OTIRA TUNNEL

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 March 1922, Page 2

OTIRA TUNNEL

NORTHERN PRESS COMMENT. The AVairarapa “Age” of Monday, March 21, says:—"The Hon,. J. G. Coates has declared his determination to have the Midland railway running through the Ultra tunnel at me earliest; possible moment. Ihe tunnel has been bored through fox' some considerable time, and t is expected that trains will be running through by the end of the year. As a matter of Easiness, the less delay there it the better, for until trains run right through there must be. some hundreds of thousands of pounds of expenditure which cannot become reproductive. As for the general aspect of the line as a paying concern there may be doubts. The joining up of AV cstland and Can terbury will undoubtedly accelerai.o the development of AVestland and put up values there, chiefly by the fact that it opens the Caiilerbiiry market, which is a very considerab'e one, to AVestland products. Timber and coal in particular will reach Hie consumer in the Canterbury plains cheaper than it does at pres.-nf, and sheepraising in AVestland should also get A decided fillip. Christchurch business houses on the other hand will have an improved market for their wares .across the ramie. The tourist traffic to the West Oast ought Jo be considerably increased. Ihe value of the work to tli ■ Dominion as a whole is problematic exe--pt from the strategic point, of view, which is very iiu-pol-lant. Sea freights from Westland io Otago and to the North Island will probably be unaltectc l by the tunnel. On the, whole the province of AVystland stands to gain most by the line, and perhaps it is about time that AVestland came info-closer touch wdh the rest of Hie Dominion.”