GISBORNE RAILWAY

Taranaki Daily News, 17 April 1935, Page 5

GISBORNE RAILWAY

MINISTER REGRETS STOPPAGE. QUESTION OF BALANCE OF COST. By Telegraph—Press Association. Gisborne, April 16. As is natural where the question of transport is concerned and a Cabinet Minister is present, the thoughts of Gisborne people turn to the abandoned railway between Napier and Poverty Bay. The subject was introduced by Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P., yesterday in a speech at the official opening of the East Coast Airways service between Gisborne and Napier. Mr. Coleman, while wishing the company success, asked the acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, to remember that Gisborne people did not regard the air Tine as a substitute for the railway.

Mr. Ransom in the course of his reply said that the Gisborne-Napier railway was not a dead letter. As Minister of Lands he often felt that the district was isolated and he had tried to overcome that. He thought closer settlement might be compensation, but the drop in prices had so ' far failed to bring that aspect to a satisfactory conclusion. The railway was a purely business proposition. When the railway was commenced it was regarded as a sound proposition and he regretted the conditions that led to the stoppage. He had never travelled in the district without feeling extreme regret that expenditure lay wasting in cuttings, bridges and viaducts. It had been suggested that the Railways Board should take into consideration the completion of the railway, disregarding past capital expenditure and the board had been asked to decide if the line would pay interest. That conclusion of the board had been against the line. Many probably doubted the conclusions of the board, but one of the difficulties was that the farmers did not patronise the railways as they should. He would be pleased to see the district served by an excellent railway service, but it annoyed Kim to see road transport competing seriously wijh fhe railways. When excellent railways in other parts of the country were not patronised it was difficult to complete new railways. If the business people were prepared to finance the Napier-Gisborne line so far as the balance of cost was concerned the Government would be pleased to let it go ahead, concluded the Minister.