Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-11-27
More About Those New Zealand Railways

By-H. C.sMILLARD


the whole situation better than / can
and who clearly shows that it is pou
tiles and politicians that are the trouble
with The government owned railways
IA this country. To me they seem tc
be failure in New Zealand, though
will not deny that it might work bet
ter in an old-established country
where there would be no extensions
or improvements required and where
the business was CONSTANT
Ever since the removal of the seat
of government to Wellington. New
Zealand has been under the DONNA
ton of southern men. and it is worth
while deyoting little time to consid
ering how they have discharged the
duties handed over to them with so
much confidence and trust; to inquir-
ing whether they have exercised, and
are exercising, the great powers given
to them for the benefit of New Zeal
and or for the benefit of their own
particular districts, political party, and
friends. Their great opportunity
came in 1870. with Julius Yogel, and
his enunciation of what is known as
our public works policy. From that
time on, and more particularly during
! the LAST Is years, I have no hesita-
ton in saying, and being able to prove,
that the interests of the whole Of New
Zealand, the interests Of Nelson, MARI
borough, Wellington Hawkes. Bay,
Taranaki. Auckland, in short, the in
terests of every district north or Can
terbury provincial district have been
ruthlossly sacrificed to the interests
of Canterbury, Otago, and Westland.
Our southern politicians were quick
to see the immediate advantage it
would give them if they could secure
the start in railway construction.
This they did, did it thoroughly and eff
fectively, and have kept 1t ever since.
This, then, is what it is. The rail-
ways Of the colony have cost, up to
March 81 last, e25,43S,56S (s127,.
1872, 84o}, OF this sum, Canterbury,
0tago. and Westland alone have con.
trived to appropriate to themselves
/ G1S.952. 100 (s69. 760545), leaving for
all the rest of New Zealand all the
land, and all the people north of Can
lterbury, all the richest and most pro
ductive portions of New Zealand, and
that portion of it which pays by far
the largest proportion, at least 65 per
lcent of the whole of the taxation OF
the country, but 6 II, 1856. 459 1851, 432,.
l295).
Under the Seldom and Ward ad-
ministrations 99,e72,041 S4S,36o,2o5)
has been added to our railway ex.
penditure, and of this vast sum these
gentlemen have contriyed to appro-
pirate within $4,000 (s235, 0oO) of
half Of the whole to their own three
provinces, Canterbury, Otago, and
Westland. That they could, for one
moment, have believed that such a
distribution of the public funds and
transit facilities was made in the IN
terest of New Zealand, I, for one, re.
fuse 10 credit Taking into account
the lay the northern provinces, and
Auckland in particular have been
treated in the matter of public build
ings, AID the way our crown and ma
tive lands have been locked up, and
held back from settlement. we are
quite justified in believing that it is
part of deliberate scheme to pre-
serve the domination that has so long
existed OF the south over the north.
There has been no thought Of the gen.
eral good of New Zealand, but mainly,
If not only, how can we keep ourselves
and our friends in power? That Mr..
Seldom or Sir Joseph Ward can have
believed that such distribution OF
the public funds was fair or right, or
lust, or wise, or in any way IN the in
lterests of New Zealand as a whole,
can only be supposed on the assump-
ton that they were not only in the
ldensest ignorance of the wants and re
lquirements of the country, but also
of what our railways were and are
doing.
1T should be remembered that OF
the 345 miles of new railway opened
lin the south island since Mr.. Seldom
became premier, 300 were in Canter
bury, Otago, and Westland, and only
sc miles in all the rest of the south
island was this right?
What / want to warn my fellow
coIonists against is the amazing folly
which Sir Joseph Ward evidently in
tends to commit il he possibly can. Il
is quite evident that he intends tc
sduander several millions more in the
south island, before he win allow tht
rich lands of the north island 70 be de
veloped; yet, in the debate in imprest
supply, on July IS, he vas forced t.
acknowledge the great failing off il
the paying power of the south island
lines. This non-paying power he, like
Mr.. Davy. attributes TO the increasing
length Of the lines, and says tina
when the north island lines are al
much extended as they are in th'
south. the same results will follow
(See Hansard, July &c. 1907) asl
the readers attention to this state
ment OF Sir Joseph's. Is it not
clear admission that his policy of rail
way administration is an utter fail
ure Let it be remembered that h