MINISTER FOR RAILWAYS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 143, 19 June 1913, Page 5

MINISTER FOR RAILWAYS.

VISIT TO MARLBOROUGH

VARIOUS DEPUTATIONS.

The Hon. W. H. Herries, Minister for Railways, arrived in Picton. yesterday, and was received there by his Worship the Mayor and other citizens. He arrived in Blenheim by the tram last evening in company with Mr T. Ronayne, the general traffic manager, Mr Jackson, the chief locomotive engineer, and Mr Ri McOallum, M.P. The Minister received a number or deputations in the Council Chamber at eight o'clock last night, a considerable number of citizens and settlers assembling for the occasion. Mr R. McCallum, M.P-, welcomed the Minister, and assured him that the people of this district held him in high regard.

THE MAIN TRUNK LINE

Mr R. F. Goulter, president of the Marlborough Land and Railway League, said he regretted that the Minister was not seeing the district under the most favorable conditions. It had been suffering from a prolonged dry spell, and feed was never shorter. Continuing, he advanced the claims of the League for the completion of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, explaining that the gap of 66 miles 20 chains between the railheads beyond Ward in Marlborough and Parnassus in Canterbury represented the only unconnected link in the long stretch of railway between Auckland and the Bluff. Commenting on the national importance of the project, he quoted resolutions passed by the Wellington and Auckland Chambers of Commerce in recognition of the supremacy of the work, and referred to the repeated admissions made oy Mi- Seddon, Sir Joseph Ward, 'and other Ministers that the completion of this line came next in the order of merit to the construction of the North Island Trunk Railway. The deputation was there to urge that now that the stringency of the money market was easing somewhat, and the Dominion had secured a large loan for its public works requirements, this project should receive /the attention which its importance warranted1, and the line should "be pushed on rapidly at both ends. Mr GouTter expressed confidence that when Picton was connected with the Bluff profitable results would accrue from the passenger traffic. But the merits of the work did not rest on-that claim alone. The reasons from a defence point of view why the line should be finished were very strong; and the development of a large extent of country, from which." large quantities of produce would he moved, was an essential consideration. Mr Goulter represented the need for the bridging of ttfe Conway, Hapuku, and Kahautara Rivers at an early date, and suggested that these improvements would accommodate a motor service until the trains were run. He concluded by asking that the line be placed in the forefront of the public works programme.. ■ Mr J. Conolly and Mr E.H. Penny also addressed the Minister.

THE WAIRAU VALLEY LEAGUE, j

Mr J. Bary, representing the Wai- j rau Valley Land and Railway League, said that this body was -working not , in opposition to, but in sympathy j with, the League advocating the com- ; pletion of the East Coast line. Hie : League has been in existence only ; ■about two years, but it had already ! had the satisfaction pi seeing the > Hillersden Estate acquired foT settle- ■ ment. This transaction, together . with the purchase of the Lake bta- \ tion, further west, encouraged the . League to believe that the construe- ; tion of a line from Blenheim, through , the Wairau Valley, to connect with ■ the junction of the West Coast and Nelson railway systems, was within measurable distance. A light line of . railway would be the means of open- •. dng up a large tract of country suit- ; able for closer settlement and enable Marlborough to exchange' its produce , ■ with the coal and timber of the West , Coast. What the deputation was j asking for was that the survey of a, railway route be carried out fortn-

with. , ' ' Mr S. M. Neville advanced a number of reasons why a- line should_be constructed through the Wairau Valley. He included the defence point of View. For a great distance the route would traverse Crown areas, and he remarked that the land required for the line could be more easily and more cheaply set apart now "than in years to come. Mr ,Grahnm Griffiths urged that a line in this direction would be a profitable feeder to the main railway be; tween Blenheim and Ohnstchurch. The Mayor of Blenheim (Mr E. b. Parker) welcomed the Minister m behalf of the residents of the town. Supporting the request for the survey "of a. railway route through the Valley, he said that hopes were entertained of seeing a naval bas.e established at Pictoii, and the line would 'be a valuable means of transporting coal in this connection. Mr R. F. Goulter expressed the Marlborough Land and Railway League's sympathy with the -objects of its contemporary. He pointed out that the Buller coalfields were only about thirty miles from the dividing range at Tophouse, and that there was an easy and even down grade into Picton, which expert engineers regarded as the future port ot export for the West Coast coal. >MrR. McCallum, M.P., mentioned that lie had lx»en over the route that the Wairaai Valley railway would traverse, and he knew its attractiveness from industrial and engineering points of view. There were absolutely no engineering difficulties, and the line would be one of the most easily and cheaply constructed lines in New Zealand. He brought under the notice of the' Minister the desirableness of having the bends of the Picton-Ward section between Tua Marina, and Para reduced, and the need for a second water tank at Koromiko, so that delay in the running of the trains might be avoided. He also asked that Spring Creek be made a time-table station. The Minister had been good enough to promise lavatory accommodation for the trains on the PictonI Ward section.

