EAST COAST RAILWAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17606, 23 October 1931, Page 9

EAST COAST RAILWAY

PRIME MINISTER'S REPLY BOARD REQUIRES MORE DETAIL At a recent meeting of the Napier Rotary Club, Mr W. E. Barnard, M.P., stated that a deputation consisting of Messrs. H. M. Campbell, K. S'. Williams and himself had attended the Prime Minister, and raised the suggestion of the completion of the East Coast railway line being carried out by a private syndicate. Mr. Barnard has now received the following reply from the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes.— “I desire to inform you that the Government Railways Board- has given consideration to this suggestionNand it finds it difficult to express an opinion without having something of a concrete nature before it. “The chairman of the board states that so far as the matter can be dealt with in the abstract, the board, before recommending such an arrangement-, would require ample assurance of tlie capacity of those concerned to carry the work through, and to carry on operations after the construction work was completed. “110 further slates that it would he necessary also for those concerned to enter into a proper agreement with the working Railways Department regarding tho exchange of trnffie between the Government railway system and the proposed line. ‘The chairman adds that at this juncture the hoard finds it difficult to say more than if a scheme appearing adequately to safeguard the public interests is formulated the hoard' would bi.- pleased to give it consideration.”