The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 965, 29 August 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1878.

Equal and exact justice to all men, 0£ whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. * _.,*.. ~*. .. . *,..-. * Hero shall the.(Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and anbribed by gain.

The Financial Statement of the Colonial Treasurer was a most decided political hit. That of the Minister for Public Works, which was delivered on Tuesday night, the portion of which most interesting to our readers we give in full, was none the less successful. Practical and business-like, comprehensive in principle, and clear in detail, it seems to have carried with it the House as with one voice.

The Statement is one of great interest, for it is not merely a re-, capitulation of works done, but .is, in effect, a public works policy of no inconsiderable mognitude, even in' New Zealand, where we have come to look at millions in pur public expenditure as .« matter of mere bagatelle. But Mr Macandrew not only sees the .necessity. for still further investment to render the railway expenditure already sunk as fully profitable as it might be; he shows us where the money is to come from, and how the money for the greater portiov of the cost of these undertakings will be created by the very works themselves. The value of laud in New. Zealand has been found to increase in exact ratio with the increased facilities for communication afforded by.railways and their construction. What the land holders of the colony have collectively found to be the case, the Government has an equal right to build upon in its capacity of chief landowner of all. -E'g.ht million sterling expended upon i he construction of railways that will affect the value of four .millions of acres of Ciown lauds yet unsold, is about as safe an : investment for the improvement of the public property as any Government could enter upon, putting aside altogether the collateral advantages which the expenditure of that sum over a space of five years is certain to bring, both to the general prosperity of the colonists and to the revenue. If, now, our mere disjointed lings in the Middle Island have been made to pay sorad 2.60 per cent, on the wholi. cost of their construction, we uiay lairly assume that the making thorough this comniunicition will quickly increase the even now growing character of the lines. We ai« rejoiced to see the Government boldly a-king the As-erably for the moans to construct the main trunk line of the North Island : a work not merely of commercial

alue, but of paramount social and political importance- to the future welfare of both races. Tue railway from the Waikato to the head of the Thames navigation is also to be ffiSade a c ilouial work, and the exiiension of the railway into Hamilton,. an I of a tramway through the township to tap the traffic of the lands east t»f Waikato, are to be; provided for, the sanction to expend a sum of £IO.OOO for that purpo3p llfeing asked for. The next political enunciation will be that oft he Native Minister, and we shall look for it ~>yJLth. no. little interest. Those of the Colonial Treasurer and of the Minister for Public Works dovetail into each; other,, aud we shall, be somewhat. surprised if that of the Native Minister will not be be; found; to be parr. and parcel of both. In the matter of the Te A.wamutu-Turanaki Ra.hvay extension Mr Macandrew speaks as though the great difficulty of all were no difficulty at all, scarce .taking- it into consideration. Let us hope Mr Sheehan's statement will be a sequel to Mr as 'his has been in a great;measure to that of Mr Ballahi»,and then we .may look that the Ministry, which contains three, such heads, tria juncta in una, will be able to initiate such a condition.of affairs as ti/Lv; Macandrew predicts will, if New .Zealand continue the same onward progress till her first centennial, make it hard to decide which will betheri the lesser, which the greater Britain,