The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1936. THE GISBORNE RAILWAY.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13173, 4 February 1936, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1936. THE GISBORNE RAILWAY.

The Napier Gisborne Railways ha vs been very much in the public eve during the last two months, and some unexpected developments have taken place since the construction of the line began. The undertaking to date had cost the Government of New Zealand over 3 \ millions, and the Railways Board found that it would require another million and ahalf to complete it. Then thej’ ascertained that the scheme would not pay its way, and deciding subsequently that it was of no use sending good money after bad, they had the whole works programme stopped. At the time there was an outcry, as m the case of the Palmerston North deviation, and then, when Mr R. Semple became Minister of Public Works, he criticised the stoppage of the work as more folly, and said the Government would complete the work on condition the people in the Gisborne district gave the new railroad their support. At the time lie made this announcement Mr Semple came in for much criticism as it was held that the- Board must have had a good reason for stopping the work, and yet Mr Semple’s cursory inspection did not give him any qualification to speak with any greater degree of correctness on the question. Then recently we read that it has been revealed that the Beard had advised the late Government that it would recommend the completion ot the line provided it obtained a transport monopoly. It is evident that Mr Semple's view runs along the same lines as the Railway Board’s mind, but wo fail to appreciate the reason why the change of front was not made known to the public and acted upon earlier. Mr Semple’s threat to give the Railway Board ‘‘the sack'’ if it tried to prevent him from completing the line sems to be a hot afr attack for the Board evidentlv made the original suggestion which is underlined m the Minister’s policy. It will be a difficult task to set a definite line of demarcation between motor lorry and train, for the service provided by the lorries is an undoubted asset to the back country settlers, but it should be possible to accomplish something in this direction to ensure the completion of this line.