RAILWAY ESTIMATES.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 253, 24 October 1919, Page 7

RAILWAY ESTIMATES.

NORTH ISLAND'S BIG LEAD. MR. CHEAL'S CRITICISM. PAEROA-POKENO LINE OMITTED. There is nothing very surprising in the railway appropriations, considering the nearness of a general election. This is the opinion of Mr. P. E. Cheal, chairman of the Auckland Railways League, who was asked about it this morning. '"The North Island appropriations are large," said Mr. Cheal, "indeed, it is liard to see hSw so much money could be spent in a year, even if the Government really meant to spend it. Tlie North Island has a very heavy advantage over the South Island, on the figures— £484,200 and £134,600—but if the South Island votes are all expended and our works do not get fair treatment tlie promised advantage may be wiped right out." The apparent absence of the PaeroaPokeno line from the schedule to the Railways Authorisation Bill was a distinct disappointment, said Mr. CheaL He recalled that this important timesaving link in the East Coast railway was the subject of Goverment promises in 191(5, and that in 1017 and 1018 the Auckland Railways League had reminded the Government about it without result. "The item of £5000 stated as having been spent on this line in 101S-10 must relate to works between Netherton and Paeroa," he proceeded. "The Government cannot proceed with the line itself until it is authorised. A few weeks ago I wired to Mr. Poland, to whom the original promise was made, and asked him to find out whether the line was on the authorisation list. He wired back that Sir William Fraser would not say. "Mv personal opinion about it." said Mr. Cheal, "is that the Government does not want to swell the North Island appropriations any further. There are also a number of people wiio want deviations from the direct Paeroa-Pokeno route. One section would like to see the line brought round to Kopu, and another want it to run through Ilunua and Paparata. so as to join the main line further north. The Government seems to be. afraid of losing votes by raising a local controversy about it, and so the line has lo wait." THE NORTHERN FIGURE-. Referring to the North Auckland Hues, Mr. Cheal said that the appropriations -were satisfactory, and so was their distribution over tne different sections, so far as it was possible to judge without perusing the actual Public Works statement. If all the lines in the schedule were pushed on it would mean that a genuine effort was being made to close the gaps in the fragmentary railway system of the Xorth. The newly authorised section from Ngapuhi southwards to the left bank of the Wairoa River -was evidently intended to connect the North Main Trunk ultimately with tiie Otira-Kaikohe-Ohaea-•wai branch of the Whangarei-Opua line. The allocation of £10,000 to the Kaihu line extension was satisfactory, because this isolated line, if pushed further up the valley, would tap very valuable and much needed timber. The East Coast appropriations hardly called for comment, in Mr. Cheal's ; opinion. The expenditure on the Wai-roa-Waikokopu line was made unavoidp.ble by the silting of the Wairoa Harbour. The only possible alternative was the laying down of a twenty-mile concrete road to connect Wairoa -with its new port. This, and the introduction of motor lorries, would have been a practical solution of the problem, if the experience of Taranaki was a. guide. However, a 6tart had been made with the railway, and it must be gone on with. Unfortunately it could not be utilised as part of the Gisborne-Xapier main line. The main thing, said Mr Choal in conclusionj was to use every effort to keep the needs of the North before Parliament. If Auckland, Taranaki, and Hawfce's Bay united to protert their interests Parliament must listen. Already they have a joint population of about 400,000—nearly half the population of the Dominion. It was only lack of cohesion that prevented 'them from getting their due. Mr. V. Trounson, chairman of the Hobson County Council, when asked about the Northern railway votes, expressed a doubt whether enough labour was available to allow all the' money to be spent. Regarding the Kaihu line, Mr. Trounson said that the estimated cost of the extension to Donnelly's Crossing was £18,000, but the present appropriation would carry it far enough to enable the timber thereabouts to be got out.