“STRATFORD EVENING POST.” SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1928. THE TAUPO RAILWAY.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 80, 30 June 1928, Page 4

“STRATFORD EVENING POST.” SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1928. THE TAUPO RAILWAY.

NO doubt shrieks of delight follow* pd the Government’s decision to begin at once the construction of a railway line from Rotorua to Taupo nt a cost of about £1,000,000. Tins rejoicings of course would com© from the men on the blast Coast workai who arc to be given jobs on the new line, the Forestry Department, who tis a result will get mor© profit from their timber, from the few settlers whoddot the wilderness winch lies between the two points and. the spec* Ulatora who poor old taxpayer doesn't roioice, lie doesn’t even ntorm. lowing as b« does that all Hi S Bto>*nmg doesn’t matter a bit and that the job is to find 1 the money and pay for railways that have a nasty habit of showing a deficit. The new railway is to be pushed forward at once as a part of the Governments scheme for devefoping lower class lands and n<j Mr Coates says consideration has been given for some time to the onemng up of further areas of Crown mid other land which might be suitable. That sounds good. But if the Government can afford to snond ». million pounds on assisting land settlement, It ought to concentrate on providing access to lands already opened up instead of putting it into) a proposition) the success of which is ati best pro. blematioal. The country to be opened lio in the Taupe district! contains some land that is second class, .♦oine third and some no claos. VSTiat reasonabh? prospect* is there* that a railway through such country will ever pay. It will benefit only those who bold large areas of lands in two territory 'and the syndicates which hold even, larger areas and of which many of the landholders are members. The country in question is flat and a ruiuT now runs through it. If this were metalled it would provide sufficient and.entirely satisfactory access The most extraordinary part of the business is that this line has been brought forward to the front rank of necessary works. In last year s railway statement there was no mention of it but within a year we finch it > s to be proceeded with immediately. The railways are now suffering a heavy deficit, and to embark on any project likely to add to this deficit shows an extraordinary lack of business management. It would he Par better to concentrate on the lines now nearing completion and gat thorn fin-

I. islied so that thes would Jiave u chauce of earning revenue. TheTaupo 'project is receiving scant support in Auckland where it is referred to as a “political line”, in fact the “Sun” is quite caustic about it and says “.still the certainty of a railway across the pumice desert will at least create a boom, in pumice land. The Government is assured of some support that was inclined *• to bo hesitant and wavering”. Much as we desire to see access given to the settlerai wo must say, having a full knowledge, of the country, that this is an in-' stance where good roads would be, preferable, more economical and have less likelihood of being a charge on the Consolidated bund as many similar undertakings sire at the moment- * :