OUR RAILWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 784, 6 April 1910, Page 8

OUR RAILWAYS.

teHIRERaLLOCATION URGED^

ISHOUIIp NORTH ISLAND^MEMBERS |' ; |^6S ; "-.'

-Telegraph—Press,; Association.): ?K : - ; :-:fohitf*- "Auckland; : April, 5,'.;!; i-pMr.'' Ji H. Gunson,.: president of. tho : |iuckiand .Qham.ber.of- Commerce, whengspbkeri,to.'.this- morning on' the question j.ofvtheivformation ..of.'a. league' as. sug|gested,: by-;thc;-HasUrigs' 4 "-Chamber: of ?ior..;tho'purpose of endeavoring :tb ; ;get; the whole: of- the North ;|iyaH'd; ; members'-.of Parliament; to. cbmSfee'ito:;obtain' a \measure ; of fair |f^:'the f :North'-Island;-in.the matter:of Irailway; management;/ and A expenditure. f-^ener;aliy,>'said<the(time-:was i certainly. ;|' ripe ''for-: carrying into' effect :||ike.:this.:;ig:v;.-;' ■-■ *:.'v-!-; :.:* .-';..■'•';.-.-:' ■:,.' : . ;j;?;>'.'l"Ti:how,":':he, said,. "that - the ; rhemsybers'; of v. the fAuckland:, Chamber' are, of 13rie'min(l;'ori' the 1 subject, arid although, |:for':'6bmel,tinie:,past;! the Auckland Chain|i fpart";in: bringing' railway matters ;very Ipromihentlyi before.'the: Government, it not:overlooked -the-importance.';of question;.;'a'ndjKhas : : : :been'j working Railway. '.League , -to ferarthe^: ; :the. ? interests , . of-the-northern i^lines^'Now^that-theiNprth /Island; holds' ,the-,balancß,of power so;'far. as'member--sKip/in/the'-House is;concerned, some Granted'' action should certainly, have an Appreciable: effect:: .-and 'there', seems no imsp'h'fwhy ■: the hands', of',thei;.Govern-:. ?ihent"shquld : 'hot'be?forced:!to 'give that '-attention!':;tb>the railway lines! of the; /north'that:in : the past'has-been given'to; end -of- the Dorhihion >. to the of the-North/.lsland interests.

