The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1934 UNCOMPLETED RAILWAY WORKS.

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 18 September 1934, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1934 UNCOMPLETED RAILWAY WORKS.

Delivered every evening by 5 o’olook in Hawera. Manaia. Kaupokonui. Otakeho, Oeo, Pihania, Opunake, Eltham. Ngaere, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna. Te Kiri. Mahce, Lowgarth, ilanutahi, Kakara-n-.ea. Alton, Hnrleyville, Patea. Whenuakura. Waver ley, Mokoia, Whakamara. Ohangi.ii Meremere, Fraser Road and Ararata.

While the people of the East Coast have never given up hope of seeing the Napier-Gisborne railway line completed, those who have supported the completion of the South Island Main Trunk have been more spasmodic in allegiance to their cause. There has been, however, a renewal of effort to arouse interest in the latter project by the Marlborough and Canterbury Progress Leagues. Judged by the comment of a majority of the principal newspapers in the South Island, it would appear that there is no great public demand for the continuance of the interrupted railway work. It is three years since the Railway Board, in no uncertain terms, recommended the abandonment of construction of the line between Wharanui and Parnassus. In that report the board very firmly told the Government that, if the line were completed and opened, the routing of goods traffic would not be greatly altered, no great advantage in saving time would be won, costs would be against it both in goods and in passenger traffic, it would stimulate production and settlement only slightly, it would not obviate but duplicate the expense of roading, and operating losses would amount to at least £IOO,OOO a year. The board added that, if trade and industrial development had promised to carry the line to success within a reasonable period, it would have favoured construction; but it had seen not even a remote prospect of justifying the expense. Those agitating for completion of the work appear to have found few new arguments to bring to bear on the board’s case for cessation of the work. It has been suggested that because money is now cheaper the loss on working operations would not be as high as formerly anticipated; but as nothing further has been put forward to overcome the objections to the project raised by the board, it would appear that the completion of the South Island Main Trunk is destined to remain a dream for a long time to come.