THE NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 38, 14 February 1910, Page 6

THE NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY.

(To the Editor.) Sir.—Tlie enclosed is a copy of a memorial, drawn up by the Auckland Railway League, to be submitted to the Premier, praying that consideration of the southern of the two western deviations in the North Auckland Main Trunk railway be included in the scope of a Royal Commission appointed, or to be appointed, to inquire into the northern.

We recognise that the evidence before the public is not sufficient to enable definite pronouncement upon the merits of the "rival" routes to bo made, but we earnestly appeal to yoti on behalf of a large body of settlers to state whether in your opinion the memorial enclosed makes out a prima facie case for investigation. If you agree that it does, you would greatly assist in righting what seems to many Northern settlers a great wrong, if you would lend your powerful support in urging that the Premier should accede to the prayer of the memoriaJists.

Northern settlers have no recourse but to appeal for help to the newspapers of the Dominion. They have exhausted ordinary remedies without satisfaction. They have petitioned Parliament; they have deputationised Ministers. Notwithstanding all protests, work has been and is still being carried on on the Southern deviation.

The right of a Minister to withhold information from taxpayers is in question. The right of Cabinet to overrule an Authorisation Act is involved in the question. Abstract justice alone demands that investigation should be made.

Briefly, the facts are as follow: By Authorisation Act the railway route w__ fixed to Maungaturoto. Settlers (of the Wairoa chiefly) asked for a deviation, which the Hon. Hall-Jones refused. He stated that Messrs. Hales, Vickermaa and Holmes favoured the original route. The question was re-opened at the end of 100 S. In February. 1909, the Hon. R. McKenzie visited the district. He spent at the outside two days investigating the original route and the" proposed deviation — the length of the line is about 19 miies by either route. He was accompanied by Mr. Wilson, the District Engineer, and by Mr. Holmes, the Engineer-in-Chief. He subsequently decided in favour of the western deviation, in spite of the fact that the Engineer-in-Chief was favourable to the original route. He adduced no sufficient reason for the change. His stock and population returns deb'berately left out the most populous and productive part of the district Until the Petitions Committee of the House took evidence, it' was not known to the members of Parliament that the Engineer-in-Chief was adverse to the deviation. Yet the Minister of Public ■Works, in spite of the Authorisation Act, in spite of the fact that the Ot_matea County Council had been informed (for road purposes) of the locality of at least one station (Kaiwaka) on the original route, and in spite of the opinion of the Engineer-in-Chief, caused work to be carried out on the deviation.

The question U of Dominion importance. Mr. Stewart, one of the most competent engineers in the County, says an extra sum of £90,000 13 involved. What can come of the inquiry? Northern settlers will never be satisfied without one. A great loss of money to the Dominion may be saved if it is held. It is probable that construction may be delayed five years if the deviation is followed. The Auckland Railways League favour investigation. The memorial is signed by city M.P.'s and leading business firms. We vouch for the accuracy of the statements contained therein. We believe the memorialists have mode out a prima facie case for investigation, and w_ earnestly appeal to you to comment upon the memorial from that point of view. W. A. CAKRUTH, President B. a PURDIE, Secretary, North Auckland Railway League, Whangaxei, February 7, 1910. THE MEMORIAL. The memorial forwarded by our correspondents sets out the case as stated in their letter. It says:—"That upon the following points there appear to be extraordinary diilerences of opinion amongst professional authorities: (a) The length of tunnelling involved on the respective routes; (b) the amount of bridging required, and the professional estimate of cost of the tidal bridge over the Otamatea estuary. That the serious nature of the difficulty of the unstable ground to be contended with in traversing the Bi-kerstaffe block is in evidence fully admitted by the Engineer-in-Chief, and yet no attempt has been made to even approximately estimate the extra cost of construction thereby involved, which, in view of the experience upon the HoteoTe Hana section of the constructed line, may easil-- amount to many thousands of pounds, and delay the completion of the railway for from three to five years." The memorial also urges, further, that the details of the "trial" surveys should have been submitted to the --fliamentary Committee. It points out that if, as stated by the Hon. the Minister for Publia Works, the evidence in favour of the proposed deviation is "overwhelming," the production before the Royal Commission of the plans, etc., connected with the trial or other surveys would finally settle the question beyond possibility of reasonable dispute. NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY. (To the Editor.) Sir, —There seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding (particularly by Auckland people) in regard to the western deviation. When the line began to approach Otamatea County some years ago, there was a general understanding amongst the different districts in the county that the decision of the route should be left to the Government, aiter a thorough survey of the County had been made and full information obtained as to which line would be best in the interests of tlie Dominion, and also from a commercial point' of view. The western people found out, as time went on, that the Government engineers were simply following Knorp's flying survey, made over thirty years ago, when the country was mostly in bush and not settled. This line was to connect with Whangarei. The Government were then asked, before the permanent line was fixed, to make an examination of the country more to the west, as it was considered if a more westerly line could be got it would serve s. much larger population, and open up a greater extent of country. Mr. Holmes was sent to report on thi3 deviation, via Young's Point, in 1907, and he reported unfavourably, but his report was so contrary to facts in many instances (he admitted in the House that he had not been over the route, but had only viewed the country from a hill) that the western people were not o_t-f-_4 _ri_>. __« •*_-*-

