THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, MAY 6, 1929. MINISTERIAL POLICY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20709, 6 May 1929, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, MAY 6, 1929. MINISTERIAL POLICY.

A speech which the Prime Minister delivered at Hawera on Saturday contained an interesting reference to the policy of the Government with respect to railway construction. The competition of the motor services is •assigned as a reason why the construction of short lengths of line is to be abandoned. There are not so many of these short lengths that the policy of the Government as affecting them is of, very considerable moment, but Sir Joseph Ward disregards actual occurrences in the field of transport if he implies that motor traffic is not seriously cutting into the business of the State railways on lines of considerable length such as, for instance, those between Wellington and Taranaki, and between Wellington and Wairarapa. The “ short, fragmentary lines ” he describes as “a burden on the country.” It can hardly have been anticipated, when the construction of some of these lines was undertaken, that the State would derive a direct financial benefit from the operation of the railways. The argument was —and it was a reasonably sound argument at the time—that whatever loss might be incurred on the running of the railways would be more than made up to the State by the advantages that would accrue to it through the development of country that would otherwise lack means of expeditious ■ transport at a reasonable cost and through the encouragement that would be afforded to the settle ment of the land. Whether it is cor-, rect to stigmatise as “ a burden on the country” lines that have had the effect of opening lip land and of promoting cultivation may be seriously doubted. It is questionable, also, whether the policy which the Prime Minister has enunciated of the completion of the longer lines of railway .will.be supported by results when the justification that -is- offered for .it is that when these lines are finished they will at least return interest on the capital cost. .Four lines are mentioned which will, according to the expectations of the Government, attract traffic to such an extent that they will be interest-earning. It is to be feared that these expectation? will not be realised. In. the case of two of the lines it is practically certain that they will be run ‘at a loss from the day on which they are opened. It would seem that Sir Joseph Ward relies upon the passengeT traffic upon the South Island Main Trunk railway to make it a self-sup-porting line. Otherwise he would not have used the argument, for what it is worth, that the construction of the 84 miles which will complete this line from Christchurch to Picton will reduce by 65 hours the time occupied in a journey from the extremity of one island to that of another. The production of a. time-table showing how this saving .in time is to be effected would be highly instructive. The existing services in both islands aro in the hands of the Government and it may be presumed that they afford as rapid transport as is consistent with safety. If so, the saving of 65 hours must be achieved between Christchurch and Wellington. At present, the journey between these centres is accomplished in about twelve reduced at sea in normal conditions, if this were necessary to meet the requirements of the railway timetable. If, however, a saving of 65 hours is to be effected, the journey from Christchurch to Wellington mast be accomplished, when the South Island Trunk railway is' completed, in 55 hours. It will be difficult for the traveller to refrain from smiling when the prospect of the time he is to gain, through substituting a night journey by train from Christchurch to the northern terminus of the trunk line for a night journey by soa, is pointed out to him.