PUBLIC WORKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18676, 4 October 1922, Page 4

PUBLIC WORKS

REPLY TO SIR K. MITCHELBON. SIR W. FRASER'S VIEWS. Thom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON. October 3. 'I he Leader of the Legislative Council (.Sir Win. Fraser), in a speech to-day upon the third reading of the State Advances Amendment Bill, made some comments upon Sir Edwin Mitehelsons recently expressed opinions on (lio railways end other public works. Ho said that Sir Edwin Miti helson deserved (he thanks of the council for bringing the matter up. Ho had painted his picture in startling colours. No doubt this was to attract attention to the danger of allowing the. country to drift, but his condemnation of railway construct ion was very drastic. It was never intended that the railways in this country should be a profit-making concern in every instance. It was necessary to bring the produce of our lands to (lie ports and cities, and if the railways bud not. been built, not onefourth of our settlors would have been placed on the land. Trains had been curtailed on seme of the best paying lines, but this was because the slump had affected the traffic. Coal had been another extraordinary factor. He would not dwell on, the causes. Motor lorry competition was another mutter that would have to be settled before the railway returns could be reslored to normal. This would doubtless be settled by the local bodies which would not continue to allow their roads to be torn iin by people who paid nothing for their upkeep. The Lake Coleridge scheme was a success Before the full supply was available it. was paying interest. It had been decided to make the rule ns low as possible at the beginning, so as to induce people to believe in electric power, but theve was no need to continue this very cheap rate after the term of years that had been agreed on was over. Local bodies had talmn the power en bloc aml retailed it. It was desired to make country life attractive, and this would mean an increase of rattlers. For this reason, Manguhao and the other schemes wore fully justified, even if they exceeded their estimated cost. Eventually they would all be successful, if 100 many were not put in hand at once. There was no need for anxiety so long as the men on the. land could bring New Zealand back to her normal prosperity. The secondary industries did not count in this issue. It was the exports that, were going to pull Now Zealand round the corner, and wo could not hope to compete in the world's markets with manufactured goods. The next live, months would bo the crucial time, until the wool and -fat lambs began to come in.