WILLING BUT UNABLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 938, 4 October 1910, Page 7

WILLING BUT UNABLE.

' TH,E MASTERTON-WAIPUKURAU . >. LINE. ■" • COUNTRY'S BORROWING CAPACITY. ! A largo and representative deputation waited ou the Prime Minister yesterday morning to .urge the construction of. a railway between' Masterton and Waipukur'nn.; " ' '','■ ' ■Mr. A. W. Hogg (M.P. for Masterton), in'introducing the deputation, said tho country proposed to-be traversed was fertile, and the line would intersect a t'riot thirty to forty hiiles from a port or. railway line. When .special settlements were started in this district under ' the Land Act of 1892 he expected to see numerous townships springing up, but the district lind. been kept back terribly by tho lack of metal. The soil was of papa formation', ■ and though 'it was- possible to.use it for dairying purposes, tho.papa rock made very bad roading material, ■ and .coiuinunication' was impossible during the winter months. The result was that where thero should be half a dozen dairy factories there was only one. The district. was largely held for sheep-farm-ing, and many, of the original settlers had. cleared out, and the land , has been aggregated into blocks ranging.'up to 500 , and-600 acres. If a railway were con•structed it would provide. the communication necessary-to the establishment. of the dairying, industry. . :''''.' 1 The Hon. W. .C. Smith . emphasised that the line would open' up a considerable area of good country, and would pay well. Tho settlers'.were willing , to;guarantee interest on .the capital cost. _ Mr. -J; M'lntyre, chairman of the Mas-tertcm-Waipukurau Railway League, asked that the line should be .approved by the Government so'that the local bodies might'consult the ratepayers, with a.view to'.getting a guarantee ou tho capital cost. ■ . ■ . . . Mr; Murray, chairman of the Akitio County Council, said the rate.in the district at present was 3 1-sd. on the unimproved value. In addition, settlers were handicapped by having, to pay . heavy freight rates. '■ ■ Mr. Eli Smith (Masterton Chamber of Commerce) said-the link would open up 1} million .acres of country. Even if the ' settlers had to pay a guaranteo .rate on the line they would, be.'saving-fifty per cent, on the.excessive cost to which they were put for. freight-: rates. .' '•■. • V ■_ : Sir Joseph Ward" said he had included this , line as one that should be made. The wholo difficulty was, the .inability/Of the country to borrow sufficient to. un- ' dertake this 'work, in -conjunction:'.with ,otb.'er'-'b'ig works. Th*Vcountry would spend nearly two" and 4 half ..millions, on; public works this year.' This was a-huge-sum. The line , they had asked for would cost nearly■'£700,000., by the-time.it was : equipped. If it were started right away. : progress'.must necessarily,, be very slow, and he did not wish to mislead; the deputation 'into believing, the' work could'be pushed, ahead right away.. On a'..line ot this magnitude at least.fifty thousand a year should: be expended . once ; it .was started, and.until some of the railways now in hand were completed the Government could not commence fresh lines that would require this annual expenditure.' . The fact that settlers .were willing to guarantee the .'cost-did not afreet the, question, because 'the' money' had.'tovbe borrowed all the .same, 1 and we .should not exceed our borrowing capacity, ine fr.ct. that the./cost was guaranteed did •not affect the money-lender. ■ .'..'■"■;.'■■