Auckland Lines ,:.A-/';v: the; most important; matters asqjfar. as.the'AucUand; Chamber,is conEberned [M connection with railway' cohlistructibh'arejtheßast Coast Tailway. and Sithe'venergetic'• forwarding of the; North |!A.ncklaiid lineV; while "•' there is', also the jaanestion; pf'^lie ; Kawhia 'extension from gtbei.Main-'Trunk 'line.from, say; 'the : ; All those -lines s iin ;■ the i near future',, received -big liionsideration from the Government; and largely : ,oii:the'.attitiide which SiAuckland;and;the .North .Island ■, people' adopt,;whether the cbnSstructiori.'of them will be: advanced' or population: of .the 'North, ■flsland •■; is/increasing ■at.' such' '. : VO rapid |^ate; : that'i further: railway J'commuriicafejiran ;■ is. important; and line's, .must be' £Sc6rictructedl; particularly 'inthe isoutharn. [|j^;if'rthe:'ptom«»v:in a'Eyery .jWeek,rn6w.;l.:receive letters .'from ; in'the, faut .districts';.,complainIgingijabbufc,;the .lack ■'■; of ;railway..accorh|anodation,'., .and; asking that' something « be}idbne-\ by.: the; v towi''toV/awaken the rto/ the .'necessities .of ' the' fesnaJMMnlJ.! j'.;'..:> , !::'' i /;..:'-;; ; ',.' , v :V;" : ;-'": ;' : % fcS;g.Feaeration^ of vthe; Leagues./':,, A,'.J.\Entrican: (chairman |of^e ;i Harbour/Board) was he.-espressed; a .'doubt' I?whether '.we-were,not'.-'doing better now |Dy&haying;-:railway'.leagues' '•'..in' ' every Iji^stnct;; ; :.....;.'Y<)u'!seej : each• 'district .will &fce)pulling; fbr'.itself -H -. said-Mf .'Entriitcanv^^pf.course,; I suppose the idea -if about. a/federation-;of leagues, SsikU 'IX take;; it'that /such'/; 'si-/, federation. #he;.niembers...,;l .do not'think'that 1 you ;i|W«uld>geiiV:the. l 'whple: of -'the. Norttfls-' :_b'ut, where '- there is. a Tail-'. 'the" local•/mem£$er.^uld"have;to' support' it! : There j/may be a cbnsiderable'number.of districts, SW'lierej 'there;is ho possible'chance of Railway /extension, '■• and 'where railway. <»' Vagues .ivould'-.not' be;formed,'-and un- . _ '£" some' way is found.', of ...' bringing |prfcssure to;bear.-otf'a. representative in Kiis'iown. district, ( ,it; is; very. question-, lable-whether you are'going'.to ; persuade |him'to work.against hia-partyi if he be |i; ; .Gpyernment./man.' ,^; r; :::;7;V i - ; ;o;.:;, ; ;^ effortsrhave:.been made'' ?Jpy.individual.:representatives: to secure jiWhat;they; consider'to be; a..fair 'expen•gaiture:;'bai i railway.:;construction .'• in the 'p North. .'/Island, ''and' • reference ■/ to' ■ Han-;^l-;prbve:;that;'latterly''this re-/"has-been,/perhaps, :;mofe bver,"-:remarked;;Mr. ■ C. KtH&iPoqlej;M.-p.J; in touching:, upon;' the' o?'lt'- ? is ;■ very ..gratifying to vSee,;.^Vhe:' continued, ''that/the' present /.are': awakening ;; ; up ;|to;vw-the.; : : : 'fact:,: j that;/ the?;, nbrth'j ; not;:;:TOeiyed.';Sfair.'. treatment, Kindvi : ; that:;y .its:; "prosperity.; ;'depends ' ' u PP n v ™e.: people being ■ given a: proper, i'.vmeans; of transportation. .Tie votes and Tor the lastjtwo or three, years tfp.rbye/conclusively :of .i'nbrthern m'embersJhavb beeh'heard'and «;respected ; on the flobr'of;the;Hoiisei' : but jvr_there ='is '.nevertheless plenty' of 'room g's'tilljfbr''improvement.'-.."-: SoCfarVas'the ►■fboAjperatibn of ..the/members '; is:'con-' that: h'ave''■';w6rl£ed'■■llar-' i••-i?^ 0^.!y.•■:^»ebther>■4■.Tlle■ ; :. ; v fcbmm'unity.of. :nter6its':is::. sometimes ; biock. ;but at^the/present ;.-;time,'so.';far;as I..know, : ,the North ; ; ./Island. representativeßiare .in league to ; : fairer... expenditure'.of ■ public ''i/ihoney;in the:'construction!of railways. .:;;,nnfo'rtunately. the local interests'■'. are i> sometimes .responsible; l for .unnecessarjv l;/;;delay where a.battle of routes.inay taka ;:'Vplace,'_offering./an'excusa for thoAdmi'n:S'_ lstration-to hesitate while money, is. be:.j; jng spent elsewhere,; but ■■ anything'that ;;. will help Do. bind;the northern represen■o: tatives: to a .common effort "for.; the 'cbn- ; ystructipn.: of. roads , and" railways, irresyepecti/e'of/parties, must be

of the Islands Essential." 'j: i'Mr. E. R. Hunt,: who, as general seci'qretary/ahd council-member,of the-.Auck-ij. .laid Railway vLeague/.was'.emphatically s'/in.-'favour, of making:the.issue' ."North versus 'South.'',- When some' time, ego n Sir Joseph Ward refused to entertain the i request: contained ■'i the.'. .Auckland [ { memorial that he should get the Mioister for Public. Works to extend the "\ scope of'the Royal.Commission, en the deviation question respecting, the North Auckland' Main 'Trunk ■ line, lie said: "1 : ivroto '.to: Mr. Wilford, M;P.,- in • a private capacityjon this subject.'; I stated l . then that I saw-nothing for it but to' obtain separation 7 of the • two islands, ■■ so that our-funds-should not: be spent : down south on railways which are not - so' well as >the northern ones, and 1 ;alsp expressed the opinion that an endeavour should -be made :to level up the £3,000,000 which has been spent on railways in" the South Island in excess of what the North Island lines have l received, and; I wrote in the same letter' that if i the members of the -North Island would only, hang together they could force this separation, or if that was not thought to be, advisable,'they would at all. events, have the power to compel ' the Government, to do justiceto the North Jslandi'.We would then have no political attorney exercised on the whole Auckland community by. the, refusal of * such a reasonable request as the extension of the scope of the Royal Commission."