Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1916. PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14048, 19 July 1916, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1916. PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

In the Public Works Statement presented to Parliament ,; last 'eS'eriirtg the Minister for Public Works,, the Hon. W, Fraser, claims credit more, for- negative, than for positive results. His close- fisted Curtailment of expediture authorised by Parliament is a 'greater^ virtue <m his eyes than a positive policy, of deyelopmeht. We are not forgetting that - it is war time and that a prudent policy of finance, as well: as the depleted state ot the labor market, demanded economy m the expenditure of public money, but we doubt very riiudh whether the position- ih New 'Zealand"' is ' siich as to necessitate /the suspension of developmental works to anything like the extent that this unprogressive Minister has decreed. Tlie country is ' prosperous j it has millions of money stowed -'away iri the banks awaiting investment and 7a progressive policy , oil the part : oi *be Government would have brougTit ■■''•'• riu'f some oftthis idle mopey aM.^pptf^ it to works which would h^^ assisted the development ': of /s'ettleriierit that everyone desires to se&7' effected at the conclusion of the ' "war? instead of that ( the Minister has shut off steam, put down the' brakes hard, arid he publishes it as a virtue that he is making the expenditure of last year's votes by Parliament spread over two years. In pursuing this skinflint" policy, YNew* Zealand is not preparing as she? should do for after-war problems. In the Dominion of Canada the Government are looking forward, to seeing a great influx 6f population at the close of the war, and they are losing no time' m preparing jAd accommodate that population. It* is realised m that progressive country that population means wealth and prosperity [and the foundations of a great nation; and that to facilitate the settlement of new population vJ j-pads and. railways must be built rigKt -now. TherefQre' we he_r bf projects being entered into by the Canadian Government, for the construction of some hundreds of ririles ' of netr railway. New- Zealand is content to wait till after the war before resuming its development policy, and the votes taken by the Minister will leave us very ill provided for if, as is within the bounds of possibility, the war ends suddenly within the next few months.' One of the worst features' of the Public Works Statement is this, that whilst the Government have found money,\to the exterit of £402,000 during the past year for additions ( to open lines^Y the amount expended on new construction on developmental railways was only *£662i000.; To our mind a greaVd_l7of the duplication, and renewal work which has been carried out m varipus parts of New Zealand m connection with existing railways' might have been put oh one side m favor of railways urgently needed m such undeveloped districts as the East Coast. ' The treatment accorded the East Coast railway is>, by no means 'generous, nor commensurate with the importance of this great national amder-: taking. For the Gisborne-Motu seciion £6000 is voted, out of which v£looo will be required for the bridge across the Motu river alow m course of construction, and the balance will, go m the erection of fetation buildings at Kowhai road, and 'ballasting "and finishing the line, though the amount w,ill not be sufficient to ensure completion -of . the railway to that point. ;^otu residents^ we fearY must make up their minds that no fu'rthe'p progress iii tlieir direction' is to be made for some' years: On the Gis-borne-Southwards section ' there was £47,000 expended last year. This .includes a substaritiaKariVount for the bridge across the Waipaoa river arid for a quarry plant at Patutalii; This year's vote^of £20,000 will serve to clear off the £3000 'liability '»' and 1 tlie remairider,---£17,000, will be applied to ballasting th'e line tp Ngatapa and completing three small bridges between Patutalii' and Ngatapa. Tt is hardly likely ''''that there will be funds' available for extending, the construction work beyond Ngatapa; hence, so far' as the prosecution of ,the through connection: is concerned we are practioally at a" staridstill. ' A new feature is the introduction of ' a vote of £10,000 for work between Wairoa; arid Gisborne. This : is doubtless iri f ulfilmerit of the promise made iby the Minister to a Wairoa deputation' that a start would be made with construction work • at- Wairoa-. Tlie amohrit will only suffice fdr preliminary operations on* a cprhpatatively srhalPscale. It will be seen that the Minister' scatters doles', to a number of Unimportant lines, that he gives £40,000 to the North of Auckland Main Trunk and £50,000 to the Wharigarei line ; and further' that the Waiuku railway, which might' easily have been put on one side, seeing that' the district has good water-borne service with Auckland, is granted £15,000. Th • comparison with other districts, the East Coast with its great productive capadity and power to earn revenue,, for the Government has ridt been' well treat- 1 ed, and the Public Works Statement oph'tairts no figures calculated " to .* give tlie people of this district any feeluig' of elation; The Minister for Public :Vvork;s' h^s' never beenYquite /iiv syriipathy "•with 1 Ideal aims and" '-aspirations^; ridr' '"'•has' 1 he apparently been able to realise r ho#

i greatly the completion of the East Coast Main Trunk line will develop settlement I and add to the productive capacity of _ the Dominion. | ; _____________ I