RIVAL ROUTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 7 May 1925, Page 5

RIVAL ROUTES.

$ FOR. S.l. MAIN TRUNK. (.BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION. OHRIS'ICHURCH, May li. The report of a- special committee sat u,p by r the C’antei'bu-ry Progress League to report on the comparative suitability of the east coast (Wlhia-renui-.Pa,rmi.si»us) and west coa,sb (Gle-nhope-Manga-hua) section's of uncompleted railway to serve a,s links- in. the Dominion's, main trunk line, anti the commercial «yul developmental possibilities immediate and prospective' of the more suitable route, was submitted at to-night’s meeting ol the executive of the league. The commit,tee’s recommendations are :

(1) That considered las part of a main trunk railway connecting the extreme north with the extreme south of New Zealand, the east coast, route is. most sail table for the billowing reasons: (a) Because it is- 148 miles shorter than the west coast route; (b) because it opens up country, productivity ol’ which c-an be appreciably improved by railway connection ; (c) because the volume of traffic already passing over the route is considerable and. enough to gi.ve prom,is© of payable diinems-ionis when the line -actually is cons/t-rficited; (d) because the line appears destined to carry all the passenger traffic between the North, and South Islands, in conjunction with, a train ferry service.

(2) The committee strongly recommends that the Government be urged to cany' out complete surveys of the eaisit coast route -between the existing railheads as ail essential preliminary to the early construction of the line. (3) The committee is of opinion that the decision of -the Government tb push on, with the line from Glenhope as far south -ns Murchison is warranted by general conditions and the situation of the Murchison, district, and i,s rendered necessary by the fact that considehaible expenditure has already been incurred i-n extending the line southward from Glenhope. (4) The committee is not convinced that the early completion of the line between Murchison and Inangahua Junction, is of pressing importance, though it believes that ultimately the line should he built.

The report mention,s that it does not require a very large stretch of imagination to see ,in - the future a fast express service from end to end of the Dominion, crossing Cook Rbrlait. by railway ferry steamers, and entirely eliminating the passenger traffic between Lyttelton and Wellington by sea. That would be the logical result to follow the completion of the main trunk line, ais the recent Royal Commission bias pointed out in its report. The league deferred discussion of the report -till a later date.