WAIRARAPA RAILWAY NEEDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 230, 27 September 1911, Page 6

WAIRARAPA RAILWAY NEEDS.

ALLEGED DIVERSION OF TRADE. IS AUCKLAND BENEFITED? Tim "Watr&rapa Age'' makes a somewhat surprising statement with regard to an alleged diversion of trade with Masterton from Wellington to Auckland. It Bays: "Through their masterly inactivity the mercantile houses of Wellington are allowing much of the trade of the lower portion of the North Island to be diverted to Auckland. It may surprise Wellington merchants to know that orders arc now being sent from Masterton to Auckland because they are delivered with greater expedition than from the Empire City. The railway service, as it affects the Wairarapa and Forty Mile Bush districts, is in a chaotic condition. If the merchants of Wellington place any value at all upon the trade of the Wairarapa, they will join in the demand for the deviation of the Ritnutaka. railway, and will use other, methods for bringing this resourceful district into closer touch with its natural centre." NO DIVERSION NOTICED.

In conversation with a "Star" representative this morning, Mr. Jones, of Sargood, Son, aaid Ewen, sairl that so far as jiis firm was concerned the Dominion was divided into clearly marked districts, each under the control of a branch house, and all orders sent up from Masterton would in due course be forwarded to the Wellington house, which would deal with them. As far as he knew other houses having branches followed the same rule, and in any case it was unlikely that many orders would come from the Wairarapa, owing to the much greater distance as compared with that from Masterton to Wellington.

Mr. S. J. Nathan, of A. H. Nathan, Ltd.. said that the assertion appeared to him ajbsuxd upon the face of it, and he regarded it as'a canard set on foot bv parties interested in the Rimutaka railway deviation. It looked as if the statement was m<\ant to frighten the Government into hurrying on with the. work, which was not after all of such urgency as they would wish to infer. Anyone looking at the map would see that it was *,hsirrd to suggest that the business people of Masterton would prefer to get their goods from Auckland. The distance to Wellington was under a hundred miles, and even considering the steep grades it should be covered in about four hours'. On fie other hand, he estimated that goods would take two days, perhaps three, to "reach Masterton from Auckland —longer, in fa.ct. than it would take to convey them to Wellington. Two charges,, at Pa!merston North and Woodvillc. would he necessary, and in face of all this lie questioned whether Auckland could ever enter info competition with Wellington for the Wairarapa trade, no matter how inefficient the Southern railwar service, might be. In conclusion, Mr. Nathan remarked that it would be incorrect to describe the condition of Wellington mercantile houses a s one ot "masterly inactivity." He was convinced that ther were as active as anyone could desire, and he was equally s " rc that there had been no diversion of trade, especially in the ease of large firms with branches in all the large, centres.