THE TAUPO RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1930, Page 6

THE TAUPO RAILWAY.

It is a good thing for New Zealand’s ■ financial reputation that the House of Representatives has refused to review the decision of the Government last year not to ■ proceed with the railway from Rotorua to Taupo. It is true that a motion to refer the , matter to the committee that is now inquiring into all railway construction in operation and proposed .was only, defeated by one vote. That does not indicate that any fresh facts have been adduced since the inquiry was made which led the Government to abandon the Taupo ■railway scheinei.."! It ; is claimed it wpffid open up Targe areas of pumice country, that are now practically worthless, ai/d thereby materially increase the productivity of the Dominion. There is never likely to be a consensus of opinion in regard to the pumice lands, possibly because they are not uniform in character and results obtained in one district would not be attained in another. What the Ministry said last year, and still maintans, is that experimental work on “breaking in” pumice land must precede so costly an undertaking as. the'projected railway. It. is known that some of the land is “cattle sick,” and though a certain amount of success has • beeii achieved by the Department of Agriculture in overcoming this, it remains to be seen whether general settlement of such, country would prove successful. There can be no doubt that the land experiments should precede railway construction foishould they fail. to indicate the suitability of the district for closer settlement there would be no justification for the -railway. . Moreover, the .Dominion’s finances are not in a condition to .warrant any expenditure oh railways or public works from which a reasonable return is doubtful. The country is paying. quite enough for the lack of.prudence in earlier days and with . the economic ■ situation as it is to-day throughout the world borrowing for speculative- public works, if ib is possible, is likely to lead to difficulties such as those with which - the Com--1 monwealth of Australia is now, grappling. ■■ ■ y,' 1