DARGAVILLE LINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22475, 20 July 1936, Page 11

DARGAVILLE LINE

COMPLETION OF WORK QUESTION FOR THE CABINET EARLY DECISION POSSIBLE HON. R. SEMPLE'S OPINION [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Sunday The possibility of an early decision by the Government regarding tho completion of the Dargaville failway was mentioned by the Minister of Publio Works, the Hon. It. Semple, on his return to Wellington to-day after a visit to the South Island, during which he inspected the resumed work on the South Island main trunk and WestportInangahua railways. "Owing to my absence from Wellington I have not had the opportunity for a further discussion regarding the Dargaville line with my colleagues in the Cabinet," Mr. Semple said. "However, I am personally satisfied that the work should never have been stopped when it was so near completion. I have obtained full reports on the whole position and I hope to have the ms.tter brought before the Cabinet at an early date." Heavy Interest Bill Work on the line had ceased in 1930, the Minister continued, and so far there had been a total expenditure on the line of £440,000. That money at present represented a liability, as interest had to be paid on it without service in return. The cost of completing the line would be only about £50,000, and at present the country was paying; about £20,000 annually in interest on the uncompleted job. The total amount paid in interest 6ince the cessation of the work would have been more than sufficient for its completion. If £150,000 had not been stupidly wasted on the Kirikopuni balloon loop the line would have been completed years ago. "My engineers have reported that the work of completing the Dargaville : branch will be largely one for the ; utilisation of labour and materials which are already on hand," Mr. Semple continued. "The chief work remaining to be' done is listed as follows:—The general clearing up and trimming of six miles of existing formation; the completion of 1 i miles of light new formation; platelaying over four miles; ballasting over seven miles; the construction of a small bridge over the Whapu Creek, and a relatively small amount of fencing and building work. Work Yet to be Done "The completion of the line would mean the employment of a maximum of 200 men, and the work as • far aa can bo judged at present would not take longer than 12 or 18 months. There would then be a lina to couple up with the railway from Dargaville to Kaihu and Donnelly's Crossing, which at present is isolated from the main system. "It is hard to conceive of any Government being so wilfully stupid as to stop a work within a couple of miles of its objective, with the great bulk of expenditure already made. Whether or not the line should have been started is incidental. What is most important is that we should obtain at least some service in return for the expenditure already made." SOUTH ISLAND PLANS STATEMENT BY MR. SEMPLE JUBILATION OF RESIDENTS [BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Sunday The increased confidence engendered in the Marlborough and West Coast districts by the decision of the Government to complete the South Island Main Trunk and the Westport-Inanga-hua railways was the subject of comment to-day by the Minister of Public Works, Hon. R. Semple, who, with the Minister of Mines, Hon. P. G. Webb, has returned to Wellington after attending ceremonies connected with the resumption of work on the two lines. "Both Blenheim and Westport are like towns transformed," Mr. Semple said. "At present about 75 men are employed on tho Buller Gorge line and as rapidly as accommondation can be provided we shall work up to our full complement of about 400 men. Equipment is also needed, but at present there is a good deal of clearing up to be done and it is quite refreshing to witness the scenes of activity at various points along the line. "The resumption of the work has put new life into Westport, where the slackness of the coal trade has caused considerable hardship during the last four years. The cheerfulness of tile people is inspiring and must be a very real source of encouragement to the Government. In Blenheim it is just the same "There are only skeleton staffs on the South Island Main Trunk line at the moment. Accommodation is likely to be our real problem as there is a difficulty in getting seasoned timber and the men on the job for some time at any rate will have to live in tents. However, the work is in hand and with the arrival of new engineering equipment, much of which is already on the water on its way from England, it will be pushed on as rapidly as possible. The people throughout the districts to bo served by the new lines are jubilant and there is no doubt that the work will give a great impetus to trade generally. Personally I am more satisfied than ever that it is a wise move to complete these lines. It is far better to create and use a service than keep on paying interest on wasted borrowed money."