RAILWAY TO ARAPUNI.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1414, 11 October 1923, Page 4

RAILWAY TO ARAPUNI.

GOVERNMENT ACTION CRITICISED. BY CHAMBER OF COMMERC& The proposed railway line from Awamutu to Arapuni was again cussed at Tuesday evening's meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce. The secretary mentioned that the Chamber had been battling along in face of severe setbacks, but he felt it his duty to report that two of the big engineering firms tendering for the Arapuni hydro-electric development scheme had already expressed the opinion that such a railway would be a payable proposition. One firm was American and the other British. Another private individual had been visiting Te Awamutu with a view to establishing an industry here, and he also advocated the construction of the railway. That gentleman was prepared to spend a good deal of money in the town and district, and the Chamber's executive was giving him as much information as possible. The Local Railways Act was placed on the Statute Book prior to the election of 1919, obviously in recognition of the fact that railways construction was then beyond the resources of the Government. Local railway boards and districts were formed, and much preparatory work done, but afterwards the Department had persistently declined to state definitely its requirements in respect to standard rails and other important details, thus hampering the activities of the local railway boards. He had no hesitation in saying that the Local Railways Act was a farce. If not designed from the outset to "fool" the public any good that could have resulted had been studiously obstructed by the Department heads. The Act. was the most scandalous on the Statute Book. The Department, if it was sincere, should state its requirements and then let any district interested prepare a scheme, and submit it for acceptance. . The representative of the English firm already referred to as interested in Arapuni had definitely stated, after examining the district thoroughly, that if the Government had put in rail access from Te Awamutu to Arapuni the contract price for the hydroelectric works would have been lower by the amount of the railway's cost. Such a railway would have lowered haulage costs by a huge sum, and the tenderers had had to increase their estimates to cover this extra hauling. The Department's project for shipping the heavy machinery to Paeroa, railing it to Putaruru, and then carting it to the site was condemned as unnecessary. Stores at each of the transhipping points would have to be erected, and men placed in charge at each. Further, the tenderer successful would have to bear the cost of maintaining the eight or nine miles of road between Putaruru and Arapuni—and this would involve a large sum. The contractors would take good care they did not incur a loss on this undertaking—and who could blame them? What the Chamber wanted, and had been pressing for, was a definite statement from the Department as to its requirements regarding the construction of a line, so that the Chamber could, when the Arapuni hydro-electric contracts are let next February, go to the successful contractors with full data and if possible secure an offer of a substantial contribution to the access railway costs. Then the Chamber would know approximately what balance would require to be raised in the district. The district ratepayers could then accept or reject the proposal. Members discussed the advisability of obtaining publicity of the facta in the Wellington and Auckland papers, with a view to forcing the Department to activity. By request, the secretary briefly outlined the steps already taken and read a precis of the correspondence that had passed between the Chamber and the authorities. Finally, on the motion of Messrs Downes and McArthur, it was unanimously decided to place a full statement of the position before the Auckland and Wellington Chambers of Commerce,. with a request for co- • operation.