NORTHERN RAILWAY ROUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14110, 12 July 1909, Page 8

NORTHERN RAILWAY ROUTE.

Sir,—While it, is a matter for regret that, the route of the North Auckland railway should have become the subject of dispute between the respective people of the eastern and western districts of the peninsula, the recent decision of the Government, in favour of a deviation near Kaiwaka certainly requires for its justification more explanation than the public have vet received. Hie 'position is shortly this: The line, as I understand, was authorised by Parliament as far north as a point at, or near Maungatapere. via a route which must have been surveyed and recommended by the Government engineers before the authorisation of the section could be asked for by the Minister for Public Works. , This route passed through Kaiwaka and . Maungaturoto, somewhat to eastward of tho latter township, and so on northwards through the eastern " McCarroll's Gap." Whether this v.as the right way or the wrong way to take the line, it was decided on by the engineers, endorsed by the *the late Minister for Public Works, authorised by' Parliament, find what is officially termed " located " to a point some three or four miles beyond Kaiwaka. Objections hod been made to this route by _ settlers on the Kaipara side, and the question was brought under the notice of the Public Works Department, an alternative route being suggested which would cross the Otamat ea tidal waterway, and skirt the Bickerstaff© Estate. These representations were considered by the Government, and Mr. Holmes, engineer-in-chief. was sent up to investigate and report. The result was that Mr. Holmes most definitely condemned the suggested route across the Qtamatoa, and strongly recommended that t';<i route selected by the engineers and authorised by Parliament bo adhered to. The engineer-in-chief gave the reasons for his opinion, which wore published with his official report, in the Auckland papers, and bo far as I can see these reasons were never refuted, although they were certainly disputed. . But whether the original decision of the engineering authorities was right or wrong is not the point I am getting at just now. I merely wish to state the position so far as Parliament and the public knew it when the new Minister for Public Works came on the scene. Mr. R. McKenzie visited the district with the engineer-',n-chief, received deputations for and against the proposed western deviation, and travelled over a great deal of the country. lie promised further investigation, and a speedy decision as to route, thus reopening the whole question already settled by his predecessor, in office. Tho "speedy decision" promised in six weeks took some three months to be reached, the best season of the year for construction work being in great part wai ted, so far as tho progress of the line, northward is concerned. This decision was in favour of the western deviation, though not from the point asked for by Mr. Stallworthy and his constituents. Still, the new route crosses the Otamatea at Young's Point, and so far as the public have been informed involves all the objections set forth by Mr. Holmes in his report already referred to. In short, what Mr. McKenzie has done is this: He has abandoned from a point near Kaiwaka the line authorised by Parliament in favour of one not, so authorised; lie has adopted an alternative route not originally selected bv the engineers in charge , of the work, and specifically condemned by tho engineer-in-chief, who supports, or did support, the route tho Minister now discards. The new route entails a costly railway bridge at l least a-quarter of a mile long at Young's Point, and other circumstances give grounds for the conclusion that the change of programme will greatly increase the cost of the line before the Mnngakahia country can be reached. Increased cost per mile of construction is certain to mean a longer period before the settlers farther north get anv direct benefit from the railway, , Now, all this may be quite justifiable policy, the advantages of the deviation may outweigh the extra cost, or the engineers s may have changed thair minds and reported strongly in favour of adopting the new route. But. if so. the public know nothing about, it. Settlers living in lie district will tell you that no survey work had been done between Kaiwaka. Young's Point, and Bickerstaffe up'to the time of the Minister's announcement of a change of front on the part of the Public Works Department. My contention, therefore, is that, when so remarkable, an alteration is made in a (Treat public work as the reversal of a Parliamentary sanction, and the abandonment, of the declared decision of a former Public Works Minister acting under t'-o advice of his railway engineers, the public at large, as well as those specially interested, have a right to have placed before them the actual data upon which Mr. McKenzie has decided this question of route, including the opinion of the cngincer-in-chief upon the matter, and ay estimate of the relative cost of the Young's Point and Western Tangihuu route as compared with the one previously adopted by the engineers Norths sn Cockatoo. July 9.