The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1886. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1723, 2 June 1886, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1886. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

At a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, last week, Mr W. T. L. Tbavebs, the well-known barrister, made some very interesting remarks upon the subject of railway construction m New Zealand. Mr Travers said he thought it was necessary that the Manawatu Gorge and Mauriceville lines, &c, should be completed at once. When these were completed the Colony would do well to let the others rp.main for the present. They could not afford to complete, the Central line at present, but it would be necessary m the future. He thought his views would meet with the disapproval of some people, but his impression was that no more loans should be raised except for completing lines already under construction. He looked upon the East and West Coast line as a work of necessity, but not of immediate necessity. If it were constructed m 20 or 25 years ,it would be «;oon «nougS. He strongly objected to the dedication of lands for the purpose. To part with miles of reserves without knowing clearly what they were doing was simple madness. There was a great outcry, about the line, and he thought the vox populi was being mistaken for the vax Dei.

Some excellent advice is given by the Australasian to those who are inclined to encourage the Socialistic tendencies of the age. Our contemporary says : — lf a State is unfortunately compelled to. establish relief works, it ought to endeavor that theso works shall he of some use. But we cannot conceal from ourselves that to the extent of this relief we disable ourselves from undertaking works of greater use. If, on the 'other hand, the Government undertakes works whether useful or not — at sijch wages as the working men alone anprove — tha*; Jit I a tO» bigbar (huii U W gy of tl}@

market — the Government will not only withcNj&w labourers from their ordinary work, arid. thereby interfere with the industries of the country, and so reduce its ta::- paying powers, but it will be overwhelmed with a rush of working men from the east and the west, from the north and the south. Thus, by one and the same operation the need for expenditure would be raised, and the funds for meeting; expenditure would be dimin-. ished. We need say nothing as to " the Government stroke," and the demoralisation which these Govornment works, invented not for obtaining work, but aa an excuse tor paying wages, would'inevitably produce. " But it is certain that a distinction must be made between ordinary and needßul, and thus profitable, public works on the one side, and more relief works on the other side.

The stagnation m land speculation is at last making itself felt m a somewhat Unpleasant way (writes an Auckland correspondent), and quite a number of land syndicates are m trouble ; and although they are chorusing " The land' for the people !" the people for the land are not forthcoming. One ''plunper" has gone for £40,000 (partly secured), who if the allotment maeia had lusted would probably have uiiule a fortune. As it is, the blocks which he offered to a confiding public under the solemn assurance that there were " millions m it," do not appear to go 20s m the pound, owing to the sudden termination of the land fever, and he is obliged to look to the bankruptcy court for that relief and sympathy which the soulless monetary institutions cannot or will not afford.