REFORM RAILWAY POLICY FALTERED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19197, 10 October 1930, Page 4

REFORM RAILWAY POLICY FALTERED.

MR LYSNAR CRITICISES LEADER OF OPPOSITION. (Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, October 9. Basing his criticism mainly on the attitude of the former Government towards the Napier-Gisborne railway, Mr Lysnar (Gisborne) in the House today scathingly condemned the leader of the Opposition for his changed attitude in demanding immediate investigation of the prospects of railwaj's under construction before proceeding further with this expenditure. “ He would stop the Gisborne line, the only line they should have gone on with,” declared Mr Lysnar, “ the line which will tap five million acres and four million sheep, and on which every portion of New Zealand depends for breeding ewes. He would say that this fertile country should be isolated, treated as a Cinderella. It is not going to be so treated, and there is no Government which would dare to do it, unless the Reform Government came back. I am sorry to see their attitude. I tell them that no party which stands against the development of railways will exist in this country.” “Your line is going on,” remarked a Labour member. “ More credit to the present Go\ Ternnient,” retorted Mr Lysnar, who declared that for ten years he tried to give the Reform Party assistance, but he got tired of it. Fortunately he stood as an Independent, for the Reform railway policy faltered, and its other policies faltered; therefore he would try to give assistance to some other Government, because he believed the present Ministry would not default on these important matters. “ It ill becomes the leader of the Opposition to talk about these works when he initiated them,” continued Mr Lysnar, who trusted that the Minister would not slacken down as he had been advised by the Opposition. It was the fault of the Reform Government that the Gisborne line was not pushed on. Mr Langstone: They lost Waipawa. Mr Lysnar: They Waipawa, and they will lose another. Mr Langstone: They will lose Gisborne. Mr Lysnar: They have lost Gisborne. I tell them straight. It was not so much a question of railways paying as of the development of the country, continued Mr Lysnar. The road between Napiei" and Gisborne could not be kept in proper condition at anything like reasonable cost unless there was a railway. Reform shut down on the Gisborne line for the excuse that the cost was too high. The estimate was raised by £700,000 by a stroke of the pen without any further survey, and the inland route abandoned. Then Reform took four years to survey the coastal route, on which the present Government was pushing construction at a very creditable rate, and he hoped the Minister would not falter or stop till the committee reported. The four years’ survey was a trick of the Reform Party, and he warned the Minister to be careful of his engineers. They stopped the railway because of a slip which never went near the lines.