ARAMOANA’S PURCHASE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30143, 29 May 1963, Page 17

ARAMOANA’S PURCHASE

Decision ‘Much Too Late’

The Aramoana had come much too late to save much capital cost for the railways, said the Minister of Transport (Mr McAlpine) in an address to the annual meeting of the Canterbury-Westland division of the National Party last pight. Capital cost would have been saved-if he had been able to persuade people to listen to him eight or nine years ago, he said. He had been advocating the acquisition of a ship such as the Aramoana for a number of years.

Instead of maintenance depots in both islands for diesel locomotives, as there were now, only one depot would have been needed if an inter-island ferry had been introduced before the railways went over to diesel engines.

“All maintenance facilities must be at least duplicated in each island,” he said. Mr McAlpine said that New Zealand could get through the next year without a loss in its railways. This was because of economic measures taken recently and because the railways today had more business than they could possibly handle. The railways had given away road licences for some goods they would not be able to handle.

Mr McAlpine said that the Aramoana was working almost to capacity. It was never envisaged that she would make more than one trip a day, except during the Christmas peak period. Yet today she was booked for months ahead for six daily trips and three- night trips a week.