SOUTH ISLAND RAILWAYS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 17

SOUTH ISLAND RAILWAYS

Sir, —It seems that I have failed to convince "Equal Rights for All,"_ so here are some of tho figures I promised him. The population of the whole province of Marlborough (and by no means the whole province is _ served by the railway) has been stationary for many vears and has never reached 20,000.* Its capital, Blenheim, contains 5000 people; its principal town, Picton, 1300; its most important railway townships, Seddon and 350 and 300 respectively. Now this diminutive population is already served by 48 miles of railway. The section from Picton to Blenheim, 18 miles, boasts four trains a day. It had only one until political action by the railways forced motors off the road. From Blenheim to Ward, 30 miles, there are three trains a week —just to show a progressive spirit and keep second growth from blocking the rails. From the Christchurch end the business offering already two lines from Waipara northward.'These railways run parallel for 44 miles and never more than 15 miles apart. To Parnassus there is a whole train every day and to Waiau three times a week, but I cannot guarantee that there is any freight on the trains. These figures show that the local business amounts to nothing but a farce. But it may be contended that, by its magic, this railway will draw profitable business from the rest of the South Island. What is available from this source? The year-book shows that tho North Island contains twice the population of the South Island and docs three times the business. (Let me here pause to remark that the manufacturers of Marlborough produce £425,971 per annum against Auckland's £28,764,335!) To handle its diminutive business the South Island has 1750 miles of railway: to handle three times as much the North Island has 1570. So that to ensure equal rights to all on a population basis tho North Island is entitled to 1930 additional miles of railway, and, on tho basis of business offering, to no less than 3680 miles before the South Island gets another mile. I sincerely regret the frightful waste in starting and then stopping the construction of this useless line. Any waste incurred in the past is as nothing compared with what is happening now and will happen in the future when tho whole ghastly mistake is scrapped for want of traffic to keep tho trains moving. I well remember that, when I was a lad, the South Island possessed a great political preponderance which was unhesitatingly used to appropriate all public expenditure. Poor despised Auckland got nothing and the South Island, in exercise of a well established tradition, still seems able to "put it across us." Arc our Parliamentary representatives fast asleep—or is it simply that they don't care? It may be unwise to build any more railways until some business sense is injected into the management of those we already possess. But certain it is that the construction of the entirely useless concern now under discussion is a financial crime of the first magnitude. I hope I have now satisfied "Equal Rights for All" of the correctness of my contentions. E. Earle Vaile.