ROAD V. RAILWAY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 99, 11 December 1939, Page 3

ROAD V. RAILWAY

TANEATUA-OPOTIKI EXTENSION PETITION FOR HIGHWAY RECOMMENDED In Roman times the road enjoyed a monopoly as a means of transport and continued to do so for many generations till the advent of railways in earlier half of last century. The roads then had much of a set3>ack and it was not till quite recently that they assumed sufficient importance to challenge the supremacy of their lival the railways. Best Carriers of Goods. Railways are undoubtcrly the best --tfl®-ricrs for goods, when the volume is--great; but even so they arc not so absolutely indispensible as are Toads. For passenger traffic roads are in many respects more satisfactory than railways—certainly for distances up to one or even two hundred miles. They can accept and deliver goods and also passengers with out transfer. Railway traffic on the other hand is dependent on road transport for delivery at each end, Railways are hound to one track and usually to a time table; while passengers by road can wander at will —can more fully view the scenery —can travel at greatr speeds and at 'less expense, especially in commodious vehicles when loaded to capacity

Questionable Justification. In this connection, it Avould be well to consider AA'heiher the GoA rernment is really justified in carrying out its pledge to build the raihvay Irom Taneaiua to Opotild. Tin length of the extension Avouid be about 22 miles; and passing, as it would have to do, over much rough •w- - country, its cost (including many road deviations) Avould be at least £850,000 or at the rate of nearly £40000 a mile, and, Avhen made, it could not possiblj r earn eA'en Avorking expenses, much "'ess pay interest on capital expenditure. The existing raihvay from Tauranga to Taneatna, though over the easiest of country and the construction of Avhich cost t only £25,000 a mile, does not nearly pay Avorking expenses. Therefore it is a moral that the more expensiA r e extension Avorl'd prove a continuous and heaA r y drain on the Conso'idate 1 Fund; and after all a modern road

■would eventually have to be built over this same stretch of country. It has been,amply proved that.a high way constructed up to modern standards can expe.diously and economically carry all kinds of traffic. New Road Would Have to be Built. * The existing road from Whakatane to Opotiki is 38% miles in length. In order to modernise it. any extensive deviations would be Jiecessary. In the Waimana Gorge,. s for at least four miles, an entirely new road over verj' difficult country would have to be built in order - to allow of the railway being constructed where the road now runs. The distance from Whakatane to Opotiki, as the crow flies, is barely 16 miles as against the present distance of 38% miles, thus indicating how very circuitous is the existing

location. Therefore it is most evident that an entirely new layout is required in order to eliminate the long'and torlii'His section between Taneatua and Kutarere. Without encountering any insuperable difficulties, this can be done by starting off from Whakatane and proceeding via Ohope Beach and the tidal arms of Ohiwa Harbour to Kutarere. There will eertainlj r be heavy work in places notablj'; at the two ridges between Whakatane and Ohope, .where tunnels would be required, and across the tidal arms of Ohiwa Harbour where causeways would have yr over that section ■'"the distance would be reduced from 21>% miles to 11 miles; wlu'le over the Kutarere-Opotiki section, b> means of straiglitening, a reduction of distance from 12 to 11 % miles seems to be feasible. Consequently the tola! distance from Whakatane to Opotiki would become 22% mile--

instead of 38% miles, a saving of 16 miles. Liberal Estimates. With the available data, it is difficult to make any accurate estimate of costs, but allowing very liberal estimates, the 11 miles from Whakatane to Kutarere will at £35,000 a mile cost £275,000, and from there to Opotiki the 11*4 miles will cost £09,000. That is for the whole distance, the total cost will be £344,000 or half a millior. pounds sterling (£500,000) less than the projected ex- . tension of the railway fom Taneatua to Opotiki—an extension be little used and one that will be a continuous drain on the finances of the Dominion. As before stated, even though the extension is built, a modern highway between the Whaltalane and Opotiki districts will still be neccsasry. The proposed highway via Ohope will be practically level throughout and with the easiest possible curvature, so that travelling time could be reduced from 1% hours (75mins) to lOmins or even less.

Saving Per Year. The embankments or causeways across the tidal arms of Ohiwa Harbour would isolate considerable areas of mud flats, which by means of flood gates could be converted into profitable farming propositions.

Besides the saving of £.">OO,OOO in capital expenditure on the railway extension, the economy in road transport should also lie considered. A modern highway, 1(5 miles shorter, with traffic of, say 000 vehicles a day and with benzine at 2s a gallon, would work out as a saving of £28,000 a year; and if the time factor also is to he taken into account and reckoned a 35 minutes for each, vehicle, a saving in time of 29,000 hours woidd he affected. Assuming that the combined value in time saved, for all the passengers is assessed at only 2/(5 an hour, the resultant sum amounts to £10,200 a year. Capitalising these two savings in benzine and time (£38,200) at 5 'per cent shows that an expenditure of as much as £704,000 on road construction wouid be warranted, Avhere as the estimated expenditure is only £.'> 14.0C0.

Road by Choice

The most business-like procedure is in this caso to follow the example set by the residents in the Waipu district, Avho, Avher years ago, were told that they could not haA'e both road and railway, were asked which of the two they preferred, they unanimously A r oted that a modern road be constructed, and that the railway from Oakleigh to tVaipu, then under construction and with the earthworks more than half completed, be converted into a road. This conversion Avas agreed to and duly carried out. The people Avho made that choice have never since ceased f rom congratulating themselves on their decision. In the case of Waipu, about 15 miles of line had actually been formed, but in the case of the Tan-oatua-Opotiki extension, surveys only have so far been done, so that the loss in the change over would be negligible.

Evident* Course of Action. The evident course of action in the case under consideration is for the residents in the Opotiki and sur"ounding districts to get up without lelay a widely signed memorial to the Government, praying that a molern highway, by the shortest practicable route, be constructed between Whakatane and Opotiki, an 1 that the extension of the railway be postponed till its construction becomes actuallv warranted.