TAUPO RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1550, 20 September 1912, Page 2

TAUPO RAILWAY.

« PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY CONCLUDED. EVIDENCE BY EXPERTS. MR. HOLMES REPORTS ON ROUTES. Tho Parliamentary Committee set up to invostigato tho petition of tho TaupoTotara Timber Company for permission to extend its light railway to Lake Taupo, concluded tho taking of evidence yesterday. Tho first of three witnesses examined .was Mr. R. W. Holmes (Engineer-in-Chief to the Public Works Department). Mr. Holmes said that somo tirno ago he had been instructed by the Government to go into the question of the bost means of bringing, the Taupo district into com'munication with the existing railway system. He had examined the country alone the various routes, and had prepared a report which he was prepared to submit to the committee if the Minister for Public Works would give his consent. , The Hon. W. Fraser, who was present •as a member of tho committee, offered no objection, and the report was put in. In tho report Mr. Holmes stated that the country round about Rotorua, and thence to Taupo and back across to Putaruru was on the whole inferior. A heavy farming traffic could never be expected from it. There were some limited areas of native forest, but theso would provide only a temporary traffic, as this class of forest was -practically non-regenerative. State afforestation plantations between Rotorua, Waiotapu, and ICaingaroa would afford a perpetual source of revenue. It , was on tho excursionist as distinguished I from the tourist, that a railway to Taupo would have.to depend for a considerable I part of its revenue. It was this traffio l that would probably decide whether a line <iould be worked at a profit or at a I* .loss.. i . Sources of Revenue, I The sources of traffic wonld relatively ' 'ranged as follows:—Passengers, timber, farm produce. The passenger traffic " would be'a constant and increasing sourco ' of traffic, the nativo timber traffic would | bo temporary, and tho farm produce traf- [ lie .would depend entirely -upon whether or not it was possible successfully ■ to cultivate.the volcanic lands throughout the « district. It appeared that only such parts of this country as could be cultiI vated would ever be capable of profitable farming. Parts too rough or poor to , .cultivate could be remuneratively dealt ! with by afforestation, and when a perpe-tual-tinibor. industry had been established more than one railway would bo rei quired. ' ' '■ . L Practicable Routei. ■ ' , The practicable routes by which Tanpo • might be reached were:— Putaruru to Taupo .via Oroanui. Putaruru to Taupo via Atiamuri. -Rotorua to Taupo via Orakei. Rotorua to Taupo via Waiotapu. . Over the route via Oruanui, the Taupo, Company's line was working to the 40)•mile peg. The "construction of. the line :had. been dhetfp'eiied' JisVmuch as -possible. From Lichfield to Kopoko, a. distance of ' 23 miles, 'the"privitte railway' could .be easily and cheaply improved to Government railway standard,' but thence to 46 mile.\ the greater part would require entirely ; reconstructing. From - 46J mile 3 - to ■ Taupo at 67 miles, a distance of 20J- miles, a survev of a line had been made by the Taupo-Totara Company. Both grades and curves were,'worse than: & Government standard. -The .light rails' and sharp curves would prevent Government locomotives travelling on this line, while the steep grades and sharp curves would prevent any but a very slow train service being run." For dealing with the traffic at present arising from' the glass of country : between Putaruru and Taupo, the company's lino was no doubt suitable, but as a through passenger line to Auckland it was not suitable, and it could be taken for granted that if it were adopted as part, of thVGovernment railway -System the demand 'for its' reconstruction to accommodate express through trains from Auckland!could not be rosistod. The travelling public, particularly tourists aid excursionists, would not be content with the present slow service. The estimated cost of the route improved to Government standard, exclusive of what would be paid to the company for such portions as could be utilised, was .£451,400. Alternative Routes. Tho route from Putaruru .to Taupo via Atiamuri had an . advantage over the former routo in that the portion of tho private line between Kopoko and the Waikato River, a distance of about 15 miles, cnuld be easily improved and shortened, whilo difficult portions of the alternative route were - avoided. This route, however, was open to the same ob-. | iection as that first mentioned, that it left Rotorua on a branch line. The distancs from Putaruru to Taupo by this route was 77 miles, and the estimated cost of a standard line, exclusive of payments to tho company for portions of its line utilised, was .£512,400. From Rotorua to Taupo, via Orakie, there was a fairly easy route, over a distance of about 56 miles. .Tho disadvantage of the route was that it missed Waiotapu and did not pass over such good country as the other route from Rotorua. There was nothing to recommend this routo in preference to that via Waiotapu. On tho contrary, the land was inferior, construction work's heavier, and the undulations of tho gradients greater. The estimated -cost of the route was £8000 per mile, total .£418,000, . The Cheapest Route. A railway along tho route from Rotorjm to Taupo, via. Waiotapu, could be easily and cheaply constructed to standard grades and curves at less cost than any of the other routes. The estimated cost was ,£7OOO per mile, total £392,000, for a lino suitablo for an express train. With the exception of the-thermal region in the vicinity of-Waiotapu, the land along tho route appeared to be better than nlong either of tho other routes. Mr. Holmes concluded that whether the question is viewed from the standpoint of cheapness of construction, . suitability of the lino whon constructed, future working expenses, probablo traffic and revenue or from the point of view of satisfaction to tho travelling public, and the greatest good for the greatest number, ' the route from Rotorua via Waiotapn was unquestionably the one to be adopted. ■He presented the following summarised table'showing the- length and estimated cost of lines by the different routes Length Cost Houte. . . (mi]") £ Putarum, via Oranni 401,001) Putaruru, via Atiamuri .77 ,512,000 Rotorna, via Orakei ......... 56 448,000 i Rotorua, via Waiotapu 56 032,000 ' Government Standards. ! Answering Mr. Buick. Mr. Holmes said ; that he did not .consider that the construction of a standard line into the ! Taupo district by either routo would bo j warranted at present. , _ T <,To the Hon. W.-Fraser: The rolling stock of tho Dominion could not travel i along the Taupo Company's line. ' i'ne ordinary trucks and carriages could got l'Ound the chain and the half curves.at s'iow speed, but tho wear and tear would bis terrific. With flatter curves on the light line eome of the Dominion rolling stock could be run from such a linfi on to the Stato lines without transference of load. The trucks of tho Taupo Com- • riany were not suitable for uso 'on the • main lines, but trucks could easily bo procured which could be ran from a lfeht line to the maiu line. It was possible that an improved light,lino might bo worked without loss where a Gtandard lino would be .worked at a heavy loss. Expert Evidence On The Line; ■The next witness was Thos. Ronayne, General Manager of the ?*pw Zealand Railways. He stated that he was acquainted with the . history of the Taupo Company's line. He had strongly advised the co'mpanyV engineer to adopt rolling stock which could be run over the main lines, hilt this ndvico had not been taken. If the Railway Department had been working, the lino for the last financial year it would have collected additional i revenue dui-iiig that period amounting ' to £3000, whereas tho company had de- ' bited- itself -in respect of that traffic with a much greater sum. This wont to showthat the Government would get. very much less out of the line than the Taupo- .. .Totara Company was getting at the present time. To slr. Buchanan: He thought that this line was not a suitablo one for a light track. If the Government were to run' trains over it a fair percentage of express tramv lEauir.iaa.

