THE TUNNEL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16550, 14 May 1914, Page 6

THE TUNNEL.

It will come ns a serious disappointment to the people of North Canterbury to learn that, the electrification of the Lyttelton railway line, is again to bo postponed. Wo are anxious to be perfectly fair to the Minister in this matter, but the statement made by Mr Hemes to a deputation yesterday virtually postpones the improvement of this lino for live years, perhaps for a decode. Next session the Minister will introduce a Bill to authorise certain works in the neighbourhood of the cities and the duplication of tho tunnel to Lyttelton will bo included in tho schedule. We have had experience of promises of the kind and whilo wo do not doubt for a moment that the Minister is perfectly sincere wo know how many "its" and "huts" and small delays come between a promise and its performance. If Mr Herries has an easy passage for his measure it will be next year before the. money is raised—the Prime Minister hinted at a big road and bridges scheme that will first have to be financed—and wo could not look for a commencement of tho work of duplication before the beginning of the year 1916 under the most favourable conditions. Wo have small hopo of being able to persuade tho Cabinet to place the Lyttelton line first among the great works to bo undertaken. The effect of tho Minister's reply, therefore, is simply to postpone n most necessary

work indefinitely. The duplication of tho tunnel is doubtless desirable from the department's standpoint, but it occurs to us that with electric traction the capacity of the railway could easily be doubled. The lino is not worked at its fullest capacity now, presumably because the department cannot find the rolling stock necessary, and we strongly dissent from the view that duplication should come before electrification. It is not from tho department's point of view that we want the Minister to look at the problem, however, but from that of the public. The plain fact to be faced is that this line, tho busiest and most profitable in the dominion, is incomparably the dirtiest. The Minister ought to look a little ahead. The extension of the electric tramway service has sent population out into the suburbs, and tho line to Lyttelton ought to be utilised in the same way. It should have a true suburban service, clean, rapid and frequent, and the State is unquestionably losing money through its lack of enterprise. But what is of greater importance to tho people of Canterbury at the moment is that a work which successive Ministers have admitted to be absolutely necessary is being pushed further into tho dim future.