The Nelson Railway

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29205, 16 May 1960, Page 10

The Nelson Railway

Some electors may feel that the leader of the National Party (Mr Holyoake) was not sufficiently forthright in his policy statement on the Nelson railway. But had Mr Holyoake condemned the project out of hand he would have left himself open to the kind of criticism that is justifiably levelled against the Government. The real charge against the Government is that it proposes to redeem the Labour Party’s election promise of 1957 to give Nelson a railway without providing any evidence that the project is necessary, that it justifies the expenditure of a large sum of public money, and that it has prospects of being reasonably economic. Though a large volume of opinion, including several former general managers of railways, opposes the construction of the line, the party that is the alternative Government, and might be the Government in a few months, must base its attitude on facts. These the Government has refused to supply. Neither the letter the Acting-Prime Minister (Mr Skinner) sent to Mr Holyoake replying to a request for definite information nor Mr Skinner’s subsequent remarks imply possession by the Government of evidence that would justify either supporting or rejecting the project. Although Mr Skinner has explained that the Government is not still considering nine different routes has decided on the

Whangamoa route, a firm estimate of costs is impossible ait present. How could it be made, “pending the completion “of surveys of specific places “in the more rugged areas ”, where, presumably, construction costs will be highest? The Nelson railway issue is too important to be dealt with on. the level of controversy between heads of the two mam parties (though it was the Labour Party that reduced the issue to the party political level when it made an unblushing bid for the Nelson seat by promising to connect Nelson with the South Island railway system) In the next session of Parliament the Government will presumably introduce legislation authorising a Nelson railway (and legalising retrospectively the illegal acts it has already committed). Well before this bill is introduced the Government should publish a White Paper giving all the relevant facts and estimates in its possession. This would enable the nation, as well as the Opposition, to form a judgment on the project—and on the Government’s good faith.