henry rolling stock anil heavy locomotives. . . To Mr. Fraser: The guarantee of .fill,GOO for Umber freights would not bo chargeable by the Government which would charge at a low through rate. Mr. Dalziell hero interpolated that tho company wcro prepared to pay rates on their guaranteed output of 10 million feet which would mako tho total amount Jill,GOO per year. Jtr. Ronayne said this would mean that the company would havo to pay tho Department .CSIOO over and above the regular Government freight charges on their timber. To Mr. Buick: There were railways constructed in New Zealand that should never have been laid. The excuse was that they were required to open up tho country, but the country was not there to bo developed. "I'm talking politics now," ho added. The chairman: It's perfectly true, none th 9 less, Mr. Ronayne. Mr. Ngata: Supposing this pumice country were capable of being cultivated profitably, would there not be agitation m the event of a light line being laid to have it converted into a standard lino? Witness: I think that is very probable. They would no doubt, agitate not only for a standard lino' but for express trains to bo run over it. Mr. Fraser: That would be a matter for tho Government, ' itness: A[y experience as General Manager of Railways is that the Government only nteds a little squeezing before it grants what is wauted. To Mr. Anderson: Tho maintenance of light lines was excessive. Gn this lino tho maximum axle load permissible would bo 6 tons 15 cwt., whereas on a standard line the permissible load was 11 tons. Ho would prefer that the company should build this lino under charter, rather than that the Government build the line. The question of the purchasing clause in tho agreement was a matter of public policy. / On Light Lines. .Tames Burnett, Chief Engineer ot Tforking Railways, gave evidence. He' said that as he had no knowledge of the country or of tho line, he could make no authoritative statement. All lie knew about tho line was that it was laid with light 30-pound rails, and an unusually large number of sleepers. In certain districts it would be more payable to lay light lines than standard lines, but it would bo essential that tho standard roll-ing-stock should be ablo to run .over tho light lines. Otherwise tho saving in first cost was nullified. Thero was always difficulty in confining light engines to light lines, for there was always pressure to havo tho fast trains and heavy locomotives run on them. He would never recommend rails of less than 50 or 53 pounds for any line, but the second-hand rails from tiie Government line could be used. To Mr. Buchanan: It was essential that goods should go their whole journey in the one bottom. Otlierwiso the charges would be excessive. His own experience of lines in pumice country was that lines could be run profitably, and that the land could be profitably occupied. But ho did not know the Taupo country. Mr. Anderson: He could hardly express an opinion as to whether the PutaruruTaupo line could be made fit to. Tun trains at fifteen miles per hour for 4:7500, but tie estimate seemed to him exceed-, ingly small. The Settlers' Point of View. W. D. S. Macdonald, M.P., slieep-fann-er, Mamaku, said lie desired to give, evidence. Ho said there was no doubt that in tho Taupo country thero was a largo area suitablo for settlement, and it had been demonstrated that pumice, country could be profitably settled. But above all things it needed means of transport, and a light railway. The Rotorua-Taupo railway would certainly bo an easy lino to build, but it would not benefit the district between Putarnru and.Mold. A lot of the country- would take grass and carry stock fairly well, but he admitted at once that there was in the district a great deal of. poor land. • If the Government had any intention of opening up that country it could only'be done by putting in a light lino of railway, and if the railway did not pay jit once, - it tfouldsavo some. £5000 expended yearly on keeping down'rabbits. This concluded the hearing of evidence, and the committee will now deliberate.