A SOUTH ISLAND VIEW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14250, 22 December 1909, Page 7

A SOUTH ISLAND VIEW.

"HERITAGE OF EVIL DAYS." Mr. Laurenson, member for LyttaJton, made a frank statement as a South Island member when his attention was drawn to the total votes for the two islands. "I recognise," ho said, " that in the immediate future the North Island, will require a vory large expenditure ,of public money. It muet also be admitted that as a field for settlement tho North Island contains potentialities which are altogether absent from the South Island, and I fully believe that within the next 15 years tho population of the North Island will be double that of the South Island. In regard to the present Railway Estimates, it is only fair to point out that nearly £200,000 is in respect of the Midland railway, which is the heritage of the evil days of nearly a quarter of a century ago. and which I say now, and always have said, ought never to have been commenced As, however, this work has now been'brought to its present position, the Government must cither finish it or leave ifa at a point at which it could have no chance of being payable. In going on with the work we are choosing the lesser of two evils. When this work is out of hand it will be necessary to give tho North Island the larger share of the expenditure in order ,to keep pace with its manifest requirements."