OTIRA TUNNEL

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 July 1923, Page 2

OTIRA TUNNEL

ABBREVIATED CEREMONY.

Arrangements for the opening of the Otira Tunnel on Saturday, August 4, are well in hand, but the ceremony so far contemplated will not be of anything like the magnitude most people expected, due most likely to Parliament being still in session with a fair amount of business ahead.

Many residents of the West Coast are looking forward to being present at the great event, but it is doubtful if a great many outside the official local body representatives will be able to attend. According to a telegram forwarded to the Mayor (Mr W. H. Parfitt) by Mr J. O’Brien yesterday, the train to Otira on the opening day will be able to accommodate only about 400, whereas the Celebrations Committee in Greymouth had hopes that 4000 or more would be taken, with children’s day to follow. Evidently the Department is quite unable to carry out a scheme of (hat nature. A suggestion was made that if sufficient railway carriages were not available, open trucks should be put on to the train, but this would be out of the question. If Otira maintains anything like its previous reputation on ocasions like this, the weather for the ceremony will be wet and cold.

Asked by a reporter this morning as to what arrangements the Department is making, the District Traffic Manager (Air J. L. Morgan), who paid a visit to Otira yesterday, said he ■ had nothing to communicate at present. He had no doubt that the General Manager of Railways had some definite arrangements in hand, but these had not yet been made known to him. He had not even been informed of the opening date. mataq