CLUTHA VALLEY RAILWAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14684, 18 November 1909, Page 4

CLUTHA VALLEY RAILWAY

DEPUTATION TO THE PRIME MINISTER. 'AUTHORISATION REFUSED, (From Oor Own Cokrbsfoxdex't.) , . WELLINGTON, November 17.

rins morning tho Primo Minister waswaited upon by a deputation anxious to get the Government, to construct a line of railway up tho C'hit-lia Valey. Mr Malcolm, who introduced tho deputation, c&fted upon Mr Stewart to stato the object -'n liew. He mentioned that this line had tho hearty support of . every Otago member, and, among others, Mr Laurason was in cntiro sympathy with the objects of tho deputation. #lr Stewart said the league was well satisfied with the Government's policy that districts should guarantee that railways serving tliem should pay not less than o pei cent,, and they were (piite prepared'to guarantee that. They were also quite content to leave it to the' Government >to dccidc the best line of route. He referred to the fertility of tho country to be served by the railway. The Hon. Thomas -Mackenzie and the Hon. R. M'Kenzie knew the country well. < What-the deputation asked was that the Government, should take over the nveri i service, endowments, and assets, and give a railway service instead of tho present river sorvice. He gave figures showing tho valuo of the endowments and assets, which would, ho raid, liolp in . the construction of tho railway. He referred to the difficulty of keeping the i-iver open, oven for a steamer with a draught of 2Jft. ■ Both tho pasNigcr and dairy produce traffic were hindered by the slowness of the river service. ( Mr M'Jnerney supported the statements made by Mr Stewart. Ho had beer asked I, to congratulate the Primo Minister on the j timely warning ho had given regarding tho safety of the Empire, also on hisl 3' per cent, policy in regard to railway ! - construction. He said the Olutha Valley j people would lie willing to guarantee the -! 3 per cent., even, apart from the endow- '• ments revenue. He entered upon a glowing eulogy of .tho capabilities of the district, including the water power, which was such that the Government could one day build workshops there. Mr Stewart added that .the country was dead level. Mr James Allen, urged that it Bhouid not be asked that country districts should pay for railways a> the rate of £10,000 und £11,000 a mile. Ho thought tho Government should adopt a> policy of opening up the inland country oy building.. less cosUly lines Mian those constructed for tiio, main routes. A line oosting about £5000 per mile should servo tho purpose. There was no necessity for heavy trains. . Mr' Malcolm emphasised the light cost . of construction of the line and the very . fertilo character 'of tho country it would serve. The line would also feed the main lines, .livery, effort ehould bo made to keep settlers in the district. Otago had been losing its settlers, but if this line . were constructed the country would serve ■ five times the population it now served. Tho Hon. George Jmies, M.L.C., and Sir Arnold, M.l\, also attended tho deputation, but did not speak. Sir Joseph Ward 'said ho would like to : give the deputation a favourable answer, but it was not possible. The Government could not Undertake a great many of ■ these' works U t-lio' present timo for obvious reasons. No fewer than 16 applications for railways, had recently been before tho Cabinet, and, it authorised, -. this would mean an expenditure of £4,000,000 a year, for railway works alone, j, Ho had all along resisted such inroads, ' even to the extent of anything that would I,- involve an expenditure boyond the present expenditure, which was a very - heavy ■i' -.one. There were three different estimates for this line—viz., £100,000, £142,000, and; £180,000,—and he did not want to .... hold out any false hopes to the depu- : ■ tetion that the Government could provide even the £100,000. .They could only do it by taking sonic oi the mo'nay away from, the other railways that were yet ' _ to bo completed. He; was not. in favour i ' of that; neither could Miey add to the . total that. they ,cere now borrowing for / - railway construction. In regard to the •. 3 per cent, guarantee, tho mere fact -of V ' their offering that was not- going to help them in getting the lino any faster. i There might he 50 places prepared to 'guarantee the 3 per cent., but the total appropriation could not be correspondingly. increased. While it" was a good thing for a district tc guarantee a line , against lo?s, there was no virtue about it in a case where the line would pay. It was oijly where there was likely to •be a. loss that there was any virtue -in . it' He told thein frankly that lie did ; ' not think this Jin® was likely to be taken up in a hurry, and he therefore advised them to set about improving their river service. He pointed out that the proposal was to put a lino between two 6thcr lines ' that were only 25 miles apart, and, in addition, they had a river service, whereas there were other places in New Zea- . ' land wliero there was not a railway within 150 miles of tho people. When the Government could-not find enough money tc carry on , existing railways the depu--1 -tdlion could not expect- any for this line, :'.He must absolutely -refuse ti put it on -. ..'the authorisation.this year.. The Govern-., inent would not be warranted in doing .; it,' and, even if they were .warranted, they would have to hold it over or inako other lines under construction ; suffer. Speaking generally in regard to light railways, he might say that he was favourable, to them, but if" they were to .. create a number of them thev would

have to establish the manufacture of lightengines and - special vehicles,, and if tlfey tc keep these on short sections of line not fully employed the cost- of

working, the line would be veiv largely increased. lie pointed out, fuvthsr, that cvetvfylte present- New Zealand lines had been remade three times—some of them four tiniES—since, they .were originally 'constructed to bring them, up to the requirements of the tratfie. lie again expressed his regret that' he could .\iqfr authorise this line. s , : .