Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

SIR JOSEPH WARD

EXPLAINS THE DEFICIT

1)1’ 10 TO SHORT RAILWAYS

(My Telegraph—Per Press Association

HAWERA, May’ 4

An enthusiastic crowd of about 1000 which packed to overflowing the Winter Show Hall at Hawera, accorded a ['..-using reception to Sir Joseph Ward at a civic welcome given this evening. The speakers were the Mayor (Mr E. A. I’a rev), Messrs H. G. Dickie, M.l\, J. IJ. Murdoch (Chairman of the Hawera County Council), and W. Morrison (Chairman of the Waitotara County Council). Following lii.s reply to the welcome speeches, Sir Joseph Ward touched on political questions. paying particular attention to the Budget and the railways. He referred to the recent announcement that the Financial Statement for the year just ended would he about £579,000 short of the amount required to balance the ledger. "I hat,” said Sir Joseph, “is not sufficiently large to cause any serious alarm regarding property or business, Dut it is big enough to indicate that the conditions giving rise to it cannot Do allowed to continue. We must “square the'yard,” and I hope to be able to place before Parliament, in tile coming session, proposals which will bring nbicurt: the remedy.” . '.l here would,' lie said,, have to be an adjustment of taxation, it being essential to .secure more revenue than bad formerly accrued from certain quarters. No country .could claim that .. was in a satisfactory condition when the financial balance was on the wrong side, and adjustment of Hie Dominion finances v*. as the ixi .-,.0n oil which *[•• was at present engaged. The Ous-

L ..is uixut.on was between £doo,ootl and £-HI),()'.)!> and tiie income tax between id.),:):);) and £7o,i) 0 short. As a primary-producing country, New Zealand was bound to look principally to the land for its prosperity, and in a small-bolding settlement •scheme, together with the careful re..illation of immigration, lay the solution of our unemployment problem, ibe Government bad stated that it would go ahead ‘with work on long railways, but it would not consent to expenditure on short lengths of line, which, Sir .Joseph Marti contended, could not hope to compete with motor services. On such lines as Taranaki-tu-Aiieklaiul, Xapier-to-Gisb.rrnc, the South island Main Trunk, and the Westport-ti;-Nels;:u line, lie said, the Government was prepared to incur expenditure as would pay interest on expenditure Side by side with land settlement, the Government wanted to complete the long distance railways, hut it would stop forever these short, fragmentary lines, which were indeed a burden on the country. Last year, the losses on the smaller lines entailed a total sum of £770,000. This was a direct charge against the •Consolidated Fund, and it had been largely responsible for the present deficit. But for that charge there would not have been a deficit.

During the next session, said the Prime Minister, lie proposed to ask Parliament t-o adjust the system of railway accounts, so as to do away with that system of small railway outlays. The stoppage of the Palmerston North deviation line was one direction to which the Government was endeavouring to check unnecessary expenditure; but the amount there involved as only trivial in comparison with the loss on the small lines. The Palmerston North deviation had been stopped because the Government believed that it was not wanted. The Government would aiso stop any oilier work concerning which a similar conviction was held. Also be and, his colleagues believed that the Rotorua-Taupo line should never have be-cn started.

The policy of the Government was that they would not undertake any railway work which would not return, at least, interest on the capital outlay.

“Millions and millions and millions are being borrowed every year,” said Sir Joseph Ward again, in referring to finance. “Millions and millions and millions are being expended every year, and some of it is being thrown away every year. AVhat we have got to do now is to ask the members of Parliament to share with us tho responsibility of focussing and limiting the expenditure of these millions that are not required, at the same time pushing the country on at a roas mable speed, yet keeping the safety valve on.”

deferring to the 81 miles of line that are required to link the South Island .Main Trunk Railway to Picton, Sir Joseph Ward said that it would allow of a saving of six hours and a-half on tne through passage from the extremities of both Islands, as a more direct connection would he a (For (It'd in crossing Cook Strait. He believed that the completion of the line to Picton, with its facilities for through traffic, would prove in the host interests of the country, just as the through service between the principal centre in the North Island had been.

Among the speakers at the reception was Mr It. Masters, former M.P. REQUESTS TO PREMIER. WELLINGTON. May 4. Tn view of the Government’s decision not to h:\vo locomotives built by price Bros., of Thames, the Prime Minister was asked by Mr. Samuel to reconsider this decision, in view of the Reform Party’s promise that orders for two locomotives would lie given, and that their cancellation would mean

throwing a lot of skilled men out of work. Sir Joseph Ward said lie would consider the liuiUcr, and would discuss it with the Railway Minister. Representations were made to Sii Joseph Ward by Mr Samuel urging the construction of a lino from Paeroa to Pokono to cut off a. triangle at present formed by the Tlamilton-Moi-rinsvillc route. Sir Joseph Ward said that he would go into this matter with his colleagues and would reply at as early a date as possible.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19290506.2.51

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1929, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
940

SIR JOSEPH WARD Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1929, Page 5

SIR JOSEPH WARD Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1929, Page 5

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert