Editorial Comment

Progress, Volume XIII, Issue 9, 1 May 1918, Page 197

Editorial Comment

Otira Tunnel Nearing Completion.

A great national work, the Otira Tunnel, has at last reached a stage within measurable distance of completion. Sir William Fraser, Minister of Public Works, on a recent visit to

Otira, reports that the district engineer at the Bealey, or eastern end, Avas in the tunnel at night, when the engines had stopped and all was silent. He heard distinctly the sound of blasting in the Otira section, eleven and a half chains away. Upon telephoning his report to the Otira engineer, giving the time and the number of shots heard, he obtained confirmation of the interesting fact that the approaching ends of the five mile tunnel are now within reach of each other. Some labour difficulties which held up the work for a few weeks seem to have been settled, and we hope that operations will now go on to a successful issue. The tunnel has already had an eventful history. Started by a firm of private contractors under bond to complete it several years ago, it had to be taken over by the Public Works Department, as private enterprise did not appear to be able to cope with the difficulties, the most important of which comprised labour troubles. it will take some time, of course, after the headings meet, before the lining can be constructed and permanent way laid. Once the headings connect, the problem of drainage will disappear, as there is a gradient down from the Bealey to the Otira end. The engineers will have to begin'to decide what form of mechanical traction is to be used in this tunnel, one of the world’s longest. Experiments on the New Zealand railways with petrol electric locomotives indicated that this would probably be the power source. Obviously steam is out of the question, as the fumes, in so long a tunnel would make it impracticable for much traffic. The petrol-electric tractor, discharging its exhaust through a cleansing screen of water, may provide the solution of the power problem, and our readers, interested as they arc in all forms of engineering progress, will watch the developments closely. We shall endeavour to keep them well posted on this important question.

National service has come in Ncav Zealand, on paper, and the community are a Availing action from the Government to bring the ideal into actual practice. We gather, hoAvcvcr, that the National Government

National Service “Hangs Fire.”

! s in no hurry over the matter. No doubt a radical scheme for the State control of essential industries, the reorganisation of labour by diverting it from unnecessary occupations, Avould have to be well thought out beforehand, and the need become thoroughly apparent before any complete scheme, upsetting ordinary business activities, would be acceptable to the public. The Government, by showing no haste, is admitting, it seems to us, that the conditions do not call for anything drastic just at present, so that Avorried business men may breathe a little longer, free from State interference. While on this point of State control, we would like lo bring under the notice of our professional readers an illuminating little episode which occurred at a sitting of the Defence Expenditure Commission. The dentists of New Zealand, thoroughly organised under the aegis of the New Zealand Dental Association, patriotically volunteered at an early stage of the Avar to undertake dental treatment of recruits on a scale little, if anything, above “cost.” They Avere officially recognised by the Government, their services resulted in hundreds of men avlio Avould othenvise have been classed unfit, being made dentally perfect, and suited for active service. Out of this greAv the Dental Corps, an institution Avhich has Avon golden opinions from those avlio knoAv the Amine of its Avork. When the Director of Dental Services, Lieut-Cclonel Hunter, appeared before Urn Commission, he Avas duly congratulated on the efficiency of the dental services, but Avas asked whv dentists called up under the Military Service Act, and taken out of the ranks of private soldiers for the Avork of dentistry in camp and at the front, Avere paid ten shillings a day “professional alloAvance,” as well as given commissions. The Director’s answer Avas that they Avere professional men, and as national service Avas not truly nationalin that it did not cover men of all ages—it was unfair to dentists to take them r ay from practice, giving their confreres Avho remained an unrestricted scope tor private Avork OAving to their absence. “Yes said the very alert Chairman of the Commission, ’ but we found eminent lawyers, and eminent engineers in the ranks, and they Avere not getting the professional allowance!” Colonel Hunter could only suggest in reply that these eminent professional men had not had their special sendees utilised by the military. • The Commission, hoA\ r ever, had instances in Avhich these professional qualifications had been utilised,_ but not paid for at the special ate, and the Chairman summed up the position in Avoids Avhich should strike home to the professional men who read these columns: “Does it not show that there are energetic people at the head of the doctors and dentists Avho have got something for their people ?” A Avord to the Aviso is sufficient!

The Wellington City Council has informed local bodies interested, like itself, in the proposal to form a concrete track on the Hutt Road, that its engineer Avill go ahead Avith this im-

Hutt Concrete Road.

portant AA : ork as soon as finances can be arranged. We arc glad that this experiment is not to be held over until the Avar comes to an end, as it is in the highest degree necessary that a start should be made m up-to-date raoding in Noav Zealand. The development problem will at once become vital Avhen the country begins to commence to recover from the troubles of the Avartroubles due in Ncav Zealand mostly to the suspended activities of development in a young country. The existence of such an object lesson as the Hutt concrete road Avill be immensely valuable. The Avar has throAvn into great prominence the tremendous national of efficient transport, nowhere of course, more than in the areas close to or included in the Avar zone. England had commenced, prior to the war, a splendid national system of maintaining and improving arterial roads, but moneys earmarked for the upkeep of the roads have been taken for other purposes during the Avar. Big sums are still being spent on their upkeep, but because of the Avear to Avhich they arc being subjected and the shortage of labour, raw materials for repair, and money, they are deteriorating very quickly, and it is uoav recognised that millions of pounds must be spent in order that the roads may be put in passably good condition after the Avar in the interests of commerce and industry. In Germany and Austria the situation is said to be very acute and in the United States the roads are being used to an increasing extent to relieve the congestion on the raib.vays and to economise coal. The British Government and the Board of Trade have recently appointed a Road Transport Board to consider the Avorking of the British roads in Avartime, and a transport Committee has also been appointed for Scotland. The motor industry must Avclcome this ncAA r interest in the road problem.

The amount of attention given in English trade journals to discussion of after-the-war development of business within the Empire is a refreshing sign of a wakeful and receptive

Trading After the War.

attitude. Before the war, it was hard to get an English pleasure car fully suited to all colonial conditions. In luxury, mechanical perfection and reliability English vehicles reached a high standard, but on muddy colonial roads, luxury of finish and completeness of equipment involving heavy weight are out of place. However, the war must have given English makers an idea of how bad roads may become, so that it will now be possible foi a colonial agent to adequately picture to his qn mcipals the sort of ordeals a car must stand in the Dominion if it is to command wide acceptance. Leading English manufacturers are considering a comprehensive scheme for catering to the colonial buyer. They propose to adopt standardisation in cars, enabling spares to be cheaply provided.