MAIN TRUNK LINE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20033, 15 September 1930, Page 15

MAIN TRUNK LINE.

CASE FOR COMPLETION. PROGRESS LEAGUES ACTIVE. Recognising that the future of the South Island Main Trunk may rest on the decision of the Select Committoe on Railways just set up by Parliament, tho Progress Leagues of Marlborough, Canterbury, and South Marlborough have taken immodiate action to ensure that the case for its completion is placed before that Committee, Delegates from these three Leagues met at Kaikoura on Saturday night and set up the following sub-committee to prepare evidence and submit it:—Messrs J, E, Strachan (Canterbury), W. T, Churchward and S. P. Goulter (Marlborough), and J. Murray, W. Scatt, and J. Davidson (South Marlborough). They will co-operate to prepare facts and figures on all relevant phases, the work having been apportioned to prevent overlapping. Mr W. Scott, president of the South Marlborough League, was in tho chair. Discussion was opened by Mr W, T. Churchward (Blenheim), who agreed that tho personnel of the Parliamentary Committee was representative of both Islands and all Parties. His League thought that the case for the completion of tho line should bo brought up to dato and be presented to the Committeo as evidence. Ho detailed the progress of the work on the WharanuiKaikoura section. Necessity for Facte. Mr J. E. Strachan, chairman of the Highways Committee of tho Canterbury Progress League, showed how necessary it was to present statistical facts, and where theso were not available trustworthy estimates. Opinions were of little use as a reply to the questions of such a Committee, he said. "I am sorry to see that the question of unemployment has been included in the terms of referonce," added Mr Strachan. "Unemployment is a big problem, and railway works would absorb. unemployed, but that should not ,bo cited as a reason why the Main Trunk line should be put through. *We look on it as a business proposition and if it were built merely to provide employment this would only be at the exi pense of tho line itself. I should bo sorry if the. decision to complete tho line turned on tho unemployment issue." Political Bias. They could rest assured, he continued, that there were not going to be any statistical facts adduced in opposition to the line; he had seen none as yet, though he had been anxious to discover any evidence which might upset his original estimates. Tho only criticism affecting this had been made in tho House and' even then the facts had been distorted. Hansard showed quite clearly that opinion expressed against the line was chiefly the result of political bias. Critics produced no facts; all they could say was that they did not think the line would pay. In such a*f opinion-"there was little worth, for the advocates of the line might hold, with just as much reason, that it would pay. What was required were facts, not opinions. That eleven millions more had been spent on North Island railways than on those in the South was an aspect emphasised by Mr R. F, Goulter. Surely, he argued, it was bettor to bear a small annual loss on a completed line than a heavy loss on an uncompleted one. A corollary to the completion of the Trunk line was a ferry train across Cook Strait. They knew that this was bound to come. What more profitable and useful work could they give tho unemployed than to place them on railway construction? Work at Kaikoura. Mr P. R. Climie (Canterbury) thought they had a right to assume that the work would go on, at least until tho decision of tho Committee was made. He was more convinced than ever of the necessity • for beginning work at Kaikoura as the middle of the gap. This had been suggested to the Department, but no definite reply had been received. Kaikoura possessed all the facilxtios for the prosecution of such work. It was argued by Mr Strachan that the problenf of the moment was to show that the line as a business proposition should ba built. Once having done that they could proceed to argue that tho quicker it was built the better. This was the \tage at which the starting of work at Kaikoura should be discussed. Piecemeal Methods. "Unfortunately," added Mr Strachan, "railway construction in this country has been executed by most unsatis■factory piecemeal methods. It is not unknown for other countries to build their lines at the rate of a mile a day. I do not say that this railway could, or should, be built so fast, but once having decided to build the line it is for the heads of the Public Works Department to say how they shall go about it so as to do the work most expeditiously. I am not prepared to say whether beginning work at Kaikoura would be a good method or not. Mr Climie pointed out that the suggestion was not his own, but came from an engineer. He believed the proposal was being seriously entertained. it wSSId bo a test of the Government's B °lt was* decided to suggest to the Government that it was desirable that work should be begun in the middle of the incompleted portion" of the line, at Kaikoura. 3>slegates Entertained. Before the meeting, visiting delegates were the guests of the South Marlborough League at dinner at tho Adelphi Hotel, Mr James Boyd, chairman of tho Kaikoura County Council, of the visiting delegates was proposed by Mr W. Scott. Messrs Strachan and Churchward replied. Mr Strachan said he thought they could count on the whole-hearted support of the Canterbury League for the ion of the line. Mr Churchward remarked that although the Canterbury and Marlborough Leagues had P r ®P*s« d their evidence from different angles, and without collusion, both had arrived at almost exactly the same concisions. The health of the chairman »as en thusiastically drunk, Mr Boyd; rcpying. '