MEANS EXTRA RATE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11093, 2 June 1914, Page 8

MEANS EXTRA RATE.

I LYTTELTON TUNNEL.

•I'WPUCATION OR ELECTRIFICATION.

! PORT IN ESTUARY THE BEST.

Neither tho duplication nor the elecirification of the Lyttelton tunnel will be of advantage to the farmers of Canterbury, according to Mr D. Sykes, ■who was interviewed by a " Stur " reporter yesterday. Mr Sykes has .spent a considerable time investigating railless traotion methods, and\;it is upon that system that he baseel a scheme which he declared was to the'Lyttelton proposals, ■| duplication of, the tunnel canxio^..assi9t i 'tho farming industry in Canterbury," said Mr Sykes " They Would not get their produce away any than at present, and cei'tainly not any cheaper. The farmer would still have'to cart his grain to the nearest railway station and in the busy season would, still have the old trouble of the shortage of. trucks, insufficient shed accommodation and shortage of tarpaulins to cover up the grain while it-is waiting railage to the port. Tho electrification of the lino should be urged if only for the sake of the.'-passenger traffic, but a navigable channel in tho estuary at Sumner, with shipping accommodation at Heathcote, would rorvc business men and farmers .-much--better than any duplication of tho tunnel. The port at Heathcote could be established without there being .any.need for borrowing a sixpence. >•• ■' V'i "We should stop unnece.J-.shry work 'fit .Lyttelton and utilise ..the surplus E refits secured by tho Lyttejtqn rlarour Board, and we could .accomplish the work in a few years. The land reclaimed -w,ould be a valuable, asset and > would materially assist',in. providing centres for manufacturing industries.. . You see the establishment of a-port at fieathcoto makes the whole question tif .transport to* the sea front simple. Farmers would be .able, to send their produce to the.'"wharf at Heathcote and would give it one handling. Self-propelled traction is revolutionising methods of haulage. T have se|en demonstrations of '*.petvol-elecv trical. conveyers during the past -f<w weflks and I am convinced that with shipping facilities on this'side, of the hills the great bulk of tho farm produce cnuld be sent direct from the farm to the ship's side and at much less cost than at-present'.'" ''"■Petrolipleotrical traction would solve the whole pi'oblem. "In tho Old Country this method of traction has grown hugely, and is used between factories and the wharves. These waggons -run light on t<v the wharf and' tho boats are loaded from them. The same could be done here. Business instinct would soon provide tho necessary vehicles and many farmers would probably own their own Waggons, or would co-operate in owning* them. The petrol-electrical waggon ' carries a self-contained electrical generator plant which can be used for various purposes on tho farm, for lighting and for motor-power when the Vehicles are at rest. \ "The duplication of tho tunnel will Upell increased charges on the railway, >jo improvement of conditions at conntry stations, and no cbcrenso in tb<> Handling. The method I propose with & port at the. estuary will reduce cost a'll round and increase Facilities and lit the same time relievo .Lyttelton. Tlie expenditure on extensibns there is being overdono and this work could be tiarricd out without any loan being needed."