SPEECH BY MR. CARROLL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11852, 2 January 1902, Page 5

SPEECH BY MR. CARROLL.

PROGRESS OF PUBLIC WORKS. [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] Gisboene, Wednesday. ' A i;aroe and representative deputation, of. the Chamber of ...Commerce met the Hon.; J. Carroll yesterday morning with regard; to the requirements of the district.' .The works chiefly urged were the more; speedy I prosecution of the Gisbome-Karaka railway,; the completion of the stock track to Roto-1 rua, •- acquiring properties for the purpose of dairying, and other district matters. The speakers complained of the slow progress of the railway works- and urged that | some improvement should be made. i • Mr. I Carroll, in. reply, stated that he I entirely agreed with what had . been ■ said- ■ about the. district being a progressive one. In the last 10, or even three years, this •■■■:. district, ■ compared with other parts of the colony, had progressed very much. It had ■ developed in a marvellous degree, so much, so that it now .'attracted '■ the ; attention of ■ people ■; living in other districts. , He could, assure them that wherever he went : he realised that the /attention or the public; and of many ..would be settlersthose anxious to find new places of abodewas. specially: turned in this 1 direction, and ■ that i . arose rom a knowledge :of the progress, of t ' the district. The , progress of (the district 1 hr.d been in a great measure duo to the j energy displayed by the inhabitants. Mr. » Carroll did not claim any credit on behalf i of the Government, excepting that .when at-', tention had been called to urgent wants in'; connection with public works they had not i been sparing in their efforts* in making roads I for opening up the country; so far as they 1 , had been able within their financial powers,-f The Government had extended telephonic-' communication with certain districts, they, ■ . had acquired land for close settlement, and ', had started a railway in Poverty Bay in j response to the claims put : forward by] public men. i,Whether they had gone as far! as was expected of them was, of course, »i matter of opinion, and .they all' looked to have everything done at once if " possible. They had -to. bear in mind that the Government could; only go as fur as its money would allow.. They could not undertake to push on railways at lightning speed, or open up' "' 200,000 acres for. selection, or at once bring the Motu bush within' reach of Gisborne,,' or extend telephonic communication, unless they had the money' to do it. :'. The • Govern-' ment only averaged £300,000 or '£400,000 a,-, . vear to spend "on public works. This amount bad to be parcelled out all over the .-colony, . for the building of bridges and making or roads, and it could be understood from that what their share would be. Supposing they got their full amount of it it would not' amount to a'sufficient sum to enable the Government to put a railway through to the' Motu in two years. Then there were the! engineering: difficulties to overcome, bridges' to be built, and all contingencies in the' matter of railway building had to be viewed! in their proper" light. The Governmentmight have been / able to advance' mow rapidly with railway construction if .Skit last two years had not been extraordinary years in the history of the ; colony. During that term the colony had been asked to bear ; a. very heavy burden in pending away con- ; tingents to "South Africa. The birth of a new nation in Australia, the death. of our Gracious Queen, the visit of the Imperial' troops, the Royal visit, and all these thingsbad taken up a good ', deal of. the , public* attention. The expenditure owing to th% war had not been-a very small one, and it would be understood that no matter how, , efficient the administration might be, and ; , how ; resourceful it might be, there -Here* large concerns which were apt to divert at-* ~■■.;. tention from the hard bare matter of act !. carrying on of public works. That meant' that at the present day .the Government were forced to reduce their employees - and to cut their cloth according to their measurement for the time being, but he (the* speaker) might say. that the Government looked upon it as a temporary cessation. In' the very near future public works,would re- __. *sun,'e their usual, swing of activity. -In re- " . garcj to the sacking of men from the-rail", way, Mr.' Carroll "pointed out that the De- v. partment had to reduce a proportion here,-: ; the same as had been done elsewhere, butt the Minister assured him that this was oniyv ! temporary,; and that he'- expected • every-' thing to be in.full working order in a very r short time. Mr. Carroll spoke very hope-' fully of what the dairying industry was likely to do for the East Coast, and pro- --k mised that the Government would foster it. in every possible way. At the conclusion of 'ins address a vote of' thanks was accorded to Mr. Carroll,, ;'->■'.; > >. : ,v' ,~1 > \