THE Wairarapa Age TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1936. THE RIMUTAKA RAILWAY.

Wairarapa Age, 26 May 1936, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1936. THE RIMUTAKA RAILWAY.

Apart entirely from any question of detail which may be raised regarding the best and most advantageous method of improving the railway communications between this district and Wellington, the broad request for such an improvement, to be laid before Ministers of the Crown by a district deputation on Thursday, is one that may be urged with complete confidence based upon a feeling that it is fully justified. It should perhaps be emphasised that the representative district conference which met in Masterton on May 13 did not commit itself to any particular method of improving the Rimutaka railway, but definitely loft all questions of detail to the Government and its experts. The resolution unanimously passed by the conference was:— That as soon as can be arranged, a deputation representative of the whole of this district wait upon the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, the Minister of Railways and the Minister of Public Works to press the claims of this district to have the Rimutaka deviation put in hand at the earliest moment. The proceedings of the conference made it clear that the word “deviation” was used in the resolution in a broad and general sense. The president of the Masterton Chamber of Commerce (Mr. A. B. Wood) urged, in opening the proceedings, that there should be no battle of routes, and said that question should be left entirely to experts. Mr. Wood’s advice was taken and the Mayor of Masterton (Mr. T. Jordan) who moved the resolution said,'amongst other things, that:— The matter of the electrification of the hill railway had been mentioned. He was not concerned with that. It was for this district to ask for an up-to-date railway link with its port. If they got that it would be an important step towards the adequate development of the dis-

trict. What the conference, on behalf of the district, decided to do was in fact to ask the Government to consider the earliest possible improvement of the Rimutaka railway on lines that can be economically justified. From any standpoint this request plainly is well warranted. At the most direct view, the present state of the Rimutaka railway imposes an undoubted handicap on the development of a district that plays even now an important part in the life of the Dominion and will play a still more important part when its transport communications have been improved. Due emphasis should be laid also on the fact that existing conditions definitely favour whatever works this improvement may entail being put in hand at the earliest possible moment. A policy under which railway construction had been brought to a standstill and public works cut down to a minimum has been jettisoned. The present Government is committed to an expenditure of between five and six millions a year ,00 public works during the next three years. It is important to the Wairarapa, as to the Dominion generally, that this exxpend'iture should be made to the best advantage. It does not rest with the people of the Wairarapa to determine whether the proposed expenditure on public works should or should not be made. The Government, with the backing of a big majority in Parliament, has decided that question. The people of the Wairarapa are fairly entitled to ask whether the improvement of the Rimutaka railway does not take a foremost place in the list |of major works on which a heavy expenditure is in any case to be made. Due account will have to be taken by the Government of all relevant factors, including the increase of traffic that is to be anticipated with the completion of the East Coast line. The point has been made that the introduction of rail cars will ensure, not only a great improvement in passenger services, but some improvement in goods services. Any benefits conferred in this way, however, obviously would be extended and made greater by an economical improvement of the Rimutaka railway itself. In the broad terms in which it is being presented, and in light of all current facts, the request to be made on behalf of the Wairarapa on Thursday evidently is entitled to the very earnest and serious attention of the Government. ,