RAILWAY ONLY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 85, 26 September 1947, Page 5

RAILWAY ONLY

DECISION OF GISBORNE CHAMBER PRESSURE ON MINISTER That the Minister of Public Works Mr R. Semple, should be kept up to his promise and should concentrate all his energies on the building of a northern railway route from Gisborne do Taneatua, was a decision made by the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce at their meeting last week, states the Gisborne Herald. Correspondence was received from the Minister that he intended to carry out the promise he had made to the chamber in June. This was to the effect that a survey of both a railway and a high speed road would be made at the earliest possible opportunity. The president, Mr T. A. N. Corson, in receiving the letter, moved that the Gisborne chamber should dissociate itself from the derogatory remarks regarding the Minister of Works, recently made by the Opotiki Chamber of Commerce and published in the Gisborne Herald. He thought that the Gisborne Chamber should keep pressure on the Minister to fulfil the promise he had made regarding the railway survey. Promises had been made by the Minister of Works three or four years ago that the northern railway should be surveyed and that work would commence as soon as possible, said Mr H. R. Kendon. He thought that the Gisborne chamber associate itself with the Opotiki Chamber’s recent outburst against Mr Semple.

Mr Kendon moved in this direction and was seconded by Mr H. H. Barker, who thought the question of using diesel road trains was just a red herring to put off the building of the northern railway. The Gisborne chamber must maintain reasonable pressure on the Minister to see that the promise for a railway was fulfilled.

Mr G. J. Jeune thought it was no use supporting the Opotiki chamber in their remarks against Mr Semple. The Minister should have pointed out to him, however, that the Chamber of Commerce considered that all energies should be' concentrated on a railway. He moved accordingly as an amendment and Mr Kendon agreed to withdraw his original motion, saying that he had never meant to slight the Minister. The amendment, as the motion was passed and copies are to be sent to the interested chambers in the north.