FILLING THE GAPS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 17 May 1930, Page 5

FILLING THE GAPS

(To tho Editor) Sir,—Some low days ago a paragraph appeared in tho local and general news column of the “Mail" reporting the concerted action of-the Marlborough and Canterbury Progress Leagues, for pushing Iho Idling of the 'East Coast gap by using their combined pressure and influence from both rail heads, by vigilant visitation and urging on the powers that he to put on more men, and more men and machinery on to their gap filling at both ends. That this is a wise policy cannot be gainsaid, for it lias tho results of previous experience on the part of one of these .Leagues to confirm its advantages, to wit, the vigilance and influence of the Canterbury League through whose energy and pressure east and west were linked up by means of the Otira tunnel in 1923, probably a full decade sooner than it otherwise would have been had the Government and the Public Works Department been, allowed to go their own pace. The League, however, repeatedly visited the tunnel head works and backed their strong protests against slow progress by urging on acceleration and produced the desired results. ... . The East Coast gap agitation has already secured the advantage of a start, having been made at both ends of the gap. The writer having passed through the gap quite recently, can voucli for it, that formation work both at the Wharanui and Parnassus railheads is going ahead at a good pace and well on for a dozen railway camps are growing apace into white villages. Now that Sir Jo'seph Ward has resigned owing to ill health, and on whom Nelson looked as its coming emancipator from its agelong railway isolation, what is to be Nelson’s fate? Is it to be allowed to drift back to its old depths of despair? The Nelson Progress League have been repeatedly urged to incessantly press for construction work to be started at the Inangahua end of the gap, and it was generally expected it would do this after its visit of inspection some months ago. But beyond a pious expression or two the matter was no more heard of. Even when the Minister of Railways visited Nelson before Easter no mention, let alone pressure of this vital point, seems to have been made by the officials of the Nelson-League who interviewed the Minister. Indeed the president of the League was reported in “The Mail” as saying in effect that Sir Joseph Ward had promised “to complete the railway to Murchison within live years”; while the reports of Sir Joseph’s promises made to the thousands ol people at the civic reception, and again at the civic banquet on the same day, was to the effect that “the people of Nelson could rely on the completion of their railway within three or four years, and the East Coast, or Main Trunk railway within four or five years.” Why should this perversion of Sir Joseph Ward’s promise be made to apply to the section between Gowan and Murchison only, when lie publicly stated the “completion” of the line without any such qualification. Was the League president’s reported statement a misprint or a slip that represents tho attitude of the League and the extent of its ambition? It would almost seem so from its lack of enthusiasm and efforts to get construction going from the Inangahua end of the gap. The complete restoration of the road between Murchison and Inangaliua will ere long be achieved and 500 men be released for other work. Is the League using any pressure to get these 500 men and their camps, transferred across the Duller on to railway construction up the Buller Gorge, or is the League going to look on and see these men and camps scattered or sent to swell the camps and workers on the East Coast gap? Or does it want them put on the Lewis Saddle road-making as a sop to motorists? If tho League wants to see Sir Joseph Ward’s promise -given effect to now is the the opportune time to press for the retention of the 500 men for railway construction on the middle section of the Buller towards Lyell and Murchison and also secure the doubling of the number of men on the Gowan to Murchison. If we lose our grip now on tho men now in the Buller Gorge it will mean good-liye to completion of the lower half of our gap, should the political pendulum swing hack into office Mr Coates and his pro-North Island developing party before this section of our gap is got on tho way towards being filled. Let us just think what' the Marlborough and Canterbury Progress . League’s would do if in our position. Then go and do likewise. So say all of us. I am, etc., FOR LINKING UP NELSON.