BRANCH RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1090, 31 March 1911, Page 6

BRANCH RAILWAYS.

; + . MR, MASSEY'S VIEWS. (Br Te3cEripb.-Spc.cial Correspondent.) Christchurch, March 29. In the course of his speech at Waiau last night, Mr. Mass'ey, Leader of the Opposition, referred to (he construction of branch railways. He said that Parliament had very little control indeed of public works expenditure on railways, bridges, roads, and public buildings. The Government hung on to the present system because it. meant. patronage, lie understood that the Waiau district wanted a railway. The main lines of the country were lieing completed, but he thought it was time that tho. branch lines were taken in hand. There were quite a number of/branch lines wanted, and some of them had already been promised. There were lots of places where the settlers were willing io guarantee a fair rate of interest mi the cost of construction. There were other places where they were willing to find the money and hand' it over to the Government to construct the line, if the Gpvernmentl would pay S! or 1 per cent, interest. That had actually been (lane in same cases. He (Mr. Massry) would go further than that. If the Government could nut construct the line.ho would give the people concerned- tho opportunity of constructing it themselves. .He believed in the general principle that railway lines should belong to tho State, hut a clause should lw inserted to the effect that tho Government could resume a privatelyconstructed line at a valuation. He would favour the construction of some light lines, which would havo the ,Ift. (iin. gauge, but might bo built with lighter rails and fewer sleepers, and might be taken a louder distance to avoid cuttings or tunnels. Thef-c railways might act as feeders to tho main lines, and ho believed that they could he of great value both to the settler aud the railway system.