GISBORNE’S RAILWAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18900, 30 December 1935, Page 4

GISBORNE’S RAILWAY

A SOUTHERN SUPPORTER NEWSPAPER UNDEk FIRE PAROCHIALISM ALLEGED The completion of the railway between Napier and Gisborne finds a staunch advocate in a correspondent who writes to the Otago Daily Times, under the noin de plume of “Progress,” as follows: — To judge from the leading articles, your paper appears to have its knife into the Gisborne railway, and loses no opportunity of giving it a twist. Your attitude certainly lends color to the Labor Party's assertion that the newspapers of this country arc biased and provincial in their outlook. Apparently it is a newspaper’s'duty to fight for national expenditure in its own district and decry it in others, irrespective of the merits of the works involved.

Your one and only argument against the completion of the Gisborne railway is that the Railways Board in 1931, decided that the railway would not pay its way—decidedly a very sound argument, provided ‘that the estimated figures, which prompted the decision were substantinly correct. There are many, who will argue that the figures were not a fair representation of the probable revenue, and that the board was doubtless influenced by the fact that the Government of the time was short of money, owing to the early stages of the depression. Even the ex-Minister of Finance, Mr Coates, in ,a pre-election speech, stated that if the Gisborne railway was not completed by private enterprise it would in all probability 'be finished by the Government. Apparently even he had doubts as to the wisdom of the board’s decision.

As your paper appears to share in the general ignorance manifest in the south concerning the Gisborne district, some information may prove timely. The town of Gisborne has a population of 16,650, or roughly one-hundredth of the population of the Dominion. According to your leading article,, the proposed railway will serve a “handful” of people. Include with Gisborne the town of Wniroa and the rural population, and four such “handsful” exceed the present population of that important though backward city of Dunedin. The railway, from Napier to Wairoa, is practically completed already, linking up at Wairoa with 25 miles of existing line to the small port of Waikokopu, at the base of Mahia Peninsula. The uncompleted section from Waikokopu to Gisborne is only 35 miles long, but when it is completed, a further 70 miles of existing railway from Gisborne to Motuhora, traversing the rich 'Poverty Bay flats, will be connected with the res’t of’ the railway system.

In brief, by the completion of 35 miles of line, approximately 200 miles of railway from Napier to Motuhora would be linked with the railway system. Transport facilities would be given to 3000 square miles of country, some of it as rich as any in New Zea-' land.

At thb time the railway construction was stopped the then Prime Minister promised the Gisborne Railway League that no decision would be made until the league was given the opportunity of stating its case to Cabinet. The railway was definitely stopped, however, before this opportunity was given. Meanwhile construction on the South Island main trunk, that “white elephant” among railways, was continued for another year. If your argument against the completion of the Gisborne railway is sound, then why not close down the Central Otago railway, because it does not pay its way, and why complete the Milford Sound road, which will never pay? It is presumed that because both happen to be situated in the area served by the Otago Daily Times and populated by four to six '“handsful” of people, they must be retained at ail cost, even the cost to the taxpayers in Gisborne.