MUCH CRITICISM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19127, 23 September 1936, Page 5

MUCH CRITICISM

WORKS POLICY STATEMENT UNDER FIRE OBJECTIONS TO RAILWAYS HEAVY LOSSES PREDICTED DEFENCE BY MINISTER (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Opposition -speakers on the public works statement" were critical over what they •considered the slender evi-, dehce on which the Government had decided to resume the •construction of railway work suspended by the former Government. Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Nat., Wai-ino-to),—who opened the-debate, expressed* amazement* that_there was no report from the Railway Department regarding .either the South Island or Napier-Gisborne lines, though this de : partment would have to operate thems It had already failed to pay the full interest required on capital, and judg' ing by the way the Government was proceeding there would *be no contributions of interest from the railways! Doubtless they would explain that the railway service was of' a social characj tei» and that no profits were neededi This meant another increase in the al-j ready high taxation. There was a first-class port at each end of the South Island Main Trunk gap, and also a freezing works. Therefore, he saw no chance of large stock traffic. He suggested that the Government would be wise to consider making a thoroughly up-to-date motor road from Gisborne to Napier. This line also had ports at each end, and it ran parallel to the coast and not through an inland route where twice the area could be served. TRIBUTES TO ENGINEERS Mr. E. P. Meachen, Labour member for Wairau, characterised this criticism of the. South Island line as absurd. To suggest a cumbersome system of combined road and rail transport over the present gap was stupid.

Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Nat., Central Otago), who strongly urged the development of irrigation as more important to increased production and larger railway revenue, described the Hon. R. Semple 's recent statement regarding uncompleted railways as being mere generalities unsupported by facts, k There was a long report from the fields superintendent, who mentioned what Marlborough farmers told him of transport difficulties, though no attempt was made to give an indication of the numbers of stock on the land to be served. Having motored over the route, he saw no sheep which would be taken to the freezing works, as they were of a type suitable only to wool growing. . • „. The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, Leader of the Opposition, did-, not-discuss railway construction, but nrged'the ter*to back his engineers in securing a fair return from the co-operative contract system. His experience was that the engineers were fair minded, but they would need support from the Minister to make a success of the system. GISBORNE LINE PREFERRED Mr. J. Hargest (Nat., Awarua) was another critic of the South Island Main Trunk construction. He declared that nobody travelling north from Christchurch would spend eight hours in a train when they could take a ship across Cook Strait, when the present service gave a comfortable overnight trip.

He considered it a significant point in the chief engineer's report on the Napier-Gisborne line that a comparison -was made rail and road transport, with a suggestion that there would be a necessity to control cutthroat competition from road services. The transport law passed this session would enable the Minister to refuse licenses to road operators who had 'built up services on this route, and he hoped that the Minister would explain exactly what he intended to do when the line was completed. He preferred this railway to the South Island work, as it would undoubtedly develop settlement to a greater extent than in Marlborough, where the climate was not so good and the area more limited.

Thq Minister of Public Works, Mr. ■ Sample, replying to the suggestion that his reports on railways were incomplete, declared that it was not his affair to present documents from the Baitway Department. This could be done by the Kailways Minister. If they were political railways, as the Opposition suggested, who started them! The party which was condemning the Government for completing these lines, for there was not a Labour man in the House when they were first commenced. "STUPID TO STOP" If they were political stunts, it was not the Labour Government which started the stunting. It found £6,000,000 invested in stopped railways on which the taxpayers had paid £2,543,000 in interest. There was no possible return, and the Government decided to try and create a little bit of prosperity out of confusion and chaos. Over £3,000,000 had been spent on the Napier-Gisborne line, and he marvelled at the audacity of the Opposition critics when the Government was trying to make the best deal it could. The work was so far advanced that it would be stupid to stop it. for one year's interest would complete communication to Wairoa. No railway paid immediately, but it created development and population. He was satisfied that this would be the case with the Napier-Gisborne line. It might be that the South Island line would not meet with the same degree of success, but this remained to be seen.