Manawatu Evening Standard. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1917. AN EAST AND WEST RAILWAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1017, 20 November 1917, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1917. AN EAST AND WEST RAILWAY.

The initiation of the Federal conscription campaign has probably interfered 1 somewhat with the festivities that wore to have marked the official opening of the railway between 'Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie, forming Hie connecting link in the line, thai now gives through communication, via Rockhampton and the several eastern State capitals, between Longreach in Central Queensland and Perth, a distance of 3878 miles. The West Australian Government and people had purposed maintaining the festivities from the Ist to the loth of the month, and to entertain 1000 Federal guests at luncheon in Perth on the 14th inst. The first train from Port Augusta arrived at Kalgoorlie on November 3rd, the Perth express leaving the same evening with the through passengers, and arriving at the Western capital on Sunday. .November Ith. The official opening was not, however, to take place until Monday, the 12th. The event is one of no small importance to our Australian friends. But for the Federal Government, the lino would not have been constructed for many years to come, probably for the next half century, hecan.se, for the most part, it traverses 'those great lone wastes which must remain uninhabitable until the water problem is solved and the desert country can be made productive. Leaving Port Augusta, the transcontinental line goes inland in a north-west-erly direction for about 300 miles, and then proceeds almost due west on to Kalgoorlie, the line, as originally .surveyed, involving the construction of 1063 miles of railway. That, however, has been reduced by ten miles as the result: of certain variations in the route. The survey of the line was authorised in 1907 tinder the Transcontinental Railway Act, passed by the Second Deakin Administration; begun in 1908, and completed in 1909. In September, 1911, a Bill was introduced by the Fisher Administration providing for the construction of the line; the South Australian and West Australian Parliaments also passing Bills granting to the Commonwealth the lands necessary for the purposes <>f the railway. The following year a Railway Construction Department was created by the Federal Government to carry out the work, which was begun at Port Augusta in the September following. The line was constructed from both ends, on a guage of 4ft BJin. and it was expected that the 1063 miles would be completed within three years. By June 30th, 191,5. 286 miles of rail had been laid in SouthAustralian territory and 278 miles in the West Australian division, the construction having been delayed by difficulties arising out of the war, and industrial disputes, etc., but principally through lack of the requisite materials. The line has thus taken a little over live years to build. Its estimated cost, ,(.- the first instance, was £3,983,000'. it litis actually cost close upon £7,000,000—£3,000.000 more than the estimate,

tlic increased cost being duo to the adoption oi' the day-labour principle in the work ot . construction, and the ''goslow" methods adopted by the men, who, on one occasion,, actually struck work because the overseer refused to allow them, a.s overtime, the live minutes they took in getting to the station in the vicinity oi the line upon which they were working—this, be it remarked, under.a Labour Government, and with -Mr King O'Malley as.'Minister of Internal Affairs and Railways. The people ol Australia, equally with ourselves, have yet to learn the additional burdens placed upon their shoulders by the vagaries of the worker, in increasing the CpSt of production, manufacture and construction, etc., in such ways as these. That the Transcontinental Railway will over become a profitable undertaking is extremely doubtful. The interest on the capital expenditure alone will amount to over £300,000 per annum, and the traffic is bound to be light for many years to come. At present it is only proposed to run three trains a week from east to west. Strategically, the line is, however, of great importance to the Commonwealth, as it reduces, by two days at least, the time that is at present occupied in taking mails and passengers from Adelaide to Perth, and, at times of national crisis such a.s we are passing through, the quicker it affords is a matter of great importance. Australia is therefore to be congratulated upon the opening of her East to West Transcontinental railway, which is to be followed up by the construction of the other great Transcontinental line running from Oodnadutta to Pine Creek in the Northern Territory, giving through railway communication between Port Darwin and Adelaide, and the other State capitals.