WELLINGTON RAILWAY STATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2842, 5 August 1916, Page 10

WELLINGTON RAILWAY STATION

LOCAL LOAN PROPOSED

FINANCE MINISTER'S REFUSAL,

A a important reply upon a proposal that the Government should permit local loans to he raised for local works was giveni ill the Houso yesterday afternoon by the Minister of (Sir J. G. Ward). The reply was called forth by a question from Mr. K. A. Wright as to whether tho Government'would have any objection" to a local loan of, <£14)0,000 being, raised in Wellington, and offered to theGoverifmcnt at a reasonable rate of interest, for .the purposo of erecting a railway station in Wellington.

Sir Joseph Ward said tliat ho had no doubt whatever .that such a loan could be successfully raised. As a matter of fact, tire sum involved was not' tho difficulty, for if it were authorised tho Government could supply the money. Any amount of money was available out of, which tho sum required could be taken supposing it were.advisable to authorise it.''That, howeverj was not the point, hnt'.,thO','lK>int was the sum of money ■ .required to limit itpublic works and dpfeii' -Tho .total-ajflount fixed for;'public 1 .'-works;,was ■ fixed, in. .the interests. 6f the - country, ' and with an eye upon the ;tw -finance of ' the ' Country. The'sum'of X16,000,0db wafl required on . lban this'year,; and so far as could be seen the whole, sum would bo needed. ■■''Because, we were engaged in the greatest wax in history, tho Government liad to be t careful, and in viewing any proposed expenditure glance also at the total amounts required bj; all Departments out of loan money, besides thinking of the financial . needs of'the war. This, was the reason : why . at present alt work in connection ivith buildings of such a character as was proposed was being held over. Even if tho public came along with «E400,000, the Government would not be' justified in taking it, because in tho course of a few days the Government would be asking the public to subscribe to tho War Loan .for war purposes, and if the sum were taken for public works it would have to he so spent, and would not ue available for war jiurpo'ses. It wafS thus impossible for the Government to consider the ' "erection of the Wellington Railway Station, or any other railway station, until . after the .war is over. If the Wellington loan were accepted, it would be open to other localities to urge the acceptance of their local loans for certain works. . For theso reasons it was impossible to entertain the idea, - - . .