THE RAILWAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16375, 24 June 1927, Page 12

THE RAILWAY.

(To Ui© Editor of tho IJ?rald.) Sir,—The well-meaning effort of the Chamber of Commerce would indeed be laudable were it not for the fact that their efforts may put the clock of progress back many years insofar as Gisborne and the district are concerned with railway communication with the remainder of New Zealand. That the acting-chairman should have the temerity to pat himself and his colleagues on the back at the last meeting and prate about not having delayed the construction of the line is beyond comprehension. Tho majority of the members of the Chamber are personal friends of the writer, and are held in the highest' estimation, but in this matter they have erred, and erred badly, as they will realise when it is probably too late. One has but to survey the work at present in progress between Napier and Wairoa to realise what it means to these two points and compare what Ciishornc is losing by the present inaction. Surely business men have not forgotten what the construction of the Gisborne-Motu-hora section meant to them. Would it not be repeated in the instance under review? Then again the Napier-Wairoa section is going to be finished before a decent start has been made at this end, and why? Because the Gisborno ('ham her has been haggling with experts who know better than themselves the better way to build the line, and this has bten going on for two years or more. As "Railways.' in your issue of June 16, very correctly pointed out, it is not the local traffic that is going to pay; it is the long-distance freight and passengers. A point in connection with the traffic is worthy of note at this stage. Where-, might one inquire, will this avalanche, of local traffic be directed—not Gisborne.. but Napier; and why, because sheep are worth a £d to Id per lb. more in Hawke's Bay than in Poverty Bay, anil wool, with one handling, can be lauded into the Napier wool stores. Don't dream about it, gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce - just think hard; it's going to make Gisborne a back number if it does not look out.

Since the completion of the GisborneNaoier highway I. have often asked myself why build the railway ; what is it for; ami where will it cud? Certainly not for passenger traffic. The fare will be equalftto the present car fare, that is, first.class; and which is most likely to be patronised. Are not the railways losing passengers every day all over the country, and is this not likely to continue? Roads must improve and we know cars are improving. Then are Auckland passengers going l ( , travel to Napier, tin nee !o Gisborne? No, sir. the Motu will bo their route, as not only will it be cheaper but much faster and less tiring. As for freight, water carriage will always win. Northern coal (■a.mot be freighted by rail as cheap as rail to Auckland, thence by boat, and the same applies to manures. Likewise overseas freightage, in and oat, will not he railed from or to main ports.

Boiled down, it appeals that the budding of the railway will prove a colossal blunder. Com- etc roads via both Morere and Tiniroto could be built for a fraction of the cast and upkeep of the railway, and the idea, is not so wild as many thin,k. We were told it was .impossible to hitunrnise Whareii.ta, but it has been done, and no one seems to have come to grief. In fact, it's just a question whether a bitumen road would not 'suffice and 12ft of covered surface would meet the case via Tiniroto.—l am. etc.. "DISTANT OBSERVER."