SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 261, 31 July 1929, Page 13

SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY

Sir, —May I be permitted to throw a drop of ink into the sea of controversy raging off the Kaikoura coast? .Any intelligent observer can see that the railway suffers a serious defect

through running along the coastline, and thus being fed from only one side, but the nature of the country inland bars either l a road or rail track, so both methods of haulage are equally handicapped. Provided it is admitted that means of communication of any sort (of an improved nature, of course) are wanted in that part of the country, it is not neces- , sary to enter into the mass of figures propounded by the improved road supporters and the railway enthusiasts, to iuild up a strong case for the rail. The fact that at the moment vast quantities of automobiles are being imported into New Zealand, is now in the public mind, and a correspondent recently inquired in these columns for the figures. The main grievance appears to be that the majority of these cars are of American origin, and not English. But the evil does not stop here. In running, 99 per cent, of these vehicles consume American petrol and oil, run on American tires, and use American spare parts—-in fact, the whole of the running expenses b> bar local profit and labour in repairs, goes overseas. The railways, on the other hand, can, by a little intelligent treatment of the coal and adaption of the fire-boxes, be made to operate entirely on our own resources. Magnificent locomotives are locally made of imported bars of iron and steel; carriages and trucks are almost; entirely made of New Zealand products, and our trees have provided millions of sleepers. In the automobile world a certain number of cars are locally assembled from mostly ready-made imported parts, but I am unaware of an inter-nal-combustion vehicle manufactured here in the sense of. say. a Thames-built A.B. It is in the matter of fuel, however, that one must lay most stress on. Does the anti-railway faction approve of a policy of eventually tying the whole of our transport system to the whims of foreign oil trusts? At the end of the war petrol out here rose to over 30s. a case, and was hard to obtain. In England the price per gallon was even higher, and the supply rigorously rationed. The railways there, although the public services were slightly curtailed, worked at a pressure never before equalled in transporting enormous quantities of material on the power of English coal. Had this transport depended on petrol, one ventures to ouestion if it could have been accomplished, and how much nelrol would we have got if more had been needed there. The world demand for “juice” is steadily increasing; the price locally anvbow suffers from the same complaint, and new supplies do not appear to be forthcoming. So. until we have oil wells of our own. let us shape our course along the iron ■way. maintaining the Independence our remote insular position thrusts upon us, end at the same time keeping our money ■s fnr ns possible In our own country. Incidentally the argument re Imported fuel con be need very stronrdv In the bus V. frnm controversy where the tram consumes a steady sunnly of the hydroelectricity we have invested so much money jn.—T am. etc.. H. GRIERSON. Mata roe. July 25,