S.I. MAIN TRUNK.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19676, 20 July 1929, Page 15

S.I. MAIN TRUNK.

BIG DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS. PRIME MINISTER'S DEFINITE PROMISE. [THE PKESS Special 3«:nu.j WELLINGTON, July 19. A vast fund of information dealing with the cost, revenue, and other aspects of the proposed South Island Main Trunk raihvay was presented to the Prime Minister (Sir Juscph Ward) this morning, by a deputation representing numerous South Island bodies and progress leagues, headed by Canterbury and Marlborough interests, whose main objeet was to give its strongest support to the proposed completion of the railway. The Prime Minister stated that the i work had been already commenced, and that with the help of Parliament thij session the Government intended to obtain authority for the construction of the line. The majority of the member?, he said, were in favour of the project. Ministers present were: The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), the Minister ■ for Railways (the Hod. Mr Taverner 1 , ■ the Minister for Lands (the Hon. Mr Forbes), the Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. Mr de la Pcrrelle), the Minister for Justice (the Hon. Mr Wilford), the Minister for Industries and Commerce (the Hon. Mr Cobbe), the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. Mr Ransom"!, the Minister for Health (the Hon. Mr Stallworthy), and the Minister for Native Affairs (Sir Apirana Ngata). A large number of members of the House of Representatives were also present. The deputation was introduced by the Minister for Lands (the Hon. Mr Forbes), who said it was representative of the whole of the South Island, and could speak for the great majority of the public bodies of the Island. Tn • 1911 he had introduced a depntation urging the completion of the work, a deputation which had the support of three-fourths of the members of the House. There was some difference of opinion regarding the matter now; but there was no difference so far as the South Island was concerned. The people felt they had a right to ask that the railway system should be completed. The principal speaker was Mr J. E. Strachan, ex-president of the Canterbury Progress League, who said that they understood that the Government was determined to carry out the work, and they felt that they should show how much feeling there was in support of the proposal. Criticism had been levelled against the lino, which they felt was sincere, and it had been suggested that the railway had not been properly investigated. They wished to showthat it had been thoroughly investigated. Season for Deputation. There were several possible ways of estimating the value of a railway pro- ' ject, said Mr Strachan. If it were a private enterprise then naturally the necessity of paying working expenses and giving a fair return on capital expenditure would overshadow all other considerations. But when the railways were a national concern, as in New Zealand, their service was properly estimated in relationship to the development of the country as a whole. In this case it was not so necessary to envisage a three, four, or five per cent, return on the capital cost before embarking upon a railway project. A fair probability of paying working expenses, at least in the initial stages, would be sufficient to justify construction, provided that the national developmental possibilities of the undertaking were great. Necessity for Construction. In approaching the project, the following criteria of values should be applied: — (1) Extent to which the improvement in transportation facilities might stimulate industry, promote settlement, increase production, and improve the general economic situation so far as the Dominion as a whole is concerned. (2) Special effects in the way of development to be expected in the district traversed by the line or linked up by the line. (3) Strategic value. (4) Relationship of the line to the general national transportation system, and its possible effects npon branch and subsidiary communication systems. (5) The extent to which the capital expenditure may be returned to the Government through other channels, such as (a) increased value of Crown I lands, (b) Government revenue due to increased value of freehold lands, (c) Government revenue due to increase of industry and trade, (d) Government revenue due to increased tourist and holiday traffic. (6) Value as a purely business enterprise of the Railway Department. Dealing with the first consideration, the speaker said that the national economic aspect would be the first consideration of a statesman. What would be the effect npon the Dominion as a whole of filling the Wharanui-Parnassus ' gap, he askedf He quoted a few salient facts about the present state of the development of the Dominion's resources, and particularly the relative development of the two islands. For instance, the area of the North Island was 28,000,000 acres, and that of the South