RAILWAY DEVIATION

Evening Star, Issue 17701, 30 June 1921, Page 4

RAILWAY DEVIATION

GUTHRIE

DUNEDIN-RAVENSBOUENE SECTION.,

DEPUTATION TO EON. D. H»

This morning, at the Grand Hotel, an enormous deputation that overbowed No. 7 room, waited on tho Hon. D. H. Guthrie to urge the immediate prosecution, of the work of deviating and duplicating tho railway line from Dunedin to Ravensbourno, The bodies represented on _ tho deputation were the City Council, Harbor Board, the St. Kilda Borough Council, West Harbor Railway League, West Harbor Borough Council, Fort Chalmers Borough Council, C'ualmers Progressive League, Mosgiol Borough Council,Green Island Borough Council, Chamber of Commerce, Aianufacturers’ Association, Warehousemen s Association, Employers’ Association, Grain Buyers’ Association, A. and P. Society, Trades and Labor Council, and tho Railway Committee of live Otago Expansion League. Members of Parliament present were tho Hon. G. M. Thomson, the Hon. M. Cohen Messrs 0. E. Btatham, J. M. Dickson, J. Horn, and J. Edio. Mr C. E. Bonzoni (railways engineer) and Mr R. M. Isaacs (assistant railways traffic manager) were in attendance.

Mr Stidham introduced tho deputation, and, in doing so, remarked Unit tho work, asked for would be of lasting utility to tho department and of great benefit to Dunedin, also that tho work would giro work to men whom to have idle was a dead loss to the oommunit-v.

The Mayor of Dunedin (Mr ,1. S. Douglas) welcomed Mr Guthrie on behalf of the citizens. If this work could be carried out it would bo of great benefit to the Dunedin district, it would open up areas that were now useless. It would bo a productive work, and of value to the department. It would give work to men who needed work and couM not leave their homos to go into ihe country. The Government alone- cmdd help in the present phase of unemployment. Local bodies’ finance nos curtailed. The undertaking won id rise help to solve the housing problem.

Air Scollay, chairman of the Harbor Board, said ho wished to urge the staightening of the railway line at the Leith estuary as tho first step in the duplicating of tho Dmiodin-Rnrt Cliaimors railway, which was portion, of an approved railway policy, and which was of vital moment to tho trade of Otago Harbor, of tho City of Dunedin, and of tho_ whole province. Incidentally tho railways in Dunedin had handicapped tho city’s trading operations in that it cut off the city from its foreshore, and also handicapped the Harbor Board’s development policy liy taking land from tho board which, in one case, meant an annual loss of thousands of pounds in rents. Leith estuary would, in accordance with the board’s dredging policy, be reclaimed in five or six years, but in view of the interests at stake in hastening tho doubling of tho railway line, tho board was prepared to sacrifice the space reserved at the estuary for dumping dredge spoil, and to agree to a stone embankment being thrown across the estuary to carry tho rails. For a single lino 39,000 cubic yards of stone from tho adjacent Black Jack’s Point quarry was required, the cost being £8,773 : for a double line 60,G00yds at an estimated cost of £13,6-10. This was what the deputation was asking tho department to do. Tho board recognised the need for relief work, and when tho Government proposal in connection with the proposed work was submitted, the board would bo prepared to consider an agreement made some years ago with tho Hail way Department to remove stone from Black Jack’s Point, although in tho ordinary course that agreement would not have como up for consideration for a considerable time yet.

Mr G. J. Errington, dm inn fin of tin? Bnilway Committee tlirxt includes quite a number of bodies, made a point of_ the fact that tlio single track of rails had proved insufficient, particularly at holiday lime, when trains from Oamaru and Palmerston got in Into and delayed the connection with the southern line. The census returns showed that West .Harbor population had increased hy more than twice the percentage increase average for Otago, and if the railway service were better the population would rapidly grow much bigger, and thus provide "revenue that would help to pay iho cost of the work. It had been officially stated that the Pailway Department did not intend to improve the line till it was duplicated and straightened. If material was wanted, the proprietor of LoganT Point quarry was willing to supply it at a nominal price. Mr John .Loudon produced a plan of the harbor and showed the positions. Ho said that this was not altogether a Dunedin .matter, but one that affected the whole province. Until the deviation was carried out Dunedin must continue to suffer from there being no connection between the railway and the wharves, and also from the lack of a free store. The rvork now asked for would fit in _ with the completed scheme. Previous Governments had taken 67J acres from the Harbor Board at a low rate, and in view of that fact the board was entitled to liberal consideration. Mr H. E. Moller, Mayor of West Harbor, said that lie represented a very, very disappointed suburb. In Mr J. A, Millar's time the double lino was practically started, and to this day West Harbor was handicapped for want of it. The men who had to bo in town of a morning often conk! not get up in time, and that was not only worrying, but might affect their situations. Mr Jones, of the Trades and Labor Council, said that the work would provide employment for men who really needed it. Their being out of work affected other sections of labor, and industries as well. Most of the upcountry work now offered was unsuitable for men with families. The Hon. D. 11. Guthrie thanked the mayor for tho citizens’ welcome. It was an advantage to a. Minister to meet such a representative deputation who wore prepared with definite statements as to wants and aspirations. This mooting showed him that Dunedin was alive, and was anxious to relievo the distress caused by unemployment. It was gratifying to know that New Zealand generally was activelygrappling with that problem,, at any rate to tho extent of making suggestions. Mr Steel had let him know by letter something of tho interview hero with Iho Prime Minister._ Had ho known before leaving Wellington exactly what was now asked Im, would have gone into ~ the question with Mr M'Villy. As it 'was, no was now hearing of tho present request for tho first time. It would bo foolish of him to say off-hand that what ho had been told by the deputation was all reasonable and rigid. He. would need further information. But the deputation had put definite ideas before him, and apparently tho Dunedin people had put much the same ease before Mr Massey, though at that time the work was not asked for to relievo unemployment, and j that some agreement had boon come to which had been held in abeyance on account of tho war. Now there was the financial stringency, and ns a consequence unemployment. His inquiries as to unemployment showed that though it was increasing it was not to an alarming extent. Whatever the Government could do in tho way of relief would bo done, so long as the men could bo put on to useful work. The Public Works, the Bail ways, the Lands, and tho Forestry Departments were making provision for doing so. Ho would look wtq it locally before

ho went away, Ho would also see to it that un v promise made by Mr Massey would be carried out. Perhaps it bad been overlooked in Mr Massey's rush of business before being called away* Tho deputation, as business men* would not ask for an immediate promise to undertake this particular work, Ho would, however, promise to go into tho matter on tho spot with Mr Ban* zoni, and see Mr M’Villy about it when ho got back to Wellington, No argument was needed as to the desirability of duplicating the lino: but other places in New Zealand also cried out for such works, and some of them were exceedingly urgent, Wellington was in a terrible state for want of railway improvements. The Government had to hold the poise as between. such demands. He would take tho_ question of unemployment into oonsidoration, and visit the place, and see Mr Benzoin and communicate with Mr M'Vil’v, and probably before leaving he would be able to tell Mr Statham what could bo done.

Mr Loudon explained that the request to Mr Massey was not as to deviation, but as to an overhead line. The Mayor remarked that Dunedin liked to help itself instead of making requests to the Government, but tho circumstances now were such that tho Government had to be called in.