The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1912.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11629, 10 May 1912, Page 3

The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1912.

A deputation waited upon the Prime Minister in the south

Victimised by and requested that a Their Own Hand, sum should be included' in the Estimates next session sufficient to complete the' Catliiis River railway works. MiMackenzie replied, in effect, that he approved of tho line, but that it was impossible to apportion such large sums to such railways, seeing that, at the last election, the people had been so strongly influenced by the cry that the expenditure of loan money was too large and must be curtailed. This was the only possible reply to the deputation's request. Out of the £5,000,000 loan, only a sum of £1,750,000 was set apart under the heading of Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement, tbe other part of the loan consisting of £2,000,000 for advances to settlers, and £1,250,000 for the Dreadnought. And yet Mr Malcolm, the member For the district which includes the country through which the Catlins railway runs, abused, the Government for borrowing and spending so much, and the Opposition generally, both papers and persons, proclaimed that the Ward Governmentwere borrowing to such a. degree thatNew Zealand was on the high road to ruin. This deceptive cry against the -Ward Administration lost it more votes than all the rest of the trumped-up accusations, and stuffed the House of Representatives with members who, though they know that there has been no extravagance, are glad to be there at any price. So they must be prepared to stand the consequences of the means -whereby they attained their ambition. As for their deluded supporters, they fee nothing for their votes but a set o'f Parliamentary sophists who must be reminded whenever they ask for the expenditure of loan money for their constituents that, as their presence in Parliament is due to their pledge to curtail expenditure, the Government- are not going to run any risk by disregarding the verdict of the people. Having been trapped by a. fictitious cry of wastefulness, -and by their votes brought about an unnecessary and injurious curtailment of that expenditure on the processes of colonisation which must be carried on. vigorously in. a young country if it is to enjoy maximum progress, in future they will insist on the return of men who' will pledge themselves to prosecute public works, even though such a policy will entail the borrowing of money.