FUTURE RAILWAYS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10688, 7 September 1920, Page 4

FUTURE RAILWAYS

NORTH ISLAND CLAIMS DEPUTATION WAITS ON" CABINET MINISTERS. A deputation representing. Northern and East Coast interests waited on the Prime Minister and the Ministei for Public Works yesterday. It was introduced by Mr F. Mauder, M.P. for Marsden. Mr P. Cheal, president of the Auckland Development League, eaid thcro had been a growing feeling in the North Island that something should be done for the North Island, which had been progressive. They did not want to take any advantage of the South. In 1851 the late Donald McLean bought 36,000 acres for £OOO, at something like a penny to fourpence an acre. t Mr Slassey: He was puchasihg for the Crown? • ■ • ..Mr Cheal: Yes. ' " "■■' ." " In 1860, which was! tho start of the Dunslan diggings, Taranaki was fighting the Maoris. In later years there n-ere other troubles in the North, and it was only recently the North had begun to come into its own. He did not want to create the position of North v. South, but he thought the North had a claim| now as it had' the largest amount of area remaining for- settlement. He had heard that Wellington and Hawke's Bay considered 'that if the 1 line went to Gisborne it would not| matter if Auckland did not get a railway there for the next fifty years. Sir W. D. Lysnar, M.P. for Gi» borne: There is no truth in that. Railways should be pushed on where there was close settlement, and therefore the lines should go- to the North Island. VARIOUS VIEWS. Mr W. IK Lysnar,TM.K" "for Gis. borne, said he represented the East Coast_ railway advocates. He hoped the Premier would be able to see his way to do what was asked without raising any question of North v. South. In Gisborne and Napier there was nc desire to push the railway on a bit and stop. -The idea was that it should go right through. Sir A. R. Crane urged the. speedy completion of the railway:, line, from Maungaturoto." jto, >'.;AVhaiigarei : \. Giver railway facilities, production would be increased and much good to the Dominion wrought. Mr H. Poland, M.P. for Ohineniuri, said the Auckland representatives strongly deprecated the raising of any question of n-irth versus south. There were in the Auckland district millions of acres of land that needed the railway for development. Ap. enormous area of land would be tapped by the Gisborne'line.'! '■■■* --v-c v>-.: Mi; ♦ Mr T. W. *Rh6des>*'Si.P. r fbr Thames, held that the advocacy of Auckland's claims was merely putting forward the claims of the whole Dominion. Sir J. A. Young, M.P. for Waikato, said that in the Auckland district there were vast areas yet untouched by man, and all that was needed for development were railway and road facilities. » Mr R. F. Bollard, M.P. for Raglan,, hoped the Ministers would do they could fdr-'the: 'Auckland--district, and particularly- "would "finish xthe T 'present lines before now ones were authorised PRIME MINISTER'S REPLY. THE PROGRESS OF THE NORTH. Sir Massey" agreed that' one district should not be set against another. He agreed, also, with ' the etatement* about the big advanceinent_ of settlement in the Auckland 5 district;' Since the .pushihg"'i through-'of 'the' Slain Trunk line,' Auckland had "never looked back though previously it had been chatted at. Auckland was the last distriot in which development was attempted in a, proper, fashion, and not' in the Scrappy fashion jfc wob carried on, eay, 25 years ago. The North Island had been overtaking the south for years back in the matter of railway construction. The Otira tunnel line had had to be. gone on .with, and he thought it would pay- a higher, rate of . interest than, many;. people; -imagined. It had not been possible to carry on the public works thoroughly during the war, and the North Auckland line suffered during that time. It however, one of the lines that should be completed, end he would bf glad to see it done.