"AC. RAILWAYS"

Waikato Times, Volume 91, Issue 14232, 5 December 1919, Page 5

"AC. RAILWAYS"

HAMILTON-KAWHIA-RAQLAN. I i CONFERENCE IN HAMILTON. MUCH ENTHUSIASM DISPLAYED. That the proposal to construct light hne railways in this district, to link up: Hamilton with Kawhia and Raglan, ;s I attracting much interest was evidenced by the large attendance at the meeting] called in Hamilton last night hy the; Chamber of Commerce. Mr G. Parr,' president, occupied the chair, and among those present were representatives of the districts interested. Captains H. D. Dansey (M.C.), D. Bruce (M.C.), and R. Worley were also in attendance. •\n apology for absence was received from Mr J. A. Young M.P., who promised his support. Mr T. Proudlock (Okete), also apologised for absence. The Light Railways' Part. The chairman welcomed the delegates, and said their attendance showed their interest in the proposal. Light railways were going to play a big part in developing New Zealand, and'iin attracting settlers to the country, instead of congregating in the towns. , Trade would follow the transport routes, and therefore the light lines would pay. The Waikato was worth backing, and | they should do all they could to de- | velop it. From a practical and from a social standpoint, light lines would undoubtedly be successful. The proposal would probably be but: the forerunner of a network of light., lines throughout the country.', England was now moving in the direction of developing the construction of light lines, and in other parts of the.world the movement was spreading. They should do all they possibly could to assist the project for 'the laying down of a line in Waikato. The Farmers' Viewpoint. Captain Bruce said he had taken up the matter from a farmer's point of view, realising the need of increased production. He had been impressed by the light lines in France, and realised that they would be equally useful and successful in New Zealand. He would like to outline the route of the proposed line. The first section would be from Frankton to Tuhikaramea, and, to the Waipa River, touching a fairly populous district and opening up much productive country. Crossing the rivor they would come to Karamu, a good district. At the head of the Karama j Valley, an important industry which. had just started would be touched- | limestone —and the importance of a ■ light line to this would be at once recognised In the Kaniwhaniwha stream | there were splendid metal deposits, and,; metal being a crying need in the Waikato, a line which enabled it to : be brought into this district would pay, handsomely. . The Moerangi Block,/ which comprised 40,000 acres of timbir country, had never been touched, and the timber was badly needed at the . present time, and would.be made available by the light line. After touching the edge of the block, the line would probably branch off. One branch would run to Raglan —through the Waitetuna Valley to Okete. This was.fine country badly in need of means of transport, and should be opened up. When they got to Raglan they opened up a -useful port which would also assist Hamilton. The second branch would run to Kawhia, through the Moerangi Block, and would open up a fine stretch of country. They should advocate, the construction of light lines in-order to stimulate production, and do away with the isolation from which the country settlers at present suffered. Captains Dansey and Worley had had much practical experience of light lines, and could speak with authority as.to their value. He considered the Hamilton I Chamber of Commerce was one of the livest bodies he knew, and. was goiag to make history, especially in the matter of light railways. They owed much to the Chamber. The Belgian System. ' Captain Dansey first dealt with the light line system in Belgium prior to the war. As early as 1885 the. Parliament decided that the railways should be run by an Association, in order to develop agriculture, industry and commerce. This Association determined to build lighter lines, recognising that by this means produce would be carried more cheaply and it would be possible to compete better with foreign producers. Since then the development of light lines had been remarkable, until in 1910 the total mileage was 2755 miles, which was considerably more than the lines of standard gauge. The Government ad- , vanced a portion of the cost. The construction of the light lines had led to the oreation of many small industries, and opened up much country, increasing production considerably. A considerable saving in labour was I brought about —a very important point I to remember in view of the shortage of labour at the present time. The right was given of constructing the light lines along the sides of the roa.l, care being taken not to interfere with ' the access to homes, etc. There ware few stations, but many stopping places, and platforms were not necessary. The passenger carriages were usually 20ft. long, with first and second class, and seating accommodation for 20 and 24 respectively. Trains'of. six to eight carriages were quite, common, and the average speed was 12 miles per hour. Collisions and accidents were not numerous. The charges came under ! two heads:—(l) carriage by fast ! trains and (2) carriage by slow trains, i The first was based on the following L-ates-—(i) a fixed" rate for all distances for 2 cwt., 6Jd; (2) variable Irate per half-mile per 2 • cwt., Jd. For slow trains—Class A (goods less than five tons) —(1) fixed rate for all distances, sd; (2) loading and unloading, lOd; (3) variable rate per halfmile, 13d. Class B (for goods weighing five tons or over) I 5d - variable rate per half-mile, m covered trucks lijd, in open trucks

l}d. Class C (for bulky goods) fixed rate for all distances, sd; a varied rate per half-mile, Id- Special tariffs were periodically arranged' for certain products. All light railways were used for passengers as well as for the carriage of merchandise, etc. Two things had resulted—agricultut-e and commerce had received decided lielp and encouragement, and the returns had continually increased. Their Use in the War. Light railways, continued Captain Dansey, had done amazing and stupendous work in the war, and had proved one of the most important contributing factors in bringing victory to the Mlics. Ammunition, etc., was taken into the various sectors by means of the light lines. The cheaplyconstructed svstem had done a wonderful work, and there was no reason w'-y it should -not do equally useful ,•■:..-k in New Zealand, where for several years railway construction had been 'dwindling. Of course the light lines had their limitations. They were > merely feeders to the main lines. Under favourable conditions they could be constructed along the roads the ■average width of 66ft. of the New '■ Zealand road giving plenty of room. Their chief advantages were cheap 'construction and low working cost

