The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1919. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16466, 19 June 1919, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1919. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

The apathy of New Plymouth generally in respect to matters which vitally affect its welfare and progress is something which passes understanding. The meeting addressed by the chairman of the Auckland Railway League on Wednesday night should have filled the (iood Templar Hall, yet there were only a score or so of people there. We have only to dive into the past history of railway construction to learn how lines have been made where they should uot have been, largely through political pull on one side and indifference on the other. The mover of the resolution passed last night referred to the North Island Main Trunk Railway as an instance. We may be excused for enlarging on the point a little because it shows how a district may suffer for want of proper representation of its needs and its merits. In 1884 a select committee of the House sat to take evidence and report on the best route for the North Island Main Trunk Railway. It recommended the central route from Marton to Te Awamutu. We do not wish to impugn the honesty of the recommendation on the evidence placed before the committee, but we do say that it was based on the grossest possible misrepresentation of facts. For instance, referring to the central route, which was adopted, Mr, Rochfort, surveyor and engineer, in his evidence stated that “the bridging is remarkably light. There are four gradients: Makohine, Mangahuruhura, Manganui-a-te-ao and Mangatote (presumably Makatote).” Beyond these it was, he said, all low bridging and the cost of these four lie estimated at £25,600. “There are no . engineering difficulties beyond those of the long tunnel of 1214 yards.” Ho estimated the cost of the tunnels at £48,000 and of the whole line from Marton to Te Awamutu, including stations, rolling stock, etc., at £1,293,'134. “There is no such country as the Rimutaka.” “There are no curves under nine chains.” Regarding the quality of the land on the route he “would say it was bettor than the Canterbury Plains from Christchurch down to Timaru, except in regard tfi the Timaru end.” Those of our readers who have travelled over the line will scarcely need' to be told how grotesquely incorrect were the statements quoted. They have only to look at the Maugaweka, Makohine, and Makatote viaducts, aud the Raurimu spiral, and at the general character of the country for many miles along the line. Now let us refer to some of the evidence about the Stratford route. Mr. Morgan Carkeek, who surveyed the route, stated that for a distance of eighteen or twenty miles from Stratford the land for five miles on either side of the route was “fit for settlement,” hut from there onward, say from the 25th to the 60th mile “a goat could not live on the laud. It is fit for nothing.” It was absolutely worthless country, he said, with the exception of little patches of rich soil a few chains wide in the gullies. Another witness, Mr. E. Mitchelson, referring to the nature of the land on the Stratford route, about the centre, said that forty-seven miles which he did not pass through was very poor. “I went to the top of the trig-stations at each end aud looked at it with a pair of glasses. I do not think there is the equal of such country, for being sp broken, in the whole colony.” There were other witnesses, among them Mr. H. M. Sheet and Mr. 11. W. Holmes, who spoke much more favourably of the Stxatford route, but evidently the committee attached most importance to the evidence of Mr. lloclifort and Mr. Carkeek, for it recommended the central route. Our object in recalling this is to show how necessary it is that Taranaki should now stand up and fight vigorously for its rights in the majtter of railway construction aud not allow misrepresentation to go unchecked and political pull to be exerted in other directions without attempting to counteract them. Mr. Cheal came here to invite our co-operation iu urging the completion of the principal main lines in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay. and Taranaki, so

that the three provincial districts may be linked up with the Main Trunk railway and with each other. On the understanding that the Stratford-Okahukxira connection is placed on an equal footing with the East Coast and the North 'Auckland lines it will be to our interests to join forces. Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, and Taranaki working together for a definite railway programme can exercise an influence which no Government can afford to ignore, but Taranaki alone has little or no pull. Yet what is Mr. Cheal to think?" Both here and at Stratford his meetings were sparsely attended. , There seemed to be little or no interest taken. Is be to go back to Auckland with the idea that Taranaki will not trouble itself and that Auckland can agitate to push the railway westwards from Okahukura into the Ohura and mop up all the trade without any consideration for Taranaki? We accept, of course, Mr. Cheat’s assurance that personally he wants to see the line completed throughout. Yet he is himself of opinion that the trade of the Ohura will be done through Auckland, and be told his Stratford audience that “it is a mistake to make harbours where Nature never intended tbe-ip. to be. If the money spent on harbours at New Plymouth, Oamaru, Timaru, and other places in New Zealand had been spent on railways, it would have been better for us to-day.” Better, of course, for Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. He was not aware even until last night that a large quantity of Ohura fat stock comes to New Plymouth for freezing and shipment, and he did not know until last night that meat-carrying steamers load at a wharf at New Plymouth. He thought they had to load in the roadstead. Under those circumstances might not the Auckland people think themselves justified in the interests of the Ohura people, without any thought of their own interests, in devoting their efforts to pushing tiie line into the Ohura from their end first, especially when the Taranaki people exhibit so little interest in pushing the line from this end? That is why we think it is so regrettable that there were not full hails to hear Mr. Cheal and to let him know that Taranaki is determined to stand up foe its rights in the matter of railway construction. Eor ouretlves, we grant the great importance of the North Auckland and the East Coast railways, and we are prepared to join Auckland and Hawke’s Bay in urging that those lines be pushed on with all speed, provided Auckland and Hawke’s Bay will join us in urging that the Stratford-Okahukura line be pushed on equally vigorously, not from the Auckland end alone or chiefly, but from both ends.