CALLING HALT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 494, 29 April 1909, Page 4

CALLING HALT.

THE PIiEMLMIt ON. OTAGO RAILWAYS. ■ (Bit IKLEUIUfH—ri'HS:. :*!soci*Tinf(.|'.' . Dunodln, April 28. : ' Sir Joseph Ward to-day told a deputation, whioh urged tlio. ; completion ,pf ihe Rqx.t burgh-Lawrpncp rajlwayj that.the Cabinet: had considered the' question of irrigation, ; in Central Otago, the Lawrcnce-ltoxburgl; lino, and tho Otago Central l{auVay in con-. junction,. Tho Government, of the day lia4 boon' forced into' tho prosecution of tho Otago Central- lino 1 on-'promises tbat • tyv would be-, royenue-earning; other ra|l? \ ways were being saddled "with' .tho Otago Central's .deficiency.,,.J4e liintod at the pro> lability of tho imposition, of a higher rail? way rate in Otago in'justice to the ptkpr railways of the Upihiuidjii Tho Government, added the: Premier, >yas willing to builq, ' the Roxburgh railway li' tho people of tho district.were prepared to guarautpoth 0 , difference, between the interest on cost of construction and the revenue returns; Tho responsibility was too' great, for the Government; -to"sanction furtherprpfceoutipn of; thf; Work without consulting Parliament, ' : . (ni, TELEQRArB-rSrECIAr, , April 28.; In;the.course of hjs reply toklay to the- , deputation that ">&«} thp' - prosecution of thp Roxburgh railway, thp Prime ,;sljnistpr Pfiici that the present Government wore nqt going'to bo tiod down by : promises lnadp by' members of Ijho prospnt Ministry,; or pt|(or ' Ministries, tq carry out; .works, which .w'puld., injure tlio country. . Thorp.Was another mis- . apprp|iensipii; whioh ho would clear at onco, , Ho had novejr'stated it as a principle that all: railways?at the outset, must- pay 3 per cent,, anil ho had Inovcr sot that down as part of tho policy >for oarrying oir the railways of tho country. On tho contrary, I'e cou|d put his\ finger on speech after speech of his opponents, in Which ho had been blamed for gojng to the other extreme, for ho did believe' that in a young country it was the duty of thp Government to nolp those who, wore least able to help themselves. ).( tho people hero.were sincere, lot them join together! and pay any deficiency ' on tho rato of interest. That was a perfectly reasonabloproi>olial. The Government had dono it twice. They gave tho Waikaka peo-, p!o money to carry on that railway,, and they treated Waihi iii a similar : way. It was |iettcr< to carry it out under the public works pplipyi and to borrow mpnoy at thp Ipivcet' possible rate, and spend it on roilr ways that worn going to givq a reasonable roturiit Jf thoy:boljp,ved: that' they- Wpro going to got a revonup of $1(3,670—the Goypnunniit iulvicq was., that it was about a fourteenth-'part of-that—then let a pronor system of legislation throw, tho responsibility .1!PP!1 tho peoplo concerned to Wflkp up tho dptioionoy-so far as interest was opqr ponipil, ' If thpy' liked to carry it out at thpjr owiv-rislf, tho- Qovermnent would giv«\ tlioffl'tlib facilities for doing so, -, :