RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 246, 7 March 1913, Page 2

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

"PART OF A WRETCHED POLICY." Auckland, March 4. The statement by the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. H. Hemes, at Gisborne that the construction of the East Coast railway will be carried on as far as means will allow, and the proposal made in to-day's Herald that the Otira tunnel should be added to the list of works which the Government has decided to defer owing to lack of funds for their prosecution, were brought uiftler the notice of the Minister of Customs to-day. • Mr. Fisher said he could not ofler any opinion regarding the policy of the Government in relation to the East Coast railwav. He gave a brief explanation of the Government's decision to complete the Otira tunnel. The railway had been carried nearly as far as the tunnel on both sides. The construction of the lines had been costly, and their upkeep and mainteancc, whether drains were run upon them or not, would be expensive. The, railways ran into unpopulated districts, and they could not be profitably employed unless the connection was made." The Government had decided that the only course open to it was to push on the construction of the tunnel as rapidly as possible with the funds it possessed, so that some return might be obtained from the expenditure that had already been made. '•'lt is part of the wretched policy we have inherited." the Minister added, "of starting more railways than could be carried on with the available money."