NEW RAILWAY LINK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20271, 3 June 1929, Page 12

NEW RAILWAY LINK.

PAEROA-POKENO PROJECT.

MINISTER TO INSPECT ROUTE. VISIT DURING THIS WEEK. ADVANTAGES OF THE SCHEME. An early judgment on (he proposal lo link I'okono and Paeroa directly by mil. thus eliminating a wido detour, may now bo expected for tho Minister of Railways, tlio Hon. W. I!. Tavomer, at present. in Auckland, has promised to inspect. tho proposed routo on either Thursday or Friday of this week. V\ lieu in tho Mararnarua district on afforest at ion business about 10 days ago, Mr. laverner promised to tako tlio fust available opportunity for arranging a personal inspection, and ho now finds it possible to-lit i,i that tour with his present northern /visit. Tho Minister has also accepted, an invitation from the Paeroa Borough Council, through Mr. A. M. Samuel, member for Thames, to attend a luncheon in his honour on the day of tho inspection. Several deputations urging tho construction of tho line havo already been heard by Mr. Taverncr, and it is behoved to bo 1) 13 wish to confino tho forthcoming visit more particularly to an examination of tho routo and tho country it will open, tio has already said tho project has his sympathy, and has further said that ho believed the lino would bo constructed by tho Government "sooner or later." The Minister has been assured by deputations that tho lino is expected to [>ay from the commencement, and it is tho financial aspect with which ho will bo particularly concernod in any recommendation ho may place beforo tho Government. Merits ol the Scheme. Opportunely the merits of tlio scheme havo been examined in their various aspects in a contribution from "ExRailwayman," who essays to make a caso for tli'o Minister of Railways to consider. Tlie contributor, at tho outset, declares his conviction that tho lino should bo built. Ho concedes that the question is, firstly, an economic one, and suggests it should bo approached from three angles—tho point of view of the Government, of tho people served, and of tho railway experts. "The Government has laid it down as a basic principle," ho says, "that all Main Trunk lines should bo connected. In this connection wo havo in the Paeroa-Pokeno gap a most important link in tho Main Trunk system. Unless this gap is filled, there is no such thing as tho East Coast Main Trunk. It is claimed by tho Government that tho essential feature of railway construction is tho opening of land for settlement. "By opening tlio district between Paeroa and Pokeno by 'rail connection, development will tako place at a much greater pac. than by opening new country, because tho district served has thousands oi acres of undeveloped land, and tho land in occupation is not produc ing one-third of its capacity. Tho opening of this country would mean increased output for tho Dominion, settlement of- farmers on undeveloped land, and the prevention of country already broken in going back to second growth. Saving in Engine Power. "The pcoplo of tho Dominion, outsiclo of tho area, aro interested only in tho economic construction of railways so that they will not bo an additional drain on tho national funds. If that is protected, tho people at largo will bo only too glad to support anv scheme that will grant relief to those immediately concerned. The settlers, .n tho area will welcome tho railway •as a means of enabling them to increaso their earning power from land already in occupation, provide lower cartage charges, and givo facilities for tho movement of stock at short notice. on ' "Unlike the projected lines in the fcoutli Island, which will require very considerably increased expenditure to provide rolling stock, not because of increased traffic, but because of increased running miles, the Paeroa-Pokeno link would relieve en-gine-power and rolling stock. On tlio assumption that no more traffic would bo secured, tho mere elimination of 47 running miles in the general working of tho area, from, say, To Aroha to Thames and Taneatua, will, in itself, save tho Railway Department a considerable sum of money. Even tho saving of hours a day of ono engine would pay a considerable amount oi. interest at tho end of a year. More Efficient Use ol Trucks.

"Tho saving of two hours in connection with livo stock trucks very often means 0110 'extra day's loading, because trucks may bo emptied at tho end of the day and returned for reloading during tho night. An analysis of livo stock movement from tho Bay of Plenty district to Auckland proves this point conclusively. Stock leaving tho Bay of Plenty "in the morning cannot bo unloaded tho same night; consequently, stock trucks aro out. of "traffic for one day more than they should be, Through stock trains from the Bay of Plenty with the PaoroaPokotio link completed could be loaded and unloaded the same day, thereby using only half the number of trucks, and that number earning double tho revenue previously earned." , Tho writer points out (hat tho new linkwould cause tho congestion in tho I'rankton marshalling yards to disappear. r .lho proposed lino would also undoubtedly euro tho congestion 011 tho Main Trunk line between Auckland and Frank ton. Dealing with rates on (ho East Coast, lino tho writer says:—"lt is freely pointed out by eminent railway authorities that tho earning power of tho branch line Paeroa-Taneatua, will not cover working expenses. It is, therefore, .-treasonable assumption that any increase in traffic rovenuo will reduce tho losses. In the meantime, to increase revenue, tho Railway Department has reduced its rates on butter. It must be assumed from (his that tho department does want increased business. Considering that a very intense opposition in tho form of scows is in cxistcnco, tho department can reduco its rates, if tho link was constructed.' to a greater extent to secure business offering to and from tho Bay of Plenty." Kouto Already Surveyed. Tho writer further contends that the fish traffic from the Thames would provido an originating traffic for the railways. The Thames Valley fruit would also provide increased business. Again, (he Thames Valley dairy factories would havo their-butter and cheeso delivered in Auckland at tho present rales, which havo been cut to meet competition, without loss to tho department. TII.O obvious advantage from a passenger traffic point of view, is also mentioned. An express passenger service by tho now route, it is suggested, would eliminate tho present service car opposition. Summing up, tho contributor says:"Wo might anticipate in cash (ho result of tho ra'lwav as a pain for tho Dominion. Tho grade throughout the whole of the section will permit of each class of cngino taking a full load. Tho lino would bo economical to construct bocauso there aro Ifirge metal denosits in the area to .be traversed. Tho • Public ."\Voi-ks material for the construction is already at one end of tho work. ' tho lino is. surveyed, and tho station sites are pe.irgod,"