EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Te Puke Times, Volume II, Issue II, 12 December 1913, Page 3

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

SIR JOSEPH WARD INTER-

ESTS HIMSELF.

During the debate on the Public Works Estimates in the House of Representatives last week, further reference was made to the East Coast Railway. Sir' Joseph Ward, referring to the fact that only £10,000 had been allocated to the WailiiTauranga section of the line, moved that the amount be reduced by £100 as an indication that it was not sufficient to enable the construction of the line to be carried on at a reasonable rate. He said that his Government had allocated £15,000 for this portion of the line, but the work had been stopped by the present Minister.

Hon Mr Fraser: Only at one end. Continuing, he said that as the vote was for the period ending March 31 next the amount of £10,009 was equivalent to a vote of nearly £40.000 a year. It would be no use to put a large sum on the Estimates this year as it could not be spent. No good purpose could be served by overloading the Estimates.

Sir Joseph Ward asked whether the Minister could give a definite assurance that the vote of £10, 000 would be spent by March 31. Unless this were given, he would press his amendment.

■ Mr Eraser said that he would do his best to have the money spent, but he could not commit himself to a definite assurance, as it might be difficult to obtain sufficient labor during the summer. Hewpuld promise, however, that the work would be pushed on with all possible speed,

Tha motion to reduce the vote was lost on the voices, no division being called for.

In connection with thi above, the Town Clerk of Waihi has received the following telegram from the Minister for Public Works ' Your telegram received. The Engineer-in-Ch'°f informs me that £10,003 is as much as can be spent on the Waihi-Athehree railway by the 31st March, hence there is no necessity to increase the amount on the Sdoplementary Estimates.