The gauge in Belgium was 2 feet, and this would be quite suitable for New Zealand, and he would not recommend J anything else. The cost of the sfandard gauge lines at present prevented] their construction, and so it was nc-j ccssarv to construct light lines or do without railways altogether. It was J said by some opponents to the system that the breaking of the gauge would be a great difficulty, but be considered too much was made of this, and it] could be largely done away with by j the provision of cranes, etc. It had , had no retarding effect on the lines throughout Belgium. The cost of construction of a line from Frankton to Ngaruawahia (11 miles) had been estimated as—Standard gauge, £4OOO per mile, £44,000; light gauge, £I4OO per mile, £15,100: a difference of £28,600. If erected along a road the cost, of land would) also be saved. It was estimated that for every 100 miles of standard gauge railway 310 milos of light line could be constructed 'fit the same cost. Captain Dansey stated that he had visited the large engineering- shops in England, and had gone into the matter of standardising and interchanging of engines, and the most suitable fuel. He had also made enquiries as to the light rail material belonging to the British Government, and considered there would be sufficient available at a reasonable figure for New Zealand needs. Great interest was now being taken in light lines in England. They were flrst termed "agricultural railways," which had now been abbreviated to "ag. railways," and Mr Lloyd George had recently spoken of the part they would play in the development of the country. The Canadian Government was also alive to the advantages which would follow their use, and had approached the Home Government with a view to acquiring all of them. He understood, however, that there would be an allocation to all the Dominions. As a railway engineer of 25 years' experience he could say that nothing would assist so much in the development of the country agriculturally, commercially and industrially as light lines. It remained for live bodies such is the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and live newspapers like the Waikato Times to stimulate public Only Relief For Backblockers. Captain Worley said he was particularly interested in economics, and before the war had been struck by the hardships of the backblocks settlers, and thought something should be done to alleviate them. Prior to going to France he had learned something of light railways in Britain, and on crossing the Channel was connected with the construction of lines in the Ypres sector. In that sector there were only six miles of lines in February, 1917, while in the following May there were 96. He was afterwards put in charge of the operating of the railways in getting ready' for Messlnes, which was one tremendous rush. The ordinary gauge had not not been able to get within six miles of the front line, and the transport was .carried out by motor cars, with the result that the roads were going to pieces. A system of light lines was devised to do away with a large portion of the road traffic, with the most satisfactory results. The Government adopted the 2ft gauge and 20ft rails. He was vastly interested in light lines, and realised that in them lay the solution of the backblock difficulties in New Zealand. The battle of Messines would have resulted in a loss of many more thousands of lives had it not been for the light lines, by means of which thousands of shells were taken up to the front line. After the Messines stunt the lines were pushed across the shelled country, despite the fact that they were subjected to heavy shell-fire from the enemy, and in the great retirement the enemy was followed by the lines. On one occasion 38 clean breaks were made in three- j quarters of a mile of line. In any class of country the lines could be put down at a small cost, and they I were wanted badly in New Zealand.; A light line was determined not' so nrucb by the gauge as by the dispensing with every possible luxury. Light railways were not a new thing. Years ago they were "boomed," espec- ( ially in America, and present-day opponents claimed that they had proved a failure. But such was not the case. They had been brought into competition with the broad gauge, and therefore .the- cases were not analogous. They were going to be tried now where it was either a case of light line or no railway. A system such as that outlined could be put down in a few months. In France, with a small gang, he had put down a mile a day, and thought that with a small working party two or three miles of line a month could be laid in New Zealand. Some time ago he had advocated a'light line in the Nelson district to connect the fruit sorting sheds with the ships' side, but the proposal had been turned down. Now the fruit growers were in a quandary; there was a big harvest in sight, and they could not see their way to get it away. Probably fruit would rot in Nelson, whiTe in other towns btiyers would have to pay a big price for it. Many people were advocating concrete roads, and there was no doubt that concrete was the material for the main roads; but the backblocks would not have them for many years. An immediate solution was wanted, and in his opinion this would be provided by the light line. Questions. In replying to the chairman's request for questions a delegate asked how the money could be provided? Captain Bruce replied that legislation was already provided. Private bodies could build their own lines. The same ;system was adopted as for metalling a road —an area was declared, and poll taken. EfTorts were being made to have the Railways Act amended to admit of the construction of light lines; (inly the standard gauge was at present provided for. It was hoped to obtain a Gdvernment subsidy as with roads. "Would the cost of bridging come ' out of the loan? —Yes. i ' The chairman urged as many as posI sible to make the tour of the proposed ! route during the week-end. A light lino would bring Raglan and Kawhia 1 very dose to Hamilton, and would lie but the start of a network to Pirongia and through the King Country. On the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr Hobbs, Captains Dansev, Worlev and Bruce were accorded a • hearty vote of thanks for I their interesting addresses. i Arrangements were made for the forthcoming tour, and the meeting ! closed. i The Meter Tour. The partv will leave Hamilton Post I Office by 'motor car at 2 p.m. toI morrow. Ail interested are invited to I take part.