The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1914. AN EXTRAVAGANT MEASURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 122, 16 October 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1914. AN EXTRAVAGANT MEASURE.

The attitude of tho Government to- [ wards tho Railways Loan Bill shows it | to be either a hypocrite or an incapable. At last election it raised Cain over the action of the Liberals in duplicating the suburban lines from Wellington to the Hutt and for building an expensive railway station at Dunediu when the backcountry settlers were unable to get either decent road or rail access. It i was a policy susceptible of criticism anu i condemnation, for anyone with but a ] casual acquaintance with the conditions obtaining in t!he producing areas, particularly in the backblocks, knew how desperate was the need for better means of

communication, and how easy it was for J the townfolk, who were already well' provided for in those respects, to wait . until justice was done to the country ■ districts. In the backblocks of Taranaki Mr. Massey got hundreds of past Liberal votes because of his action in opposing what bo used to describo ps "extravagant expenditure" and tho neglect of the producers, and lis promise to remedy these things once he got into power. He is thero now, and what does

he do? He goes further than Sir Jo-' sepli Ward in his wildest flights I ever contemplated, let alone un-1 dertook. Mr Massey, or the Cabinet, brings down a Bill authorising the Minister of Railways to borrow £5.200,000. Of this sum over two millions is for building new stations, etc., at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and one or two other places, and duplicating several suburban lines. The Bill provides that not more than £750,000 shall be borrowed in any one year. We have no hesitation in saying that no more extravagant proposals wera ever placed before the Parliament of New Zealand. It is no doubt necessary to improve the rolling stock and reduce some of the gradients and effect other improvements, but this surely could be done, were the railways properly managed, very largely out of working profits. We admit that as the railways are being conducted, when tho expenditure is increasing at a ratio out of all proportion to the revenue, it is hopeless to look for a profit just now, but that tho railways arc capable of earning something more than interest has been shown by the previous management. But the main point is this: la it right or desirable that the Dominion should raise a large sum o: money for what may bo called unneces saries when the country districts are ur gently in need of road and rail facili ties? Is it not better policy for the centres to rub along with what the)

have got for a few years lohger until the country districts, that make it possible for the urban population to live, are decently served with transit facilities? If the Dominion had unlimited financial resources to splash it would be a different thing. But it has not. We have it from the Prime Minister himself that we must at this critical period in our history conserve all our resources and go slow. Wc know, too, that it 1# because of the inability of the Government to find more money that greater progress cannot be made with the construction of the Opunake-Te Boti railway, and why it is that only a snail's pace is maintained with the building of the trunk line from Stratford to the Main Trunk, and also the refusal of the Government to consider for a moment the building of a railway between Moturoa and Opunakc. The Government has got no money for these revenue-pro-ducing works that would confer great benefit upon tho settlers and prove a source of profit to tile Stato from the commencement, but it can get millions of money to carry out the fanciful recommendations of the new General Manager. Naturally that gentleman, being used to having everything up-to-date and on a large and imposing scale, is dissatisfied with the present facilities at the centres, but New Zealand is not England. We , are a young country that is in a state of development, requiring every penny we can get for roads, bridges and railways, thereby opening up the country, and to financially h e ! p settlers. The , cities do not add one penny to the exports that keep the country above water, and they can very well wait until the urgent requirements of the real wealthproducers—the settlers—are attended to. The Government lias committed a mistake in bringing down this Bill, and will nave something to answer at the coming elections. We are pleased to note that tne member for Stratford dissociated himself from tho Bill, which he truly said went further in extravagant expenditure than any other proposal ever made in the House. If the money were to be spent on baekblocks railways he would support it. So would any other reasonable man, providing the money could be got at a reasonable rate of interest, which is not likely as things are at present-at least, tho Minister for i mancc has said so.