COMMERCIAL MATTERS

M,r J. Reid; president of the Marlbarough. Chamber of Commerce, made a number' of ' representations. He asked that the new wharf at Picton be opened without delay -, and he urged that the headquarters of the railway be removed from Picton to Blenheim, pointing out that the great bulk of the traffic originated at'the latter place, and under the existing conditions the merchants and producers experienced much difficulty in getting into touch with the facilities they required. He toiiched on the anomalies in the tariff, especially in regard to wool ;'?id grain, and on tho insufficiency of the rolling stock.

Mi- J. R. Sharp »'emphasised the shortage of rolling sfc^pk. There were only-'iwa cattle waggons,- and in many \cases stock had had to be /driven to. Picton. Ordinary consignments of produce were frequently delayed! for days when Home > liners j and coal steamers arrived at Picton. The delay caused by tKe ' dismantling of the trucks after they had been used for excursion purposes was responsible for serious losses; and, ./the insufficiency of tarpaulins, had resulted mi much damage to goods, especially chaff, by the weather. He quoted a recent instance in which a farmer had 300 sacks of chaff spoiled and rejected on this account. The inconvenient arrangement of the railway yard was.another grievance, and the need for a shunting engine was very ..pressing. Stronger engines were required, those now in use being unequal to j;h© grades at the Elevation and I)a'shwoodVP&ss, and traffic often being disorganised for that reason. The merchants thought that the railway manager should! be stationed at Blenheim. A roadside waggon would be' a distinct advantago, the goods van having p<royed inadequate for. the.'aceomm-c-d^tion of small consignments. \" 'ln urging that improvements in the trucking yards were imperative, Mr Sharp said that cheep often had their legs broken through, the inadequateness of the loading boards. He" added that not the slightest complaint was made against the officials, who. did their best with the facilities at their command. ' Mr J. J. Corry dealt in detail with the anomalies in tlie tariff, .giving a considerable numher of illustrations in comparative terms. Mr C. W. Parker supplemented and amplified the representations of th& previous speakers. ■ He laid stress on the need for a shunting engine, -explaining that the present lack of facilities compelled the officials to rush operations, and delays and mistakes were unavoidable. The weighbridge could not be worked satisfactorily, and wrong weights wore not infrequent. The lightness of the- engines often delayed goods for day« at a time. , ■ ■ ■;

The Mayor of Blenheim asked the Minister if the platform of the Blenheim railway station could r?ot be lengthened and crossing points established, so that the-.present awkward and dangerous conditions arising wlien the Picton and Seddon trains were at the station simultaneously might be remedied... As for tho type of engines on the local line, the. trouble^ to be that the authorities seemed to think any old tinpot engine,rejected elsewhere to X? good enough''for this place. '(Laughter). Mr J. Bary asked'for >a better system of handling the goods book.

