RAILWAY WORKS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2690, 9 February 1916, Page 6

RAILWAY WORKS

; NEW LINES MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Replying to an Auckland railway deputation on Saturday, the, Hon. W. Fraser is reported to have said that he had repeatedly told the story of the stoppage of the branch lines, till he thought everybody knew it.' He found that he had to reduce the number of railways he was carrying out. One reason was that 60 many railway engineers had gone to the front, and such men could not be replaced by road l engineers. Besides, he had promised to keep their places open for them, and he could not expect to got good men to take merely temporary employment-. The Kirikopuni section was one that had to stop on this account, and the NapierGisboivne line was another, though only for the summer months. Another reason for cutting down works, continued the'- Minister, was that of finance. . In his Public; Works Statement last session he stated plainly that the money to be voted! had to- last at the very least till December, 1916, and probably till March, 1917. Therefore be had taken nobody by surprise. The money he had appropriated to the North' Auckland line iwould be . absorbed 1 by March .31 of this year. The vote for Kirikopuni would also have been exhausted by that date had lie not stopped the work. Tho Price of Money. Mr. J. C. Parr, M.P.: How are you going on from March 31 next? Mr. Fraser: If you can tell me that we can-borrow at less than 10. per cent. I will say that as soon as we can get money at a reasonable price no one will be more anxious to proceed! with works than I Shall. Proceeding, the Minister said that the £2,000,000 had not to be' spent by March 31 of this year. On March 31 he would probably have enough to carry him on to December 31, and probably- till March in. the following year. The Kirikopuni section was started in direct contravention of his engineers' advice. - They had told him that it was not a business proposition to start that small section and work backwards from the river; that-they ought to work continuously from the south northwards. Mr. Fraser said that he had already said in Parliament that ho did not regard the link line to Whangarei as any part of the North Auckland Trunk railway—that it was merely a temporary expedient- until, the main lino to the north was finished. If he could get the men it was quite possible that the Wliangarei-Waikiekie rine would be finished about next Christmas. But he was not going to stop there, lie was coming down to meet the line which was coming up. The cause of delay in the northward extension of the Trunk line was the difficulties met with in the tunnel work —almost insuperable difficulties. Tlie railway. should never have gone by the route that had been adopted. It was going through rotten country, but he intended .to push on the tunnel work. He had faithfully carried out what was dosired' by 'Parliament. Durinj; the summer months there might bo a little halt,. but not in the tunnels, for they were the key to the whole problem. But for these abominable tunnels the line would have been up to the Wairoa hy this time.