A FORTUNATE DISTRICT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3166, 17 April 1909, Page 4

A FORTUNATE DISTRICT.

The Minister for Public Works, the Hon.. R. McKenzie, speaking at Greymouth, said that as Minister for Public Works he intended seeing that the Government received fair and reasonable value for the money expended. He referred to the splendid roads on the West; Coast compared with the "roadless North," stating that the audience had no conception of bad roads. On the West Coast there were four different lines in hand. The WestportKeefton line he hoped to have finished in eight' years. The Blackball line he expected to be finished in a few months. There was also the Point Elizabeth line. Koss line was now opened. A lar*ex number of men would be employed on the Keef-ton-Westport lines shortly. At the present time there were 2,600 miles of railway in the Dominion, but fully 5,000 to 6,000 miles were necessary. He referred to , these as a valuable asset, which, if sold, would nearly pay the national debt of £65,000,000, which had been incurred in prolucti»e works. He made the significant statement that he did not chink they were paying too. much for their railway service—in fact, he ' thought they could afford to pay a little'more than they had been doing in the past. The railways should support the taxpayers more.