BUILDING OF RAILWAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21876, 11 August 1934, Page 16

BUILDING OF RAILWAY

NAPIER TO GISBORNE FREE COMPETITION URGED [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] GISBORNE, Friday That there should bo no tying up of private enterprise in connection with proposals to build and operate tho East Coast railway line between Napier and Gisborne was the view expressed by the Gisborne section of the Hawke's Bay-Wairoa-Gisborno joint railway committee at a meeting held this afternoon, when it was disclosed that the opportunity of taking up the line was being sought by New Zealand agents for a large overseas syndicate. The Mayor of Gisborne, Mr. John Jackson, who presided, stated that in addition to the possibility of Mr. VV. D. Lysnar securing financial backing for tho line from England, there were others in the field with the object of investigating the line. Tho fact that tho Government had made its best terms known to Mr. Lysnar had led to a request for a statement of terms to another concern, and this request had been complied with. There was a possibility, however, that Mr. Lysnar had been given some form of option which might hold up the progress of independent investigation, und he asked the committee to express its opinion on the subject. It was the opinion of those present that no obstacles should bo put in tho way of free competition for the right to build and operate the line, provided that the Government had finally decided, as seemed assured, that there was no possibility of tho lino being developed as a national concern. The Mayor was accordingly given authority to express the view of the committee to any later inquirers without prejudice to the right of the joint districts' conference to express its opinion on tho matter.