by population an,d wealtj^, -„ and kor consequent large contribution ':tb. ! . tke rereriue, : as well,- as [by the" paying character of the, lines already constructed " there, entitled to tke largest slice of, tke' ■• cake. In otker '.provinces tke . different/lines arb to be already proceeded witk. Tke expenditure on tko Picton and Blen-'i keim lino seems useless. [Tke lino,", Nek • son aucl Greymouth. " is ■ -somewhat .- of a puzzle, as, so far as we are aware, no route kas yet been surveyed for suck a lino,' nor has it even been proposed. . We c suppose it means- an extension of the ■ present ' useless Nelson line, and is kardly in ac- • cord witk tke expressed intention tojef political railways alone. • Exception may- 1 doubtless be taken, to details of-'tke 1 pro- ■ posals when 'filie estimates come to be discussed, but on tke wkole we,. think .tke,. pountry wijl, en,dox!se : Mr piivpri's statenient as fair aud just, and as progressive ; as tke circumstances of' tko colony will ! „ /.' i 1 ',, 1 . . . . ■ iii x / „i ;r , permit, or tke experience or tne past justify. : " ;c,- . i i ■-.'i.uLJLL.-— O:i-'-L_:' : .!Ll"\ fX f