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The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1880.

There is no denying that retrenchment is necessary on the part of the Government. The five million loan would not he found sufficient to carry out all the projected public works. Nevertheless, it will be a suicidal policy to bring the expenditure of public money to an abrupt end. The reply ever ready at hand when any deputation waits upon them, is that Sir George Grey’s Government had so committed the country to certain works that it would take all the mon y available to fulfil their engagements, and ti.at the late Government is to blame for the course that the present Government are new adopting. This is hardly fair, as before Sir George took offi -ethe expensive portions of mine! essary railways in the North Island had been commenced. Take the Masierton line as a c .se in point. Who believes that that line will, for the next quarter of a century,pay working expenses ? Yet it is being gone on with at an enormous expenditure that few in the South Island have any idea of. This railway was not commenced in the Grey Government’s time. 4 Sir Ju.'ius Vogel, in one of his weak moments, allowed this line to be put on the Schedule of Railways authorised to be paid for from theToan, and so it was proceeded with. Other unproductive lines are also being pushed on, while in Canterbury, excepting the Fair.ie Creek line, nothing seems to be on the programme for this provincial district. We have had a very wise District Railway Bill passed which would have been a very good measure for Canterbury members to have seen to five years back. If this had been done, and the land secured to build them with before it passed into the hands of land speculators, it would havestood a chance of being curried out, but it was left for .an often-abused Otago member to devise a measure that would save ns from self-destruction. Mr Macandrew brought in the District Railway Bill to stop gambling in land, but it was too late : the game was nearly played out, and the enormous stakes tabled which rained so many, and will still ruin many more. In the case of South Canterbury we have a rail way bridge built at a cost of 4700 odd pounds, and money voted to carry out works on a portion of the line, and not only was the word of the late Government pledged to proceed with the w ork without delay, but a vote w s passed for constructing a portion at different parts north and south, yet these is no appearance of the present Government’s intentions to spei.il the money. For the last few weeks 1 mployment h is been plentiful for harvesters, and many of these deserve little sympathy. When the time comes that they will be poor, as the way they have squandered their earnings has been most disgraceful; but there is another class to be remembered— The building trade has been at a standstill for some time past, and blacksmiths, brickmakers, road contra* t rs and many others who have wives and families depending on them are at their wits end to know how to provide the necessaries of life for their young fan ilies. Surely it is the duty of the Government to see to this class being provided for before the swagger, who is here to-day and away to-morrow. These men cannot transport their wives and families to the north or south for a few months’ work, besides, there are plenty there already. The prospect of a bad winter is staring them in the face, but we see no signs of any work being provided for them by the Government. We learn that a second petition hugely and influentially sigred had been forwarded from Woodbury praying that the money voted by the Assembly for constructing the Oxford- . Temuka line, may be expended as voted. We should be glad to see tbe unemployed in this district move in the matter. We see that the deputation who waited upon tbe members for Chris'church were not on'y kindly received, but immediate steps w«.re taken to procure employment for the men ; :i a way convenient forth.an. Why do not buil krs, bricklayers, masons, blacksmiths, and the many other tradesmen out of employment Imre, g -t up a memorial, nr send a deputation to t ie Minister for Public Works, praying him to commence this work 1 -I; is no use applyi g again to our me inber. He does col interest himself in these matters. Take ti e Wooiibury people’s plan, .and forward the ' oeh'Hon diioct. Wo are aware that there

jure the business of I emuka. We pity liio-e n;u ro’.v-iniii(L-J mortals who only look to their own poi;kets ivgardleas of surrounding suffering, but wo. deny that it wiil injure Teimika-, or any other place,per manendy. To open up connnnn cation with ihe ctuntry is nev<r a loss to the mass, nor to the property -holders either, but some people do not see farther i h .n their nose, and will nor support anything for the public good, unless they see they themselves are to be beuefii t d directly. If the working classes will not make an effort in the direction we have indicated, they will have themselves to blame if no work is provided for them in their own district durin" the coming winter The Road Board* will not be in a position to spend money as they did last winter, ann we see no prospect of any other work being provided for them

An effort was made by one of our members at the County Council meeting, last Friday, to have the Opihi Bridge—that most necessary work —putin hand, but although the Temuka Bond Board only want a guarantee that the money would be paid back to them by the Council, some of the members, who ought to have acted otherwise, opposed this measure for providing the bridge. Cross movements have, in more than one instance,kept back the i regress of Temuka. The same suicidal proceedings still goes on. The result is daily becoming more apparent. Desertion of the place and destruction of business in a district that has so many natural advantages. In our columns we have done all that lay in our power to advance the interests of the district ; but unless these efforts are backed up by the exertions of others, whose interest it is to do so, we cannot wonder at the place going back. It is now wellknown that farmers will have no spare cash to go on with improvements this season ; and what is labouring men to dol Let them see to it. We have given them good warning, if they suffer through neglect, to look to their own interests,they have themselves to blame.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TEML18800309.2.3

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Temuka Leader, Issue 241, 9 March 1880, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,148

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1880. Temuka Leader, Issue 241, 9 March 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1880. Temuka Leader, Issue 241, 9 March 1880, Page 2

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