Island 37,000,000 acres; the area of barren and mountainous land in each island was 300,000 ■ acres and 9,000,000 acres respectively; the land suitable for general agriculture and settlement in the north was 13,500,000 acres, and in the south 13,000,000, and the total area suitable for pasture, agriculture, and settlement was 27,000,000 and 28,000.000 acres respectively. The respective increases in population during the past 20 years had been 74.5 per cent, and 24.5 per cent, respectively, and the density of population a square mile of land suitable for settlement was 19 and 11.7. "These figures," said Mr Strachan, ; "illustrate in a striking way the'fact ' that the South Island development has been strangely retarded in comparison with the North Island development. In the economic and industrial unit which , is the Dominion, the South Island is not pulling its weight. If South Island development can be accelerated to keep step with that of the North Island the ' Dominion as a whole will be more prosperous. Retarded Progress in South. "The retarded progress of the South t Island is due in the main to disabilities ■ which can be readily removed," he ■ went on. "The beheaded condition of the South Island is one of the greatest ■ disabilities. > "To push the South Island railway trunk system through to an ocean port p on Cook Strait is one of the most statesmanlike project* that has been ! envisaged in recent years. From the national point of view the develop- , mental possibilities of tk« h»* **• «>

great that the ease for construction it strongly established, and only most unfavourable estimates of revenue and cost cou'J upset it." Comparing Marlborough ar.d Wellington from the land settlement point of view. Mr St radian said that there was actually more farm land in Marlborough than there was proportionately ! in Wellington, but the average fcrm I holding in Marlborough 'was nearly { three times that in Wellington—indeed, this was the highest average figure in J New Zealand. ! The speaker quoted figure* to show i that Marlborough had 50 per eent. more ' laud capable of improvement than the s whole of the Wellington prorince. and ! in proportion to its area nearly four I times as much as Wellington. ' Figures indicated also that Marl- ; borough was not half stocked. Respon- t sible farmers agreed that the land was ! capable of carrying twice a* many ' sheep and dairy cattle, and more than twice as many beef cattle. Wellington ' pastoralists had a woll-conceivM ud | efficient transport system that put them , in toach with their market*: M:.rl- ; liorough pastoralists were cut off from I the stock and wool markets that suited j thorn be.st. "After careful analysis.*' said Mr , Strachan. "we are convinced that i tho projected railway would undoubt- j edly rank as a main traffic route, de- i >pite road and sea competition, and j that u would materially increase traffic on Eiiliskliary and branch lines." 1 The speaker criticised the Fay-Casey . report at length, and with the aid of J figures showed that the estimated hal- ; a nee of inerea!»cd income over increased : expenditure wovild be £127.317—5uf8- ; cient to return fire per cent, on a cap- j ital expenditure of £2,546,000. I The Marlborough Case. ' Mr R. F. Coulter, president of the ; Marlborough Progress League, said ; that the Prime Minister's railway j policy was a bold one, but it was cue ' that must succeed, i Dr. W. E. Redman, vice-president of ■ the Marlborough Progress League, i>aid | the whole of the South Island sup- j ported the Government's railway con- > struction policy. They were regardinc ! the completion of the line from a J national viewpoint. The line would i have nothing to fear from motor com- j petition, as motor services could not I hope to compete successfully with long J dihtancc railways ] Mr W. J. Girling, ex-Reform M.P. j for Wairau, stressed the possibilities of closer settlement along the route [ of the proposed line. He assured the Prime Minister that as far as he was j concerned, and as far as the people of j Marlborough were concerned, he would [ have strong support. | Tho present disabilities under winch | Marlborough was labouring, as far as the transportation of stock was con- f corned, were referred to by Mr A. .1. j Murray, a prominent pastoralist, who : stated that at present stock had to go ' by road with a consequent deteriora- j tion in value. A loss of £44.000 wr»s j incurred in driving 223.500 sheep dm ] of Marlborough yearly, an average deterioration of 4s per bead, while it \ was estimated that the loss per head j of fat cattle was about £2, which meant that as there were 15.0QP cattle driven every year from Marlborough to Christcburch. a loss of £30.000 was incurred. He considered that if the Main Trunk were put through the increased revenue to the farmers of Marlborough would be enormous. Otago Interested. Mr S. B. Maodonald, president of i the Otago Expansion League, said the project interested the people of Otago very considerably. For