RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9392, 11 March 1909, Page 6

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

BORROWING RECOMMENDED.

Speaking on railway, construction during his recent tour, the Hon. R. McKenzie said it was the greatest desire of the present Administration to particularly assist in the advancement of the country by railway con* struotion. Economy would be exercised whereever possible; but at the same time the Government was going to prosecute a reasonably vigorous railway policy towards the development of the latent resources of the Dominion. Millions of acres of land were lying idle and unproductive for. want of roads and railways. The country had about 2500 miles of railway, but personally he considered that before the country could be fully developed, 10,000 miles of railway would require to be projected. He intended to advise railway construction where there was a strong probability of reasonable results being obtained, but he could assure those present that no political railways would be authorised by the present Administration. The construction of political railways died with the last Tory Government, and no one could truthfully say that any political railway had been constructed during the last twenty years. He favoured a borrowing policy for railway construction in such a young country as New Zealand, and to borrow one million a year, as the country was now doing for such a purpose, was safe. He recognised that there were three lines in the North Island which should be pushed ahead expeditiously, and which had equal claims for speedy advancement. These were the North Auckland Main Trunk, Stratford-Ongarue, and East Coast via Waihi. He thought that an expenditure of £300,000 per annum on railway construction in Auckland province should be regarded for some time to come as very fair expennditure on a basis of population.