THE WAINUI RAIL DEVIATION.

Wairarapa Age, 15 March 1922, Page 3

THE WAINUI RAIL DEVIATION.

kXL’I.’ JAK’MTY OF .< .I’HRT(By Coleman Phillips). The strong objections I have al) along expressed to any reliance upon lhe experts in this matter of the Rimir taka deviation is abvi • oro\ . I by Mr J. T). Climip’s letter o C'e “Evening Post,” of a late date. He is our late Inspector of Surveys in the Public Works Department. He objects to the Wainui deviation being even considered on the grounds: 1. The difficuly of the 300 ft. in level between the Hutt and Wainui omata Valleys; (2) The great length of tunnelling; and (3) The distance of 1* miles from Woodside to Waiorongomai which would mean (according to him) over half an hour’s extra tim? between Wellington and Woodside. He also states that he reported on the various routes in 1896. It would be well for Mr Climie to publish that ieport, as we should like to see how he then proposed to eliminate the 870 feet rise to Kaitoke (the most dangerous portion of the line), which Mr Fulton, (Engineer of the Manawatu line), told me, was fatal to th*. Tauherenikau deviation to Woodside. In answer to Mr Climie, the 189'* report upon the deviation, by the Resident Engineer, Mr R. W. Holmes, says, summing up the advantages of the Wainui Deviation:—

“The chief points in favour of this route are: (1) Shorter by 3 miles 47 chains than constructed line; (2) low summit-level—viz., 560 feet above sealevel in place of the present 1144 ft—(3) only one bridge of any magnitude.—viz., that over the Hutt River: (’4) easily maintained; (5) very easy grades, (6) does not interfere with present line through Featherston.” Here are two •opinions directly in conflict. Which one is the public to accept? Was not Sir William Frasci right when he stated “that N.Z. greatly suffered from bad engineering ” And am J mK to be excused for refusing to accept the ruling of the “Experts” in this important matter. But lot us take this latest expert objections and analyze them: — (1) The difficulty of the 300 ft. rise to the Wainui Reservoir. Mr Dob son’s survey shows this rise to be only 1 in 70, as compared with the present 1 in 35—Upper Hutt to Summit, — and 1 in 15— to Summit Why has Mr Climie made a bogey of this 300 ft. which Mr Holmes says is an easy grade.

(2) The great length of tunnelling. The chief tunnel under the Orongo Orongo is 3miles 47 chains; the same length as the Lyttleton tunnel; which for 50 years has been of the greatest service to Christchurch, in place of crawling over the Port Hills which, no doubt Mr Climie would have preferred, seeing that he evidently favours the crawling policy to Woodside, an J cutting out Featherston (one of the principal export stations in N.Z.) (3) The 18 mile distance —Woodside

to Wairongama; necessitating over half an hour’s extra time fro.m Wei lington to Woodside. Is Mr Climie pulling the public’s leg or what is he up to? Mr R. W. Holmes told Mr C. Daniell, qmte lately, “that an express service to Wairarapa could only be run by the. Wainui Deviation. So that the saving in time between Woodside and Wellington would be one and a half, to two hours. The utter fallacy of Mr Climie’s statements is almost unbearable.

An express service cannot possibly be run between Petone and the Upper Hutt, as the engines have to slow down to 10 miles an hour, in places, owing to the dangers of the line. Why should Wairarapa people be condenmn ed to such a delay? I strongly recommend the Government, or any private company wher. adopting the Wainui deviation—(as it is quite time for Wellington to do us Christchurch did 50 years ago, viz., tunnel out, and abandon the miserable crawling over the hills policy), in building the one chief bridge required over the Hutt River, to make it a combined railway, tramway and motor

traffic bridge, many of which are in t excellent use in the South Island. The Hutt Valley people can then tv GK cellently served by a central tram and motor road into the city, as well as the present railway. Adopting the Wainui deviation will also enable any hardworked Wellington housewife to take the children ,and their lunch, in a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, to Lowry Bay for a day’s outing; and pick up health a bit in the best way by the sea; sheltered by the hills from the bleak and sandy winds at Island or Lyall Bays, I can even se her tucking up her skirts, or putting on a bathing dress, and paddling in the water there with the children; the very best medicine she can possibly get Or if she prefers fresh water bathing, another quarter of an hour, or 20 minutes will take her to Western Lake, and the wide stretches of level land she never sees in Wellington. It will also enable most Wairarapa people to run down, in about an hours time to Lowry, Day, or Rona Bays and get a similar days outing. Surely this gre;|i blessing, and convenience for everybody, will not be lightly cast aside, in favour of Mr Climie’s crawling over the hills policy to Woodside, which will not benefit a single person ■ in the Whole Province. My proposal all along has been to leave the Upper Hutt line as it is, but to add a tram > service from the city up the whole valley. The only people who may be 1 injured, (although they may not be so with a good, motor service), will be ths * settlers from the Upper Hutt to Kai toko. But the city will want to put ir. a dam at the Pakuratahi Gorge /hereafter, for H.P. water supply for the whole valley and itself; and Hydro Electric supply for its trair.v and rail-

way services; and much, of the Kaitoke flat will become a lake. Welling'.on will soon have a quarter of a million people, and it is not going to be short of H.P. water and Hydro Electric power, so far as 1 am concerned. Both services at the Pahau karitahi can be put in cheaply, as* soon as* they are really required for the wants of a great city, and Mr Climie must not sacrifice them for his pre-fc-ctly useless uevluCon, via. 'Voou.fidr. Although I have all along advised the City Council to bring the Orongo Orongo and Wairongamai waters into the Wainui Reservior, those waters will not be enough for the City, which should not be pinched hereafter in this great want. So that the Pakuratahi stream must be reserved for the wants of the City,, and should not be interfered with by Woodside deviation folly. I hope the Mayor and City Council will take note of what I say, as I only write in the true interests of the City. I feel sure that if a private company ic formed to construct the Wainui deviation, (like the Manawatu line was constructed), ordinary business men ie town will push the matter through quite properly, with their own engineers, and perhaps engage Mr Semple to do the tunnelling as soon, as he has finished his presenj contract. Or let him do both works at the same time or the staff from the Otari tunnel could be transferred to Wainui. Labour .difficulties make it almost impossible now for the Government to run the railways effectually as a whole, and it will be far better for us to

new railway construction into our own hands. I respectfully contend that the Government cannot manage its railway labour now in the real interests of the public, and it will be far and away better to sell them to private companies viz.—Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. The Welling ton Railway Company would, I feel sure, very quickly construct this Wainui deviation, to everyone’s ad vantage. I beg sincerely to thank the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce for its late resolution ”to assist this Deviation by every means in its power.” And I would ask it now to start a private Company to construct the work, with the final object of taking over the whole of the Wellington Railways from the Government and also to construct the East Coast MairTrunk up to Hawke’s Bay, so as to open for Dairy settlement Welling ton’s real Hinterland.