THI3 MINISTER^ REPLY

The Minister, in acknowledging the ■welcoir.o extended to him, said that he first visited this district 31 years ago, and this was his first appearance here as a'Minister of the Grown. He was. here mainly as the-Minister for Railways, and he had come across with Mr Ronayne, the traffic manager, and Mr Jackson, the chief locomotive engineer, re- see what the local conditions were, and to!; have a look at thevse "old tinpot engines" that had been complained of. (Laughter). With reference to the two' railway projects on which he had been-addressed, these were both matters for the Cabinet to deal with, and in which the Minister for Public Works was directly interested. He would be pleased to refer the representations- m/ade' to him to his .colleague and' to Cabinet. This Government was preparedl to treat all propositions relating^lio" railway _ extension in a. fair and equitable spirit. It was trying to disburse money at its command in a. fair manner throughout the Dominion, and in doing this it reoognise'd that the railways already authorised and under construction had the' first claim. He would be pleased to place before the Minister for Public Works the request that a. survey be made of a railway route in the, direction of Tophouse. Until the line was authorised, of course, it could have "no share in the public works expenditure. If a survey was made, it would become the duty of the League to agitate for an authorisation, and if any money was available it would be provided for. So far as the East Coast line was concerned, the Government wasi anxious to have the Main Trunk lines completed. The Auckland people did, not consider that, their main trunk line would be finished until it reached Hokianga. He did not say that he agreed with that view; but he would point out thai; the Auckland people argued that the South Island line would have to wait until their own railway was completed. He was journeying to Ward next day, to viewthe country, and he'would then have a. better idea of the' nature of the country and be able to give an intelligent vote as a member of the Cabinet. With Mr Frasery he was anxious to see the money available spent fairly and equitably among the railways of the Dominion. With regard to the straightening of the local line, the Minister for Railways did not unfortunately have two or three millions at his disposal to remedy these things; but the Government recognised that easier grades and curves- were desirable improvements to aim at—as important, in fact, as the putting on of heavier engines. He believed that money could be well spent in that way, and that was the policy being nursued, as far as the finances would Beraiit. Expenditure of this kind had proved in the North Island to be a profitable investment, and he hoped when the money market became easier to have the advantage of a special loan for the reduction of curves and straightening of lines throughout the Dominion. .In such an event the local request would be considered. The land had already been taken for the purpose-. The application for a second tank at Koromiko would be looked into by the responsible officers, and if considered to be desirable, and if not too expensive, it would be provided. Spring Creek would be made a time-table station; the alteration would only mean an entry in the time-table! The Department was prepared to open the ne-\y wharf at Picton as soon as the station yards were fixed up. It could be used for the coal boats as soon as>the weighbridge had been put in place. Did he understand that the deputation wanted the

wharf opened before the sheds, etc., were ready? The deputation: xese Mr Oonolly said that the wharf had been used by the Clan Line. ■ The Minister: For wool and grain? —Yes. The Minister said that the Department did not want to delay the opening, and as soon as the railway service was connected he would be pleased to open it. If notice were sent him at any time some Minister would be prepared to come across and carry out the function, when, he believed, there would be a gala day at Picton. He thought they would admit that the wharf was a credit to the Railway Department. (Applause). The Department came in for some hard knocks; but *it did do some things well. (Laughter). Mr E. S. Parker: It looks as if the Main Trunk Line will reach Picton some day. The Minister said that without Tunning Blenheim down, a large number of works would b& at Picton, because they would be close to deep water. With regard to the request for the removal "of the railway headquarters, he would have to consult the officers of the Department. Then as to the perennial question about the shortage of rolling stock and sheets, the Department was doing its best to meet the requirements of tho country. It was also improving matters by increasing the ; carrying capacity of the waggons at present in use. As these came in for repairs and overhauling their capacity was enlarged from six to eight tons. This work was in addition to the programme of building new rolling-stock. Last year the Minister for Railways was allowed £450,000 for equipment, and this year he proposed to ask for more. Probably half the appropriation was spent on the work of providing trucks, engines, etc. New Zealand had more trucks per mile of railway than any part of Australia. The trouble in this country was that there were so many small lengths of detached railway, and^ an urgent demand for trucks at any one point could not be met from a common centre. He would go through the local rolling-stock with Mr Jackson, and see; what the conditions were, and if there was an undue shortage here and more trucks in other- places than were required, readjustments would he made. They would look into the question of providing a roadside waggon. He admitted that there were many tariff anomalies all over New Zealand. A comprehensive rearrangement of the rates had not been made for many years. He proposed to wait until the new General Manager arrived, in September, and as soon as that gentleman had become acquainted with the conditions, the whole system of rates (not only those of the local section) would be considered from top to bottom. Then, he hoped, what looked like chaos to the ordinary layman would be reduced to order. '''■„.-.■.' Mr Oorry: "What tariff will we come under in the meantime—the high or the low one? The Minister: You will have to pay what the man in charge requires you to pay. (Laughter). Mr Heroes.remarked that many of Mr Corry's grievances were the outcome of the special agreement between the Department and the Union Shipping Company. ~„,-, Ur R. McOallum, M.P., having -thanked the Minister for his courtesy, the deputations withdrew; -