OTAGO RAILWAYS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14595, 6 August 1909, Page 2

OTAGO RAILWAYS.

WELLINGTON CRITICISM. (Fnosi Our Own CoimEsrosDENT.) ™ to iv WELLINGTON, August S. the Wellington newspapers commend the Minister of Public Works on his straightout talk to the deputation about the extension ol the Ota-go Central railway. At the same time they .ha.vo a. sly dig at him on the subject of one of the railways m lus own district, the prosecution of which, as everyone knows, is resulting in a waste of public money. ° The Dominion, referring to the subject, sa)s: lhe report of his interview with a deputation of Otago Central residents who pleaded for a further extension of their railway shows the Minister in plying contrast to some of his colleagues, l-to deemed it his duty to the country to refuse tho request of the deputation, and ihe did not mince matters as to his reasons. The attitude of tho Minister was very commendable, and affords some reason for hoping that ho will be equally considerate of the country's interests in other _ directions. Wo would direct his attention, for instance, to a, railway now in course of construction on the West Coast of the South Island. This railway happens to ho in tho Minister's owii electorate, and what lie has said of the proposed extension of the Otago Central hue applies with perhaps greater force to tho extension of the Wesiport-Roelton line. When the population of the Dominion totals fiyo millions there may be some jufrtilicat-ion for the extension of the Wcst-port-Becfton line, although, in view of the class of country it passes through, this may be open to doubt. At present the portion of tho line constructed pays handsomely, because of the coal traffic, but tho extension beyond this point cannot possibly pay for an indefinite time, perhaps never. The Otago Central extension would open up country for settlement, but the Wostport-Reefton extension pa.-scs through wild and mountainous .country quite unfitted for settlement. Will Mr M'Kenzie, in the ink-rests of the country as'a whole, tell his own constituents what he has told the people of Otago? We hope so. Should he fail to do so, we shall expect the Minister of Railways to express his views on the subject. He also has been very outspoken in the matter of the construction of non-paying lines, alld we believe has for somo time had his eye on the particular line referred to iii his colleague's electorate. 'The public will await with interest an early announcement on the subject."