SOUTH ISLAND RAILWAYS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18424, 9 December 1921, Page 7

SOUTH ISLAND RAILWAYS

■ -T-- 5. ’ THE: AIN TRUNK LINS.' j ' •' . TJi h d THE GAP at GMNHOPH . (Fbom Odb Own Cohresiondent.) rf WELLINGTON, December 8., ■ A number of members of both Hohsei) of Parliament interested in the compietiaa*' ■of the Main : South Island trunk 'railway 1 ! waited upon the Minister of Works” this!.morning. .nniet* S Mr it. P. Hudson, M.P. for MottidUal” /j spoke of the necessity for completin'g' ’the' 1 -. gap between Inangahua and Glen hope.'” .The line, he said, would not bo a i proposition until that gap was filled. 1 Atr present'both Inangahua and Murchison were" severely handicapped. It cost £3 10s a ton,' to cart butter from Murchison to Glerihopo" alone. The development of the coal outt'; crops, the timber industry,, and the possible oil wells could not be undertaken until 1 f line, was completed. The; work a work of great national Mr,.. Hudson said ho did not wish to raise,.the' question of north v. south, but undoubtedly,. , the .population’ of the south was (drifting to the north .and little - was bcing ' done to help'the people in the south. ' i Mr H. Atmbre, M.P., supported Mr Hudson in all that had been stated in xe-_ gard to the importance of ; the line.,, Tho, Minister had promised to put on two .gangs, of tunnellers as soon as the Otira hod .heap',, bored. , ■ ■ Mr (Coates, said he did not rem.etpbep;having said that. . Mr H. E'. Holland said he was obnymoed ■ that the whole line should be completed, and the section, Glenhope to must come into the general scheme. The Otira tunnel was now finished. Mr Coates: I wish it was paid for, that’smy trouble. : . Mr Holland; Oh, it will be paid for all right. Tho tunnellers from Otira should be utilised before they disperse, as they were very competent. : Mr Coates: There is a sum of between- 1 ' £700,00.0 and £7SO,XXX) still needed .for/the; _ Otira : tunnel. a sura that we have ■ vide .within a short period/ ’•»* Mr Coates added that he .could not-say ■* much about the matter until the Public Works Statement came down, as he had yet: to consult his. colleagues as to thoamount of mohey that would bo available. When they talked about north versus south ‘ he asked them to remember that in spite of the larger population, in the north > tho ■*, south had 450 more miles of railway than the north, Mr Isitt , said he hoped the Minister ‘ \ . would put his foot down on the rotten system of constructing railway works' that ' had prevailed in the past, and concentrate. ■ on the main enterprises until they were'-' completed ' ’ Mr Coates: Tliat is quite right, and'it some encouragement to me. One get a great deal of encouragement, mom, ■ often there is a disposition to kick'Hhb'-"' Minister from pillar to post. The sum needed to complete the two gaps would." he added, require an expenditure of , £2 300,000. The Westport gap would cost, between £750,000 and £BOO,OOO, and tho Glenhope-liiangahua gap £1,500.000. The Government had not yet considered the, question of allocation,, but he proposed to carry on, on the- principle of concentration, , and ’to eliminate unimportant lines, 1 .qjjtil,,. the others were completed. It was'neces/,. sary to have certain works carried on, in different parts of the country to meet possible unemployment, but .it would ba, . recognised .that . these were not part 0f... the main policy of outlie works construe- . tion. He knew that the, country had promised many lines, but none of them , could lie carried out unless the country could raise the. money. It would be un- . wise to tackle anything in . a businesslike,, way until they bad sufficient money .to.jjeq,,*. , the job through.