COOK STRAIT TRAIN FERRY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 22 August 1925, Page 8

COOK STRAIT TRAIN FERRY.

DEPUTATION TO THE PRIME

MINISTER. (BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Aug. 2U. The establishment of a train, ferry across Cook Strait was advocated by n South island deputation which wait, od on the Prime Minister to-day as a means of completely connecting up the railway system of the Dominion. Mr. J. H. Blackwell, president ol the Canterbury Progress League, said that the present Lyttelton-Wellington steamer connection was erroneously called a ferry service. The Railway Department was obliged to feed the so-called ferry service by an elaborate railway system without deriving any direct advantage for the railway, and the induced traffic was thus delivered into the hands of prii ate enteipiise. As suggested bv the Railways CommissioiTr a train ferry should be aimed at as an eventual connecting link between the North ami South Islands. Mr Coates, in reply, said that a departmental officer was working out what a train ferry would mean to the railway service. He was not prepared to accept the remarks of any commission that came here and made a report Their conclusion was probably airived at from what they had seen in other countries, where the traffic conditions were enormously different, and while it might h 0 a very. fine. idea, we had to he satisfied before embarking upon huge expenditure that it was the right thing. It was «n interesting idea, and on e which should lie investigated and worked out. Assuming it was satisfactory, that would ho justification for the South Island Alain Trunk line being pushed on with immediately.