"GRAVE OF RAILWAYS."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20405, 6 November 1929, Page 13

"GRAVE OF RAILWAYS."

SOUTH ISLAND SYSTEM.

OPPOSITION TO THE BILL.

VIEWS OF INDEPENDENT,

[B? TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday.

"It appears to be that the people are being misled about the South Island line," said Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Independent—Egmont), who followed Mr. Forbes in' the railways debate.

Mr. Wilkinson asked Mr. Forbes if his statement that the passing of the amendment would stop work on the line was correct. If it were correct, the men were working on tho lines at present without authority. In regard to the South Island Main Trunk line there had been no recommendation in the FayRaven report on the lino alone, but in conjunction with a train-ferry. The only real report on the lino was that. of the Fay-Casey Commission, which had condemned it lock, stock and barrel.

It was the business of tho Government to make a searching investigation before a large expenditure on railways was embarked upon. • Stating that he would have the greatest pleasure in voting for the amendment, Mr. Wilkinson expressed the opinion that tho South Island was the graveyard of the railway system, and pointed out that the construction of the South Island line would involve greater losses than would have in combination resulted from the construction of the Palmerston North deviation and the line between Rotorua and Taupo. It was wrong constitutionally to spend on a line money that had not been specifically authorised by Parliament, and he would shed his responsibility for it with his vote. Labour Leader's Views.

"The amendment is meaningless," said (he Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. H. E. Holland. "The Leader of the Opposition says he does not want the works stopped, but if his amendment is carried that will happen. The Reform Party is asking us to investigate works which have been started after an investigation. That position is not tenable. A great case has been made, certainly on a very flimsy foundation, against the South Island lines, yet to carry the North Island lines to completion will cost £6,250,000/, while (he completion of the South Island lines will cost only £4,730,000. The Leader of the Opposition urges that an investigation should be made to see if roads could not be utilised instead of railways. Roads could be substituted for railways, but not for Main Trunk lines, and these two South Island lines and the East Coast line are Main Trunk lines."

A Remark Resented. Admitting that ho had been impressed by tho railway concentration policy initiated by Mr. Coates when Prime Minister, Mr. C. H. Clinkard (Government— Rotorua) stated that he had been disappointed with the manner in which that policy had been carried out. The only concentration he could see was on lines running toward Mr. Coates' district. "That is an absoluto untruth," said Mr. Coates. The Speaker requested Mr. Coates to withdraw tho word "untruth." "I will do so," said Mr. Coates. "I will say that it is a mis-statement of fact." The debate was continued to a late hour.

The estimates of the cost of construction quoted by the Minister are shown in the Public Works Estimates, the amounts representing the cost of completing the various sections, in addition to past expenditure. The amount for the Midland railway comprises the estimates for both the Kawatiri-Inangahua and WestportInanghaua sections, in respect of which the department appended to the Estimates a note that the lines had not been surveyed when the Estimates were made and that the "estimate is subject to considerable amendment as a result of the earthquake of June 17, 1929." The estimate for the Wharanui-Parnassus section was also made "before permanent survey made." The Minister's statement of the cost of the East Coast line refers to only the Gisborne-Waikokopu section.

NO VOTE EITHER WAY. MEMBER FOR GREY LYNN. "ALL CARDS NOT ON TABLE." [Bt telegraph.—special reporter.] .WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The Government member for Grey Lynn, Mr. J. S. Fletcher, found himself in the strange position in the House this evening that ha could not vote either for the second reading of the Railways Authorisation Bill or for the amendment moved by Hie' Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Fletcher said that although he could not support the amendment he could not vote in favour of the authorisation of the South Island Main Trunk railway, as he considered the Government had not placed all the cards on the table with regard to the cost of the line.