RIVAL ROUTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1330, 6 January 1912, Page 7

RIVAL ROUTES.

THE EAST COAST RAILWAY,

HAWKE'S BAY OPINION,

A deputation from tho Hawkos Hay branch of tiio East Const Railway Association waited y est onlay upon tho Uin~ ister for Public Works (tho Hon. K. MKonzio) to suggest to him that it would be \Wso to havo an investigation conducted bv an independent commission as to whethor tho route now dccidcd upon is the best possible for tho rnilwiiy at tho Hawko's Bay end. The deputation was introduced by Mr. 11. M. Campboll, M.l\, and tho other members of it were Messrs. W. J. White, H. A. Mossman, and T. E. Crosse. Mr. White admitted that ho had no first-hand knowlodgo of tho country through which tho railway would pass, but lie advocated the setting np of _ a commission to ascertain tho most desirable routo from a commercial and a prnotical standpoint. Ho instanced tho North Auckland Railway Commission, v-liich, ho said, had done good work in ncomnionding a routo which involved tho opening up of a very largo area of gcod country, capable of supporting a heavy population. There were a very l«rgo number of people in the district to bo affected by tho East Coast Rail-, way who thought that a route further inland than tho one now proposed would; be preferable, and they ought to bo aliened to give evidence beforo a commission in support of their opinion._ The undertaking was. a national one, involving tho expenditure of a huge sum of money, and if tho Minister could grant tho deputation's request.it would satisfy not only the people of the district, but ot the whole Doiiinion. Ho gave an unqualified denial to the statement that, find been nude that the agitation h-id been promoted by a few property owners. Mr. Crosse said ho did not speak as an. expert, hut he had some knowledge of the country. He know both' the route approved by tho Department and tho inland routo suggested, and he knew that a big stretch of country, now waste land, would bo developed if this lino went 30 miles further inland. Tho land was light, very like the Waikato land was formerly, but it could be made productive by tho uso of modern fertilisers a-s tho Waikato land had been. AV present the cost of carting fertilisers was too heavy to permit of fertilisers being used. Ho sketched the line of route proposed by the deputation, saying that it would present no engineering difficulthero would be any, amount of freight traffic and no. competition from steamers along tho const. Mr. Mossman and Mr.' Campbell both uiged that a thorough investigation ought to be made as to which is the better icuto

The Minister said that three routes had teen siiiveyed for this railway, two of i! -ti rejected as imp»:ictic able. }]<? agned that Mr. Crosse hat? irade cut a good case if the nilwav vers to be one for local traffic, but it vas not '"tended specially for local traffic. What tho district really needed, nscording to Mr. Crosse's account, wa» a fcvanch railway. But tho deputation i i P- 1 fo , succeed ■in getting a 'of BO d ? vl! ' ted over a route Sim??,if nl ! 03 . ln ?tead ot jo, and ovu: difficult iou{o instead of an casv -mn nitfir fl n °| t '''.' n ' c 5 $ T col "niissions would alter the decision. Ho had had so mur u-formation on the matter that he had n °t tho slightest doubt what the result u™f J*' Th? I"**" 011 Mto the seWn' Up of a commission was, however a mnt ter for Cabinet to decide