THE SOUTHERN LAKES

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4806, 8 November 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SOUTHERN LAKES

THE CRITICISES UPON THE GOVERNMENT. SIR JOSEPH WARD IN REPLY.. In answer to a representative of the ‘•New Zealand Times/’ Sir Joseph Ward replied on Monday to certain strictures which have been passed upon the action of the Government in regard to the Lake Wakatipu Steam Navigation Company’s business. “I have read,” said Sir Joseph Warn, “the remarks reported in the ‘New Zealand Times’ as having been made by Mr Dutbie; and I was surprised beyond measure that even an Opposition candidate, upon absolutely imperfect information, possibly supplied by someone interested in the company, should have assumed the attitude regarding this matter which has been assumed by, Mr Dutbae. I may state that for years past there Las been riot only general dissatisfaction amongst, the settlors and also among travellers in the Wonderland of, the Southern Hemisphere regarding the steamer service, but there has been a continuous desire expressed, principally to myself—as one who has been for years very closely in touch with what, has transpired in that part of the world—that the colony should, put on an independent service to run in conjunction with the railways. I am not saying anything of the management of the company ,in any respect whatever; on the contrary, I havo no.doubt that, looking at it from every point of view, the policy ,it has pursued was what it considered best in the interests of the shareholders; but it is a fact all the same that wlhle the rest of the colony has spent millions of money, in completing a railway sendee, two branches of which lead from the ; main trunk lino to Lake Wakatipu, the stumbling blooks.tq the development, both- of, settlement ahd of passenger -traffic across the lake, havo been the high rates ruling and the insufficiency of the steamer service to help to create that growth of traffic which, beyond all question, could bo obtained. In addressing a large meeting at Queenstown four or five years ago, I, publicly stated that unless the existing company was able to provide a proper service at reduced rates, there was nothing for it but, that the colony should step in and pro-, vide a suitable one to meet the necessities of the position. The suggestion as to whether the Government should: depreciate the property of the com-; pany, that it was ‘an outrage upon public morals',’ and that the treatment ctf the company was identically, toe same as that of the Manawatu Railway Company, has nothing in it. First of all, *iu addition to the steamers acquired from the Lake Wakatipu Com- 1 pany, another new steamer of greater speed and greater carrying capacity than any of them, requires ,to be put upon the lake. The £15,000 for which- , the , Government has ' purchased : .the company’s assets does not .represent the total amount which the company has received. Apparently Mr.Duthiewas not _ aware of the fact that -the company retains its reserve fund and book debts, amounting in round figures to £SOOO. The price paid by the colony to the company is, in my opinion a fair one. I could quite understand something having been said if the company found that' the Govern-, ment did not • give it the opportrinity of. selling, but did that which it. would have been compelled to do in the interests of the travelling public alone—namely, put on a cuuple of; modem steamers across the lake. Then instead of receiving £15,000, the company would have received nothing. To' suggest that a service of this sort could not be carried out in conjunction with the State railways, or. that there 'is, anything improper in ,our doing" so, is to ignore the fact that in the Old Country the greater number of the railway companies—in fact, ■ I believe I am right in saying the, whole of them—run their own steamer from .various points in the interests of the travelling public; and liithout any , consideration whatever for private steamship companies or owners. _ To suppose that the Government is going to allow what ought to be one of the greatest draws —not even excluding Rotorua —to the colonists and the people who visit the colony, to remain in the same condition, so far as steamer service is, concerned, that it was in at least fifteen or twenty years ago, and not give ’ an opportunity to , the colonists themselves, only, a sprinkling of whom have ever crossed the lakes, to visit this part of New' Zealand, is simply ridiculous. It is, of efiurse, to be expected that those opposed to the Government would take exception to anything the Government did; but 1 venture to express tbs opinion that if the whole of the Lakes district were polled, you would find that, with a few exceptions—possibly, on the part of those immediately interested —that the course that has been followed meets with general approval; and if proof of this were required, the telegrams already received by. me give the clearest, indication that the course adopted by the Government has been received,'' not only with approval, but with general satisfaction and even gratitude, by those whose knowledge of the position entitles them to form an opinion. If you go as far north in trio Middle Island as Christchurch, you will find that one of the stumbling-blocks to the touring of Lake Wakatipu has •been the oost, in the first, instance, ■after you reach the terminus ,of the railway, and the insufficiency of the service. There ■ are thousands of people amongst the middle classes in the towns connected .with the railway service who are not able to visit, the Lakes on account of the oost; and yet this district contains, beyond all question, probably one of the greatest sights,, from a scenic point of view, that could he seen in any part of the world. One of the steamers now running for the Lake Wakatipu Steam Ship Company will be put upon Lake Manapouri, and when the additional steamer I refer to is provided and put upon the lake, I shall expect to find, by reducing the passenger fares, an enormous development of. the tourist traffic in that part of the world; and, as far as the requirements of. the settlers are concerned, I have no hesitancy in saying that the readjustment of the whole system of conveying the cargo upon reduced rates will he a perfect boon to them. It matters not who expresses opinions of the kind to which I refer, tms will not deter the Government from carrying out a policy in the interests of ‘■“''V on olio—a policy which will not only he appreciated by the settlers; hut will he a" right one in the interests of ’he colony.

“It is a very extraordinary thing, to me.” said Sir Joseph Ward, "that whenever the State negotiates for the purchase of such a concmjn as this or the Alanawatn railway, there are some who immediately take exception to Ministers not agreeing to pay a price entirely beyond the fair value of the concern in question. Why this should be so I am

unable to understand. In the case of the ivtanawatu Railway Company,'for instance, the reports of the responsible officers who investigated the matter for tne guidance of the Government did not approacn by many thousands of pounds the value which the Government irtimated it was prepared to give. It is perfectly well known that the very fact cf our negotiating raised the value of the shares in the particular company by about 12s per share. The company had a perfect right not to agree to seii, and to ask for a liigher price, but to suggest that because that is done Ministers should agree to give a price beyond that which they believe to bo right in the interests of the colony is a doctrine to much those who prescribe to it are qu'to welcome, but the’great bulk of the people, I believe, will agree with me in saying that the business of the Government, while doing what is fair to other people, is to protect the interests of the colony, and in both the cases of the Lake Wakatipu Steam Navigation Company and the Manawatu Railway Company that is exactly what we have done, and what we intend to do regarding this or any similar matter. “The policy of the Government in working the Lakes traffic of the colony is a fixed one,” the Minister added. ‘Tu addition to the Wakatipu sendee, we have given assistance fur an, oil launch to bo sent to Milford Sound. Wo are also putting an oil launch on Waikaremoana, and we have been negotiating for the acquisition of steamers on .the Wanganui river for some months past. It must generally he admitted that it would ho of immense sendee, not only to the people using the Wanganui river and its surroundings, but also to the colony generally, and Wellington in particular, to have a daily up service and a daily down service upon the river. This would afford Wellington a magnificent outlet for her people to spend a pleasant holiday.”