REQUESTS FOR RAILWAYS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10303, 10 March 1905, Page 3

REQUESTS FOR RAILWAYS.

MR SEDDON NORTH OF AUCKLAND

(Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. A deputation waited 1 on the Premier at Maungautoroto, requesting the extension of the North of Auckland railway. The Premier 1 said he -would! undertake to prove that tlie North of Auckland had had a greater expenditure than Westland. Mr Harding : "You can't do it." The Premier saM-Mr Harding and 1 others erredl through gross ignorance of Westland! geography. He then repeated the figures previously quoted m support of his statement. Nearly £200,000 a year was Deing spent on the ' Main Trunk- Him, and he asked whether it would not have done more good! to the province and the city if some of that money had been spent North of Auckland. In making the allocation the strongest argument m favor of extension was that until the railway Mas completed! to a paying point the £104,000 already spent would not be reproductive. The Government had decided to increase the road' expenditure, and if it was finally decided to increase the railway allocation he would most decidedly clo his best to see that the district hud a fair share of the increase.

Mr Seddon pointed! out that he could not borrow more than one million pounds annually 'without jeopardising the credit oT the colony, but he admitted that a mile a year was a slow rate of progress. He had* been more impressed! with what the deputation told him than ever before.

Mr Beecroft stated! tliat the rate of construction lust month was very pleasing, a satisfactory number of men Deing employed.