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Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 444, 16 June 1902, Page 1

This is tho style in which Christchurch Truth hurls literary missiles at the Minister for Public Works, who has succeeded in getting tho Makohine viaduct completed long before it was deemed possible by bis opponents A load, a great heavy load, is oil the chest of the Hon. W. Hall jones, and all the rag-tag and bobtail of the Ministerial following. The Makohine Viaduct is finished at last.. Yes, it almost sounds too good to be believed, but the fact is incontestable ; the viaduct is finished, and a train, filled with public .works officials, and other ballast, has gone over it. It is recorded that it stood the strain magnificently. It seems to most of us that we have always had the Makohine Viaduct with us. Children have grown into men since it was begun, great events have come and left only a faint memory behind them, but the Makohine Viaduct has gone steadily on, finding work for our surplus unemployed, and our casual cooperatives. Ten years ago the tunnels by which the structure was to be approached could be seen from the roadway, 250 ft below, like black holes in the hill above, and people were talking about the viaduct ten years before that. Now a train load of public works officials has been pulled across that intervening space without anything happening. After all, it w-ould be wonderful if anything did happen. It has been long enough in building, and has cost enough to make two viaducts. There is nothing for the Government or Mr HallJones, or his public works officials to brag about that tbe structure didn’t promptly fall down because sotue of the crew went over it in a train,