RAIL CONSTRUCTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 35, 9 October 1946, Page 5

RAIL CONSTRUCTION

PAEROA-POKENO

TANEATUA-OPOTIKI-MOTUHORA

A vote of £150,000 for the construction of the Paeroa-Pokeno railway is included in this year’s Works Estimates, and when they were under discussion in the House of Representatives last week Mr A. S. Sutherland (Opposition, Hauraki) urged the Minister to make a prompt start because, he said, it would reduce the route to the Thames Valley by 40 miles and have equal value for the East Coast communications.

“It was only stopped because of the war. It will be resumed right away,” replied Mr Semple. Mr W. Sullivan (National, Bay of Plenty), supported the request for a prompt resumption of the work owing to its importance to the East Coast.

He noted, he added, that £IOOO was again being voted for the survey from Taneatua to Gisborne, and he was glad to see that the Minister really intended’ to do something, because he had feared it was just humbug as the vote had been included in earlier years’ estimates, but nothing had been done as the Government seemed to have no desire to link up the Gisborne line with the main system to the north. He knew it was said that the line would not pay, but the roads did not pay directly.

The Minister: It is the service they give to the nation.

Mr Sullivan added that if the line could be completed to give Gisborne rail access to Auckland it would be a great service to the East Coast, for it was an essential part of the North Island system. Judging by an interjection of the Minister of Works, concluded Mr Sullivan, he was satisfied that as soon as surveyors were available this work would be done.

CHAMBER’S REQUEST

MINISTER’S REPLY

The following letter has been received by the secretary of the Opotiki Chamber of Commerce from the Hon. R. Semple, Minister of Works:—

* l am in receipt of your letter of 28th August concerning the survey of the Taneatua-Motuhora section of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway. I have noted that you have requested provision in the Supplementary Estimates of a sum of money to commence construction. When the survey and construction of this section of railway was under consideration in 1938,. I recollect that I expressed the opinion that construction could be commenced as soon as several-miles of survey had been completed. I now note that you request me to proceed upon the same lines today. It must be realised that presentday conditions are extremely different from those of 1938., Today, as a result of the war, we have a most serious lack of manpower and materials, and it is onlyCa few very important works which can be undertaken. If conditions were the same'-as in L 938 I would be very pleased to recommend the Government to undertake the construction of the railway as soon as the survey had progressed sufficiently far to enable a start to be made, but under the conditions that exist today I feel that it would be unreasonable on the part of your chamber to request me to take such action. I trust that it will be possible to commence the survey in the near future and as soon as conditions of manpower and materials are more satisfactory, it will be possible to consider the commencement of construction operations.