WAIRARAPA RAILWAY NEEDS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10436, 29 September 1911, Page 5

WAIRARAPA RAILWAY NEEDS

ALLEGED DIVERSION OFTB/OE

IS AUCKLAND BENEFTFEI

The Auckland Star of Wednesday contained the following:1 The Wairarapa Age makes a some- . what surprising statement with regard to an alleged diversion of trade with.. Masterton from Wellington to Auckland. It says:— "Through tieir mas- . tewly inactivity the mercantile houses x of Wellington' are allowing much of. the trade of the lower portion ©f the North Island to' lie diverted to ..Auckland',, It may surprise WeJlHtgton merchants to know that orders are.\';."; now Iking sent fi-owi Masterton to , Auckland becaused they are deliv<eisd *' with greater expedition than from Empire City, "the railway service, as \ it affects the Wairarapa an 4," Mile Bush districts, is in ■ condition. If the merchants' ial ; ssgl- .. lington place any vaiue at ajl'upok r the trade of the Wairarapa, they w£ll join in the demand for the deviation - ■ ; of the Rrautaka railway, and will use* .;■ other methods for. bringing this re-. sourceful district into closer toucfi; with its natural centre." • ~ -.VO'V.- ...:•:

' NO DIVERSION NOTICED. I In conversation with a Star rejpre- |. tentative this morning, Mr Jones, of Sargood, Son, and Eweh, said that so ' far as liis firm was concerned the Do-- /... , minion was divided into clearly markI ed districts, each, under the control of la branch house, and afll orders seilt up ! from Masterton would in due ; d6fes» be sent to the Wellington. house;, ; >•/ which would deal with them.-. As fir ;■■■ as he knew other •/ houses having, r branches followed the same rule> and'* in any case it was unlikely tßat many orders would come from the Waiirarapa, owing to the much greater dis- -,\ tance as compared with that from Mas- | terton to Wellington. ' ■■' I Mr S. J. Nathan; of A. % | Ltd., said that the assertion appeared., to him absurd upon the face of it, and ..■■■■•; he regarded it as a canard set on foot ■ by parties interested in the Riikutaka -t: railway deviation. It.looked as if-the V statement was meant to frighten the*Government into hurrying on tihe v work, which was not after all of sucJi urgency as they would wish to infer. ■ • Anyone looking at the map would: seethat it was absurd to suggest that the. business people of Masterton ■'. would prefer to get their goods from Auck-.-•;.*",-, land. The distance to Wellington was ..'■-. under a hundred miles, and even considering the steep grades it should be covered in under four hours. On the other hand he estimated that goods would take two days, perhaps three, to reach Masterton from Aucklaml- 1 - longer, in fact, than at would take to convey them to Wellington. Two ';> changes, at Balmerston North and. Woodville, would be necessary, and in ( '■•'. ) face of all this he questioned whether Auckland could ever enter into com- . petition with Wellington for the Wai- ,: rarapa trade, no matter how inefficient the Southern railway service might be. In conclusion, Mr Nathan remarked that it would be incorrect' to describe the condition of Welling-' ton mercantile houses as one of "mas-t terly inactivity." He was convinced; that they were as active as anyone" could desire and he was equally sun* that there had been no diversion of trade, especially in the case, of large firms with branches an all the large centres. ■■'.'_- '