RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 23

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY. GISBORNE, March 3

An interesting light on the Government’s railway policy, with especial reference to the Wairoa-Gisborne line, was afforded by the Prime Minister’s addresses at Gisborne functions on Saturday evening. Touching on local claims for a railway, Sir Joseph Ward said that had he been asked how he would feel were he in the shoes of a district resident, his answer would have been that he would be absolutely disgusted with the men in Parliament over the past 16 years or so. Over 20 years ago he turned the first sod on the line, and still the work had not been completed. It was enough to make people turn in their graves and ask if we had all gone to sleep. Until that line was completed it was not the slightest good and was not earning a penny in revenue. Instead, during those 29 years it had been simply eating up interest. There had been a great deal of argument about the rival routes (inland and coastal), and there had in the end been no railway at all.

“ In a week or 10 days,” said Sir Joseph with great emphasis, “ I will settle this route question for ever, and any who come after will not be able to undo it. One of the routes must be linked up (with Wairoa) and the railway completed, and the sooner this is done the better it will be for the prosperity of the district. What does it matter which route you have as long as you have the railway? " In three or four years, continued Sir Joseph, the local line (Gisborne to Wairoa) would be finished, and Parliament was to be asked to do it. The route costing the least money was the one which would be settled on. Poverty Bay was a very fine district, but had to be linked up with outside districts, and that without delay. Once the line was completed the district would grow in prosperity as those in the south had done where all the railways were finished 30 years ago. As soon as a district was linked up with other territories it went ahead, and this would be the case in Poverty Bay. Without a doubt a saving of time was a saving of money, and indirectly added to the wealth of all in the district concerned. The Poverty Bay district was in. crying need of a line so that closer settlement could be developed. It was an immediate need, and not a matter for another 10 years hence. Once the territory was linked up then lorries could look after the interior and act as feeders to the railway. New Zealand had no use for uncompleted railways. They all needed finishing, and then they would be giving back some revenue for the money sunk in them. There was only one way to make a railway. Fix a time limit, and see that it was adhered to. Where would other countries have been, asked Sir Joseph, if they had followed on the lines of our snail pace policy? They would never have attained anything like the prosperity that had come to some of them. New Zealand needed more settlers, and we must spend more money on the railways. That was one of the first things Parliament should do. Though it would cost £10,000,000 during the next three or four years, all the railways should be completed, and in them the country would then have the greatest asset. It was ■only sound economics that we should begin as early as possible to get some return for the money expended. If it was worth while starting any railway then surely it was worth while finishing it. " '

Sir Joseph again referred to the local railway. “You have a magnificent dis-, trict, and so has Hawke’s Bay, so why Hot embrace one another by railway? You need have no doubts we are going to complete the line.” Continuing, Sir Joseph strongly condemned the system of construction by sections which, had grown up in the Dominion. He had been astounded on his Way to Gisborne to see small disjointed pieces every here and there, to see preparations for viaducts and then no viaducts. The correct plan was to call tenders for the construction of viaducts and then when the rest of the "ne was ready they would have the whole complete.