RAILWAY DEVIATION.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 1560, 16 June 1920, Page 5

RAILWAY DEVIATION.

ENDORSED BY COUNCILLORS. GREAT ADVANTAGE TO PALMERSTON. The surmises and rumours which have been in circulation of late in connection with the alteration of the present railway route at Palmerston North were verified at the Borough Council meeting last evening. It will be remembered that during - last week the General Manager for Railways (Mr McVilley) met the members of the Council, but at that time no information was available to the Press.

The Mayor (Mr J. A. Nash, M.P.), in introducing the subject, regretted that all the councillors had not been present at the interview with Mr Me-. Villey. They knew that for some time past the Council had been making requests to the Department in regard to certain works they required to have carried out and had been exasperated by receiving no replies to their letters. When the Department’s proposals had been placed before them they had seen at once that the Department had very good reasons for withholding the required information. At the interview Mr McVilley had pointed out the totally inadequate accommodation for the Department in Palmerston North and the great disadvantages at which both it and the public alike had been placed. He had also shown why the arrangement for the expenditure of £40,000 in connection with the closing of Cook Street and other matters had not been carried out. Recognising the growth of Palmerston North, the Department had come to the conclusion that it would be a mistake to in any way enlarge the present site of the station for various reasons. He would later read some figures showing that the Department were justified in consulting with the Council before proceeding further. At the present, the Department only had 27 acres of land at the railway station, which was quite inadequate to deal with the traffic coming into the town and district. The Department had submitted a plan (which was produced) showing what it was possible to do without taking away the great advantages for the benefit of the town. The proposal was to leave the present line at Longburn and make a deviation across country, bringing the lino round in the vicinity of Boundary Road. It would mean that they would continue the line on the northern side and eventually branch with Wanganui to the left and Napier to the right. The railway station would be on the left-hand side of Rangilikei Street going from the town, and the goods shed on the right hand side . This would give ample room for shunting yards and an effective passenger service on the other side. It would dispense with the level crossings—not the lot but the bulk of them. The main line would be Rangitikei Street and Longburn-Kairanga road. The scheme would dispense with the Terrace End railway station, but a virtual promise had been given that provision would be made for a flag station in the vicinity of Vogel Street for the advantage of people settling in that end of the town. The proposed route would save a distance of three-quarters of a mile, and it was anticipated that the work would take three years to complete. The main advantages would be the provision of an up-to-date railway station, new and requisite yards providing for the ever-increasing traffic, the disposal of level crossings, and the advantage of a main thoroughfare running from Vogel Street to Longburn. The important point was that this town was not going to be side-tracked. If the town were not prepared to support the Department in all it was going to do, they must be prepared for something else —they knew what that something was. Other advantages of the scheme were that it would open up Pitt Street and avoid closing Cook Street. There were many disadvantages to the scheme. The abattoirs, one of the Council’s principal works, would be too far away from the railway as it would add another mile or mile and a quarter to the distance. The Council were also spending a large sum of money in connection with the gas-holders and vertical retorts at the gasworks, but he had instructed (.lie engineer not to go on with the work. This was going to be a great inconvenience to the gas department, >vhich the Council would have to consider. The electrical scheme would also have to be considered. They had been promised the use of sidings in the meantime. The scheme was going to hit some people rather hard, but they had to take the large view and ask themselves whether the scheme was to be of benefit to the whole town. They had to get an Authorisation Bill through Parliament in order to have the scheme carried out. The proposal would revive the question of tramways as an absolute essential. There was no reason why Longburn should not become an important suburb in the near future. The Mayor then read a letter from Mr McVilley, in which he stated that in the last twenty years the passenger business at Palmerston North had increased by 300 per cent., outward live stock business by 600 per cent., timber traffic by 400 per cent., other goods by 200 per cent., and revenue by 600 per cent. For the same period the increases in inward business were: — Cattle, 385 per cent.; sheep, 90 per cent.; pigs, 337 per cent.; minerals, 767 per cent.; other goods, 272 per cent. Notwithstanding the war the Increases during the last live years had been: —Outward traffic: Passengers, 20 per timber, 12 5 per cent.; other goods, 52 per cent.; revenue, 72 per cent. Inward traffic: Cattle and sheep, 7 per cent.; pigs, 1762 per cent.; minerals, 8 per cent ; and other goods, 14 per cent. The number of railway vehicles handled at Palmerston North during the day ranged from 1500 to 2000, exclusive of those on through trains. Apart altogether from the consideration of local requirements, it was imperatively necessary that the accommodation at such an important sub-terminal railway station should be sufficient to provide the requirements of the ever-increasing volume of traffic between the various termini that it had necessarily to pass through, and be dealt with at the sub-terminal station. The Mayor went on to say that it would be necessary for the Council to pass a resolution on the subject. The Chamber of Commerce would consider it to-night, and they also would be asked to move in the matter. It was necessary that whatever was done should be done expeditiously. Cr. L. R. Bryant observed that Mr McVilley had said that he considered Palmerston North station the most important junction in New Zealand. Cr. E. H. Crabb stressed the importance of the project. It, meant a lot of work for the Council in reconsidoring their former plans. As it was for the good of the town, he did not think there was any Councillor who was not in hearty accord with it. (Hear, hear.) If they could get the station in a new site the vicinity of the present site would become the principal manufacturing suburb of the town. He then moved —“That this Council supports the proposal of the Railway Department to remove the railway to the northern part of the town as per plan submitted, such proposal to include an up-to-date station and yards, flag station in the vicinity

of Vogel St: eei. ar d bridge level crosssings.” ~ Cr. M. I * t'liTJn, in seconding the motion, said n was one of the most important m oVosals which had ever been for\v (ivi iu Palmerston Norte, and it w. or.ig to moke the town go ahead mkcc than anything else could , „ , r The M. • ; remarked that Mr MeVilley had i.;'d them that the scheme would m ike hj nuch easier to obtain sidings f< tsworks and powet station. , Cr. C. 1'- ner said that immediate!' !u seen the plan he thought ■ 1 r : e of the finest things ho 1 been offered to the town dun; - '• • time here. It would assemble ■ to a compact waol^ undivided • factions which had hitherto • 1 ■ _>n either side O; the railwav t v\'-th the advent of electricity' is ar future, it would make ar . - ns difference in the growth t Ipment of the city. Cr. s. 'i-. ■ ’aster strongly supported t. ;• i .osal, saying that it should 1 ‘ ue into force thirty years ag ’ ; > the station was removed f’ Square. He was glad to see it ore the development of the t< t any further The m- s then carried unanimously.