The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1872.

Timaru Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 816, 23 October 1872, Page 3

The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1872.

The Public Works Statement delivered by Mr Ormond on Friday last cannot hut be regarded us nn eminently unsatisfactory, production, procrastination, -uncertainty, and an evident design ol committing the Government to nothing, pervading it throughout. liud Mr Ormond, on behalf of the Ministry, merely given a promise that the Government, would push on all authorised works which were proved to be likely to pay as rapidly 'ns funds conld be raised, and the state of the labor market would permit —although fault might be found with the vagueness of such a promise —people would have been disposed to trust to the honor of the Ministry, especially where tliey know that the railways m tlieir districts would undoubtedly yield handsome returns for outlay. But Mr Ormond did not content himself with a bare general promise of this sort, he did not state that the promises of his party when formerly m power would be faithfully carried out. He elaborated n statement, he went into details as regarded the places where it was intended to construct lines, lengths of these lines, and their probable cost. He was very liberal m his promises ol railways to each and every district, but wonderfully indefinite as to the date of the completion of any one of them. He shadowed forth the commencement of nny amount of works and the completion of none, for the ' two years ' appended to this line, and the ' three years' to that one, may mean anything or nothing. This indefiniteness is quite m keeping' with the policy of Mr Yogel when formerly m power; it puts the Government m a position to reward good behaviour on the part of its sup r porters, and to hold the threat of withholding public works m their districts m tei'i'orem over the heads of tidt opponents, and of constituencies who

may be disposed to elect members holding ; Opposition views. In. this respect the present Government compare unfavorably with tlieir predecessors m office. Their policy savours of promising- everything- and performing- nothing; their predecessors named m a manly anil straightforward way the works they intended to take up during- the year, not stating- vaguely what works they intended to complete m two or three years. Mr Stafford's Government intended to carry our honestly the promises made by Jir Yog-el's Government. Mr Yog-el's Government;, on its re-accession to office, deliberately sets aside and plainly indicates its intention of breaking- irs own former promises. Tnis is notably the case m regard to the Timaru and Temuka line. That line figured first on the list ie Mr Yog-el's original Railway Bill, it is only twelve miles m length ; a portion of the formation (including- the principal engineering; difficulties m the whole length between Timaru and Chnstchnrch) is already completed; i. will, undoubtedly, handsomely repay the outlay upon it; and, lastly, the present Government, when formerly m power, definitely promised that it should be opened and available for traffic by the harvest afrer the one next ensuing, i.e., m about, fifteen months from the present date. Now this positive promise made iv black and white by the late Minister for the Middle Island, on behalf of Mr Yog-el's former Government, to the people of this district, is coolly cancelled and we are plunged into a Fea of doubt j as to when our little line will be completed. It might be done m " two years" time, but a careful reading- and study of the. general tenor, of the Pablic Works Statement does not lead us to day other conclusion than that its completion, together with lhat of many other lines, will depend more upon .political considerations than upon the payability, or otherwise, of the lines themselves. We greatly regret for the credit of our House ol Representatives, that it should have received the Statement and passed the Railway Act 1872, the bill which gives its principles effect. The Statement itself was without doubt a humbug- and a sham — framed only to catch votes, and the passage of the. Act testifies to the success of such a bait with some members of the Lower House. But while deploring- that these members so lar forgot their duty to the colony as to vote for such a measure, we rejoice that m the Upper House a stand was made against it, the second reading- being negatived by 13 to 12.