sory examination. The result was that a petition was got up to the House of Parliament, asking that a thorough examination of both routes should be made before the line was decided upon. Several , persons who resided from four to ten miles from the proposed western route went to Wellington and gave evidence •before the Railway Petitions Committee. The Hon. G. Fowlds was a member of this Committee, and he informed mc afterwards that he and others were simply prepared to sit upon the witnesses, as they were fully persuaded that this petition originated from interested motives. However, after hearing the evidence, ho somewhat changed his mind, and said that he would come and see the country for himself, so that he could give an intelligent vote when the matter came up in Cabinet. He came, saw the country, and went back convinced that the western route was by far the best, both from a commercial point of view and in the general interests of the IDoroinion. The Hon. R, McKenzie followed, and there is no doubt' he went into the matter from all points of view. He took lan immense amount of trouble. Messrs. Holmes and Wilson, his two engineers, were with him for consultation, and it was generally understood that after the Minister had verified, or otherwise, cerI tain statements in regard to statistics, . this decision should be final, but it seems a few—a very few —eastern people could . not take defeat, and have again raised I the question.

I may say that the western deviation to McC-u-roll's gap is confined to the Otamatea County. It does not, either b;' the east or west routes, touch Whangarei County until after it passes HoCaixoU's gap. Wh_ngarei was simply brought in by the few eastern people who have caused all the distur.ba-.ee as a kind of red herring across the scent. Ota_ortea County is divided into seven Ridings, viz., Kaiwa_a, Wairau, Whakapir_u, Pa-paroa, „__,takol_e, ilareretu, and Toka Toka. Now, the Hon. B. MoKenzie holds a paper that was signed by the whole of the last five ridings, together with aibout a fourth of the residents of Wairau, and over one hundred from I_aiw_ka, stating their full approval of the ---blister's decision in the matter of the route. The population of the county is about 3,600; out of this 2,000 are represented on .the paper referred to signifying their approval of tho Minister's decision. The acreage of the county is 238,037 acres, and 201,3G3 acrea axe situated on the west of the eastern route. The valuation of this western land is more than douible per acre that of the eastern land, thus showing where the produce is conning from to feed tho railway. There are about 60,000 sheep in tho county, and I should say that 50,000 of these are west of the eastern line. I should like some of the business men in A__cl_nd to study these figures, as well as the editors of the papers; they might then give the Minister credit for doing the right thing, and not be so anxious to sign petrtions on a _n_utiter they know very tittle about.

I am now going to mildly criticise the gentlemen who gave evidence in support of re-opening the whole question again. The two settlers who gave evidence are both self-interested parties. "What I wish to show is that no person living faux _r_tle_ away from the line gave any evidence in favour of re-opening the question.

Mr. Holmes, I am afraid, iras not had a very wide experience in railway construction in its commercial aspects, or he would know that both on the Continent of Europe and in America the rivers are the greatest feeders to the railways. It is never too late to mend; I would advise Mr. Holmes to go to Te H_na, the next station to Wellsford, and note the goods coming and going from Port Aloert, etc., and he will find that nearly half the goods for and from the train come and go by water, and this in spite of the weekly steamer from HelensviUe. Then perhaps _Vtr. Holmes will be surprised to hear th_t stone from. Hulcatere has lately been delivered at Mofcakoho for the Council at 4/ per cubdo yard. I think Mr. Holmes put the oost at 7/ in his evidence.

Taking the evidence of both Mr Holmes and Mr Wilson, the conclusion one would draw is that there are no engineering difficulties on either route. Then if you ■take Mr Blow's evidence on stock, population, etc., the Minister could only adhere to the decision arrived at by the Cabinet lost June. The Railway League in Auckland have at last shown their •hand. Mr Peacocke, as chairman, has professed hitherto that the League took no side in regard to route, but their late action proves the contrary. This partiality has been suspected for some time, otherwise there is hardly a settler in Otamatea County who would not have subscribed his guinea or tialf a guinea a year to the League. The western people in the Otamatea County are not at all afraid of a Royal Commission, as the evidence would be overwhelming in favour of the western route, but it means the delay of a year in expending the £80,000.

I may state that a large number of people in favour of the western line are Oppositionists, so that the matter of politics has had nothing to do with the controversy, and I feel sure that if Mr Massey would spend a week in the district, and not allow himself to be Ibdassed, he would come to the same conclusion as the Hon. R. McKenzie came to in regard to the merits of the two routes. In conclusion, I may state that to my knowledge no Minister has ever taken so much trouble in solving a difficulty as the Hon. R. McKenzie has done in the matter of this railway route, for which he has had nothing but abuse from the Auckland papers. The public want to remember that the settlement of this route is not altogether an engineering question. If it was so, where does the Minister come in? But it is a question of which route will pay. I thought the public were getting a bit sick of allthese non-paying railways, but It is astonishing what one agitator will do, even if he is not a trades unionist. —I am, etc, W. HEATHOOTE JACKMAN.