RAILWAYS NORTH AND SOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1437, 11 May 1912, Page 5

RAILWAYS NORTH AND SOUTH.

■ ••. ' ; « MB. AIIERS FACING THE MUSIC. 1B» Telseraob. 7 Press Association.! Christchurch, May 10. ..Members of the Lyttelton Harbour Board 'waited on the Minister for Railwars (the Hon. A. M. Myers) this morning to discuss the question of improved port and railway' facilities in connection with the Lyttelton-Christchurch service. The chairman of tho board and other members spoke in support of the application. The Minister, in reply, Mid that he had listened very attentively indeed to the deputation, whech consisted of commercial men, who were no doubt anxious to pee tetter facilities at Lyttelton. Hβ quite agreed that the time had come for the provision of better facilities. It showed tho growing business and prosperity of the Dominion. It involved a laTge* expenditure of money here and in • other places, and the Government had no wish to bring about industrial chaos or "frenzied finance," as some of its critics siiwestcd, but it should face its responsibilities. When the actual requirements of the Dominion were pet, the most urgent cases should receive the most attention. They intended to go into the matter in a businesslike nay. The Hon. G. laurenson and other members had impressed on him the urgency of this work. Memoirs of the Department bad been preparing a comprehensive scheme, 'and ho would go into it as soon as possible. It was not iiitend-ed to waste any time in regard to shortage of trucks. 'He fully apprehended the difficulty that had arisen. This had been accentuated /by the wet season and lato harvest. Their programme of rolling stock construction was an extensive one. For the South Island they were building: twenty carriages and way vans, and 257 extra wagons, besides increasing the capacity of the number of wagons by as much as two tons. They were also building C 4 locomotives, most of which were for the North Island, but the South Island would also get an additional number. Ho was fully alive to his responsibilities, and, if the net programme were inadequate, he was prepared to submit an extension to tho Cabinet. As a commercial man he recognised that every facility should be given for the extension of commerce. It had been very gratifying to hear favourable comments on the railway officers. He would only assure the deputation that its representations would be considered at the earliest opportunity. It was not his desire that tho Department should stand stil!, .-but.that it should progress. The deputation's representations would not bo put in the waste-paper basket, or in the pigeon-hole. When he came to a conclusion as to what works should be put in hand he would inform them of his decision.