years they had endured the long day ride to Lyttelton, and the long sea voyage to Wellington. The haphazard and piecemeal method of railway construction pursued in the Dominion had compelled them to take what was given, and their hopes were high when the report of the Fay-Raven Commission was made public. Speaking for the people of the South Island, he voiced their support of the policy which Sir Joseph Ward had enunciated, and pressed him to put that policy into immediate : and vigorous action. They were nos j interested in the squabble "as to whether this or that mih» of the new railway would receive enough traffic to make it pay, but what they wanted was an unbroken line of communication from Tuatapere to Whangarei under one control, and the property of the people of New Zealand. They also wanted a rail ferry across Cook Strait, the final, the most effective, and the most profitable undertaking of all. It had been stated that the line would not be popular with passengers, that it was too tedious a journey, too slow, and too costly, but he ventured to say that roost people would prefer to travel by land rather than by sea. if land transport were available. The proposed line was a main artery, the absolutely essential link in the chain, without which their system consisted of scattered units onlv half serrieeable. The service ooufd be run easily within th» time limit* of the present method. However, there was another consideration, apart from th© carriage of passengers, and that was the carriage of goods. Tlie long, straight haul that would be possible with the completion of this railway could not he tapped by motor traasTort, and would be more economical than the present combined rail and steamer method with its divided control and double handling. The speaker appealed to the Prime Minister not to be stampeded by opposition or criticism but to push ahead with the work in the interests of the Dominion aa a whole. Prime Minister Eeplis*. In reply the Prime Minister said the deputation and the Government were one in sentiment in connexion with the railway. The Government had proclaimed its intention of getting the authority of Parliament to put the line through, but he was very glad they had come to support the project, because outside of the Government and members of Parliament who were farourable to the making of the railway there had been an effort to create a false public opinion about it. The fact of their making the journey to Wellington to impress the Government with their support, and the publicity the speeches would receive showed clearly that they did not accept the statements which bad been published as accurately conveying the real position. He bad been a sunnorter of the rarlway as long as he had been in Parliament, and he had supported it on broad grounds. Th* late Sir Julius Vogel had been responsible for the inclusion of the line in the railwavs that were to be completed, but the proposal had bad a very chequered career. Year in and year oat it had few sponsors in the House, while it had practically none outside the House, and in the scramble that had gone on for the prosecution of the railwavs throughout the country for the last 50 rears it had fallen by the way more than once by not being included as it ought to have been as an important portion of the South Island Main Trunk railway system. He was satisfied that the railway would Day. He was also satisfied that one could" not include a missing section of line in a Main Trunk system 30 or 40 \earg after the other sections had ijeen completed, without it having large benefits outside the district affected through the connexion it would give to the rest of the system. An erroneous impression had been created and circulated among members of Parliament with a view to influencing them, but he was of the opinion that Parliament would authorise the railway this session. The GoTernment had already coromenred work on the railway. It had commenced transnorting sleepers, girders, etc.. and had had surreys made of the route that had been in band for some tuns, aa th«y

existence in a day. GOTKMMBt't Fira IlttetitiOO. "I can «nn joa," aaid Sir Joseph, "tliat there it a majority of the members ©f Parliament is faTew of what the GoTemment proposes *«» do in connexion with this railway, and there it no danger that we will not be able to complete the undertaking w* hare put oar hands to. When I net a similar deputation in 1911 I stated that the work would be completed, sad this i« the first opportunity I katw aad since then of putting that into practice. Our opponent* will not i<ethe present line. It 5 regarded as a mere section. The of this Rap of 76 miles waa pro by public men years ago. Tt is part and parcel of tbe railway system at tbw Dominion, and that system will ttot 1» completed until this section is eontpM*ed I hope that you will take my assurance, and that of my ooHaaguea, that the work will be gone on wilt, if the system had already been* completed." (Applause.)