THE H.B. TRIBUNE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1912. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION POLICY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 43, 3 February 1912, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1912. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION POLICY.

In the course of comment upon the celebration Napier indulged m upon the occasion of turning the first sod of tin EtJc ( oast Rtiilxxax (lit Wellington "Post” remarks that Sir Joseph Ward did not give any clear outline of the Government’s railway policy. Our contemporary is quite correct. The Premier talked at seme considerable length, but he carefully avoided anything in the .-liupe <J a pc.licx utty< ante. H ; - rcason for so acting max' be taken as txvo-fokl. In the first place the Got < rnment lias never possessed a settled policy with regard to’ railway construction, and, secondly, if Str Joseph has at last found a policy it is rather too late in the day for him to present it to the people. Obviously, it xvould have been worse than useless for him to talk freely of a construct ion scheme it xviil not remain in his power to put into operation. Although the Premier refrained front placing a sound con struct ion policy before the people, we may yet turn to the Seddon-Ward Administrations for valuable guidance. If xvc follow the actions of these two Cabinets xvc shall discover nearly everything in railway construction xvhich it is xvise tn avoid.. On the Liberal platforms for years past 've have heard figures rattled elf how . many miles of line had been constructed in a gixen year; Ito tv many miles wert under construction, and how many under survey. The totals i-mindcd imposing, and for a long time appealed to the unobservant as proving the Government was making prodigious efforts to develop the country. But it was when these figures wire analysed I hat the true folly if the construction policy was revealed. The money voted by Parliament wtts not >pr nt upon an energetic prosect’.eion of main works so that the important lines of the Dominion might -pet dily lie brought up to a paying point, but was doled out each year in paltry grants for side lines whose only claim for consideration was the Gov < rnment’s pledge to ‘keep sweet” will: the constituencies. Sir Jt.-eph was pleased to-point to the North Island Alain Trunk as an instance ' lt< vv a line would pay in New Zealand, although it del pass through bail country, but he did not mention tlm fact that the delay in the- const. action of that line xvas a scandalous t x.tmple of mismanagement. He did not tell the people tliat if the Alinisters of Public Works xvho controlled this line La i ci. m:i ::trtv.t <i tipcri it an ! leii jit lty Branch lin< s alone, the Main Trcmr woidd Lax liven paying years ago. Tiioitit: :t:’ds upon thousands of

p.-imd- have Lm'ii lost to the Dominion By the efforts of the Government, to pander to deputations wanting

branch lines, and many thousands have been lost by the Government failing to make a- a concomitant to a sane railway construction policy, an equally sane land settlement policy. To do Sir Joseph Ward justice we believe he has seen the error of this wasteful method of doing work. He was. however, sunken to the neck in the "keep sweet" slougii and the very members who <-ondemned his policy badgered him in the next breath for grants. As late as last session Mr. C. J. Thomson touched upon this question, ami entered what has been termed a spirited protest. His ease is a good illustration of the feeling in the House. He admitted that lie. in common with other members, had been guilty of pressing claims for little pieces of railway, but he expressed regret that the '‘system’’ had compelled him to do as others had done, and he pleaded for n more beneficial line of policy, from a national viewpoint. Sir Joseph, however. never had the pluck to test the eonsequenees of a firm stand against the insanity of the methods adopted. I'hc nearest approach we ever got. to anything like a definite plan of railway c( :istruction was the announcement in the last Budget. The Premier there stated :—"lt would. in my opinion, be a good plan to hav- 1 me question of what are nccessaiw railways in each Island once and for all determined by a commission of members and experts, and that only such works should be completed with loans. Any further sums required in excess of a certain amount per annum should be found out of revenue. Tiiis method would give a finality to our scheme of railway construction, and it is desirable from many points of view. By such a course the country would know what was necessary over a period of years anil an amount could then be devoted annually to this purpose.” Even in this statement there is nothing definitely fixed, but the chances are that any commission of sound business men and experts would not countenance the piecemeal nensense in construction which has been carried on in the past. Possibly, also, the commission would be aide to settle routes and prepare for settlement in a way which would obviate parochial differences. When. Mr. Massey comes into power we trust that he will sec the wisdom and have the pluck to force an altcraticrt. H we are to yearly acid a heavy addition to cur public debt it is neces sary for us to know that the money is being spent to the best possible advantage, and is not wasted cn patchwork.