IMPROVEMENTS TO RAILWAYS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22908, 3 January 1940, Page 6

IMPROVEMENTS TO RAILWAYS

Departmental Plans . ' West .Coast ]±‘- ' '' ■ ' '■ 7 .Vj"' ‘ ; >’

STATEMENT BY HON. D. G. / , ' SULtIVAN

[From Our Own Reporter] WESTPORT, January S, ■ Proposals to” Improve the railway system on the West Coast of the South Island, including the installation of an automatic signalling. apparatus on the Greymouth-Hokitika section at a cost of £25,000, ; additional sidings at the Greymouth station and wharf, and also at Westport; and the provision of a power pumping, iplant, at’vWeatpgrt to supply, .water-, forthe 1 wharf capstans weyo detailed /fey tfeQ- Minister for Railways (the JEJon. D. Q, Sullivan), in an interview 1 at Westport to-day.The Miniate? was pacing through the town on - : fela return, to Christchurch after a tour of the We st Coast. He mentioned the progreea pf.the ngahua-railway- and said ■:that 'sthe^iink^with/ the main-line to other centres Would be.woH coined fey the'department,. A modern type of rail-oar "would fee used on. this section when completed.' , “Besides providing - a very necessary local service the Wes.tport-Inangahua line will pro*, vide a desirable through railway' communication between Westport,. Rcefton, Groypjoutlh ■ Ghrigtchurgh and the main: centres of the floqth/ Island,” said Mr Sullivan, • t - '‘The provision of electrlo signals ;§nd,Qdpiinunieatipps. or 'the Westpgrt"JnP n iahun JunctionStiilwater 'lection has h§iß 'decided, on,” said the Minister, “andwork wll l be.atarted on the, 'used portions 1 of the- -line In the; near .future,”; , Included jp. ,ths "works tQ h§ done in. the Greymouth district are grade-, easements, at - Qipoto, Jacksons, and Stillwater. Af; Westport a turntable'wPi‘fee'prnvidod for locomotives' and extra iidingp will - fee constructed.' '

i Goig-Dredglag work - Speaking °|, gold-dredglng activity on the West Goast, Mr iuHiyan amd that the big dredge which .wag ■•to : be used at Ngehere nad almost - beep ercated. Jhe dredge had bagr made at-the Addington workshopg. /its total weight was SOOQ tons, Th§- pontoon was |B6 feet to a depth of from-85 to 100 feet, , “The department is making evgry efTort ,to provide-medern transport faciiitiea-on the Wait mm lar the services and contribute to the greater comfort end safety-of itravallcrfii ~.. . i• i t 1 Mp v Sullivan- said that the Westport/ district was the birthplace of' the co-operative System of constructing nublia works in honour which he paid many people of th§ day Had afenoat .forgattan and pf wfel c h many others were quite unaware. Mp Seddon’s Plan

' , I'When the Liberal Government, under the. Premiership qlkthi .’Step, Jshn BallanpeXpßßii.; )nto\- nower :in iJanuary, 18fH» th® portfolio.‘if Minister for Public Wprks was given the , p. Ji geddon.” said Mr <f At that time, .part-of..the westped railway. *em ; , NBakawau to Mokihmui was under construction. PuPljq tenders had beep, invited fOT- tne ItfUdtJon of eeptafn sectipns'qf thi§ railway,-tba eonulflohs beipg of the most liberal character. No deposit was required and tpe work tyas eut up info.’ihorl lengt&k , AWnpsi ■ tidna The contracts were thrown -up and to : cmote MP Seddon, Tt became aohoioS-hitWiil? - oailing lor tresh tenders on the original method and ’ mvihs thn : , io-operitive^srintfidiir’triak On arriving in.WestpwtWound,,a l a j g ? number ©I jpem who had' flOGfetd • tht£o J&SBl. lerent parts of the colony expecting to get emnlflvment?on the construction of this railway, ■I ■deeiaad to let the,- sectionseelerred to, - three number, on-the .co-operative principle,'.and afelled'the ipen to divide themselves into parties •Slwdutr§oiewbcßnd...to-.ssdect,*oin- each party, pertain trustees, The trustees were to take work f frhmtfhe; injhi, ordjp||x,Ttfay,j3Ut. Itbp Wj eaq&eno^>v%t his fellowSi The -price to be given was to be

fixed by the engineer in charge. of the workOn -this the men went to \york .m e few days. “The ssmeg m. this initial nngji- ' cation of the QQ-os§r a tiye prineiplfe" cgnduSpd Mr* Sullivan, ‘uecf to certain imprgyeptiantg jn the system which subsequently wa§ adopted .ra tensively and with eHeefient results throughput ' the Dominion. The inauguration, of-...the- system in Westport nearly 50 years ago, marked-the qqpuuehcement.of one of -the outstanding muBS- - trial epofchs of oiir .century .of progress, think it PBB°rtune at the .present-time ang; ;n tjuPfglagite reg&U,an,s\mp.§trfergottsn, eyept ; pf’great.' algnmsanee In these early* years .of working class .emancipation.’* 1 _