SOUTH ISLAND LINE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 129, 5 June 1929, Page 12

SOUTH ISLAND LINE

MR. JONES'S CRITICISM EEPLY BY PREMIER (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This Day. Further reference to the Government's intention to complete the South Island Main Trunk,Bailway and a reply to criticism on this subject was made by the. Prime Minister in his speech at the Town Hall last night. It was incorrect to say, said Sir Joseph Ward, that the Fay-Baven Commission had reported against completing the South Island Main Trunk, as Sir Sam Pay and Sir Vincent Bavon stated in their report that, ■vyhile generally speaking, they did not feel cornpotent to express an opinion on the construction of now lines, they did definitely advocate the construction of the; line from Ward to Parnassus. Mr. .3?. J. ! Jones, former chairman of the Railway Board, had Btated that the construction costs per mile were, now so heavy that it was not possible to build any railway in New Zealand that would pay. '"This point, however," remarked Sir Joseph, "wasnever emphasised in any of the late Bailway Board's published reports, although the . facts were probably'pointed out/by the chairman of the board to the then Minister of BailWays.'? . ',:-■■.:'■■■ ::...'. ■/.•■! ■.:.:; I PIRATING TO BE CONTROLLED.

"It is admitted in all countries," proceeded the Prime Minister,: "that for long distances railways are undoubtedly the most economical means of transport, and that trunk railway lines are absolutely necessary as the arterial means of transport, therefore the Government's policy to complete the trunk lines, in .which a great: deal of-capital has already been sunk, is sound. While motor transport has now a definite place in short-distance traffic,-in long-distance traffic it is merely, pirating the cream of the business when it could not possibly do the- whole of it. This pirating means an economic : loss to the country, and will have to be stopped, or at least rigidly controlled. In Victoria motor transport is rigidly controlled through the licensing- of the vehicles with atrarisportpolicy to force co-ordination between, theroad and the rail transport. The completion of trunk lines is' in the economic interests of the country. The Government was elected to^complete-trunk lines,, and the previous ; Administration should have made: facts as regard costs public when the,matter was being discuss- [ ed on tho public platform before the ele.etion.'' ":...■- . '.': . -,

A FASTER RUNNING LINE.

"There.is a gap of 76 miles.by the coastal route to be completed to enable the line to carry out what it was originally intended to do,'? continued the Prime Minister, referring to the South island Main Trunk. "At,present the >north end. of the line'is completed between Pictou: arid Wharanui, a distance of 56 miles, and the south*erid,between Christchurch and Parnassus, a distance: of 85 miles.. There are, therefore, 141 miles of completed railway, and a gap of 76 miles to' be 1 constructed. The completion of this gap' will, not' only connect the- Marlborough district with the South Island railway system, 'but bring the South and North, Islands more elosely'.in touch. The importance of such a connection was. stressed, in the report of the Fay-Raven Commission of 1924. Trial surveys have been made of several routes, and *on 'present information it would appear that the "coastal route is the best not only from the point of view .of cost, but also-as to distance, grades, and alignment. ■'. The estimate for the coastal route-- is approximately £ 2,000,000, ■; against: £ 3,378,000 ■ for the best inland route. Survey parties are at present engaged in making permanent surveys, and .housing. has been arranged for 60 men who are being- started on the line. It will be a faster running line—a point to- be considered in. view of the ultimate' linking up of the North and South Island systems.

NO NORTH v. SOUTH.

"Tlicro is no - such thing' as North versus South, or South versus North in Hie House of Representatives," added ttie Prime Minister. "That has long since disappeared from the new Liberal arena. The : House, is actuated by a desire to provide the. facilities required irrespective of.which island is concerned."

Sir Joseph -Ward -stated that the un-

completed portions of railway construction in hand in the North Island were as follow: — Miles. Stratford. Main Trunk 20$ Napier-Gisborne ....w........... 67* Dargaville line ................. 11 i Okaihau line 5 To.tal .103* This was about equal to the number of uncompleted portions of railway construction in hand in. the South Island. UNREASONABLE DEMANDS. Dealing with the stoppage of the Palmorston North deviation and the Botorua-Taupo line, Sir Joseph Ward said that the Government's action had saved the country £1,400,000. Persistent demands were being made on the Government to construct railways to cost millions of pounds, but there must be reason in such things. ' It was a great deal more.than the Government could do to go on at the pace it was asked to in obtaining loan moneys for railways here, there, and everywhere. While some men were urging the Government, to borrow more money for railways, the Government^ had as a matter of fact to consider whether it should not do away with some of the present railways." Some of the shortdistance railways in New Zealand were next doori to a curse. Not one of them, so far as he knew, was paying—if there was one exception it was on the West Coast, where there was a wonderfully good coal trade. The returns from the short-distance lines he had examined showed returns of only half the rate of interest on the money expended on their construction. • One line-had had only two trains a week. One that he had stopped would have had only one train a fortnight. The problem of competing road and rail traflic had to be considered by the country. Motor traffic, he was convinced, had come to stay, and it could no more be turned back than could the Pacific Ocean be stopped from beatiug'on the coast of New Zealand; but the long-distance railway traffic could be regulated, and the two competing institutions could be so co-ordinated that both would pay. The Government was now tackling that problem.

"It is a thing of the past to borrow money for short-distance railways,'.' concluded Sir Joseph. "No sane man would advocate that . now. Instead, some have been putting on their thinking caps and are advocating the making of long-distance railways to places where 1 they will not pay either, so you see we are up against a problem in any case." (Laughter.) . i .