UNCOMPLETED RAILWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1933, Page 6

UNCOMPLETED RAILWAYS.

The proposal that a private company should take over the completed and uncompleted portions of the Napier to Gisborne railway seems to be a more serious effort than was at first supposed. Influential men are said to be negotiating for the formation of a New Zealand company to operate the line on a business basis. Since local agitation for the completion of the line is not likely to be easily stilled it will probably be the best thing for the Dominion if private enterprise does remove from the Government the temptation to complete the work and at the same time relieve the State of at least some portion of its liability. The prosecution of the work has been condemned by the Railways Board on an accountancy basis, but it must be remembered that there is a likelihood of more liberal patronage of the railway if local private capital is invested—and it would seem that it yrill necessarily be local capital. The general public would be thankful to be relieved of the liability that exists on the line, and the experiment would be watched with interest. The proposal to complete the branch line between Kirikopuni and Dargaville is in a different category. In this case it is the Railways Board that is considering ' resuming construction work. The total cost of the work to date on the 21 miles’ branch is £1,502,000, the average per mile being £49,327. When construction was stopped in December, 1930, the Government estimated that the line could be completed for an additional £70,000, but that for £46,000 the essential needs of the district could be met. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce urges that the line can be finished at an extra capital charge of £2300 per annum, and that the present working losses can

thereby be converted into a working profit. Again local ambition and optimism enter into the matter, and the public will demand convincing figures before approving completion of the work with public money. On the facts at present available it appears that resumption of the work would be only a means of providing work for the unemployed at heavy and recurring cost.