THE RAILWAY DEVIATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1860, 9 July 1920, Page 5

THE RAILWAY DEVIATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—This is a matter that lias periodically occupied the minds of several very interested parties, and one which seems to have been galvanised into fresh life. The question is, is the deviation necessary seeing that so many districts have to go without a railway? Does it not savour of luxury to construct a railway through a district already served by one? Then, again, is the route advocated by those self-interested parties in the best interests of the people as a whole? J maintain that if a deviation is necessary to shorten the distance between Auckland and Wellington (which it is not), the best and most practical way of doing it is to deviate'from Feilding, and convey the line across to a point near Hunterville. This would have all the advantages advocated by those gentlemen, and J may point out it is also the route mapped out for the Main Trunk line, and to any unbiased mind the route that should have been adhered to. The Levin-Marton deviation would run through swamps and sandhills with two treacherous rivers to bridge, and the country, as 1 have previously stated, is already served by a railway, while the other would pass through easy country for construction, with no stoop grades and only one river to bridge. And, as Marton, Feilding and Hunterville represent an equilateral triangle, the line would continue straight instead of triangular-wise as at present. It could he done for considerably less cost, and would not dislocate the present facilities as the Levin-Marton project would do. Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa are vitally interested in this question, as well as Palmerston and Feilding, Probably the agitation is only got up to block the Palmerston railway improvements. If so it shows very small-mindedness on their part. I think the Marton people would be well advised to let well alone, as by trying to side-track others they might wake up to find the position reversed.—l am, etc., RAILWAY.