RAILWAY DEVIATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2784, 31 May 1916, Page 7

RAILWAY DEVIATION

FOXTON HARBOUR NEEDS

SITTING OF COMMISSIONERS

The Railway Deviation Commission, constituted of the Chief Justico, Sir Robert Stout (chairman), Messrs. W. it. Hannay, and Gyrus Williams, which recently sat at J''oxton and Palmerston North, heard further evidence at the Supreme Court \yesterday. _- '

The scope of tlie commission's inquiry is: (1) Whether the h'oston Wharf should be handed over to the local Harixmr Board; (2) whether the main line should be diverted from I/evin to Morton; 13) whother the extension from Saudon. to Greatiord should be granted, and a junction allowed thero with the railway system. All three propositions iu'o being opposed by the Ruihvay Department. Messrs. C. P. Skerrett and Martin Luckie appeared for the Borowhenua end Manawatu County Councils, tho supporters of the deviation, and the Railway Department was represented by Mr. il. Myers. Mr. T. S. Weston appeared for the I'oxton Harbour Board.

Evidence was given by Gerald Fitzgerald, civil engineer, Wellington, who said that tho revenue from the wharf at i'oxton, ,£I6OO to .£I7OO a year, was insufficient to accomplish any serviceable work. The atato of the river above Foxton had been deteriorating.

Edward John Harvey, captain of the Queen of the South, said he had been trading to I'oxton for 27 years off and on. When- ho firot knew iho river, boats oould go right up to Shannon drawing eight feet of water, at spring tide. At that time they had no difficulty with the river, but tho bar gave trouble. Tho channel was getting worse in places) thero were three bad shoals. The whole of the shoals put fogother would not excewi threo-quarters of a mile. The Queen of the South drew eight feet with u. full load.

To Mr. Myers: At the bar the boata were stuck on six feat of water at neap tides, and nine feet at spring tides. If tho boats could get over the bar they oould get up the river. The bar was a very shifting one. It was liable to shift 200 or 300 yards. The depth of the water at the railway wharf hid not decreased..

IVMr. Weston: The boats were oftener stuck going up than coming down tho river.

William Edward Fuller, shipping manager for levin and Company's coastal steamers, said the trade to 1"?oxton had been growing considerably for the last few years. Tho state of the bar and the river prevented its greater expansion. The vessels frequently stuck inside the rivoi. If a better harbour were secured, .it would result in a better service and trade. There was an increasing trade in kerosene and benzine. His company's charges were considerably lower thnu tho?e ot tho railway. Jf the harbour were improved so that a draught of 12 feet could be got on the bar, a more frequent boat service would be run. The stato of the harbour had deteriorated during the last few years. To Mr. Myers: He was not aware that goods going to Fox ton were not subject to charges for haulage and handling which the Railway Department was entitled to. charge. If the wharfage charges were increased, and charges. made for hauling, it would affect the trade. It did not much matter to his company whether ths Railway Department or the Harbour U'nird improved tho barb-oar, so long as tho work were done. He recognised that it was necessary to have tho bar as well as the river improved, but the latter work was the more important. To Mr. Weston: If tho harbour were improved, and moie shed accommodation provided, '.he ssrtioo could be worked more economically. His company's exponent of the ltaitway Department had not bean satisfactory. They had been trying 10 get tho goods shed enlarged for IS years. To Mr. Myers: The wharf would bo ot no use to tho Barbour Board without shed accommodation. The existing shed was not big enough. . Bobert Eawards,. .civil engineer, Palmer* ston North, oxamined by Mr. Mycin, t»id ho was in favottr of a. harbour at Boston, under certain conditions. The goneral experience in Now Zealand was that it was ruinous to havo a harbour. (Laughter.) Ho had a very intimate knowledge of the Mianawatu River, extending over it) years. Ho had studied the conditions of tho river carefully, and had lived for weeks at u, lime at the mouth of the river. The bar had shifted about a mile and a quarter to the south, nnd was now inclined to go north again. A Bonithorly wind .would make it shift somo chains' in a fow hours. Dredging the shoals inside tho bar would be useless, The Manawatu carried moro Bilt than any other rivor in Naw Zealand. If the channel were dredged, the conditions would be improved to some extent, but the cause of the trouble would not be affected. He was certain that the people of Palmerston would not be willing to be included in a, rating, area.

To Sir Ilobort Ptoufc: Ha believed that a few wot seasons the harbour would revert to its original fltntc. Continuing, witness said that little could bo done to improve the harbour on a revenuo of XISOO to .£2OOO a year.

To Mr.»Weston: He was asked by Mr. Myers to go into the matter and'glve evidence. Ho was doing some engineering work at tho present time, but was practically retired. He had never been employed on harbour works.

Fruncis William Mac Lean, Chief Engineer of Railways, examined 1 by Mr. Myers, said tho proposed new railway from Levin to 'Marton would be about 42 miles long. No survoy had bcon made. Speaking roughly, tho cost would bo .£IO,OOO a mile between Levin and Foxton, plus the cost of tho bridge, wliiob would Do pretty heavy, say .£40,000. From Foxton to Himitangi the line would have to be rebuilt, and tho cost would bo about a mile, which was a low estimate. To make Levin Station a workable junption would cost ,£30,000. A now station would be necessary at Himitangi, which would cost i! 5000. . Tho 14 miles beyond that would, cost, on a low estimate, J37000 a mile, as a new line would be necessary. A bridge at Bulls would cost ,£50,000 to ,£60,000. Tho cost of the lino between, Sandon and Marton he estimated -at JBIO,OOO a mile. A junction at Marton would necessitate a new station entirely, and the cost would be not less thiwi •iCoO.OOO. Tho figures quoted, ho believed, would cover ihv cu.it wt iaking land necessary for building the lino. It would be inadvisable for Government rolling stock to be used on u tramway if a junction wore made.

To Mr. Skerrett: There was a congestion of traffic between Marton and Palmerston North at certain times. He thought the need of duplication of the line between these centres was a long way ahead. He estimated the whole cost of the proposed new line at half a million, roughly. There was an objec 'on, from the point of view qf railway management. to tho extension of tho line to Marton Station bo as to enable goods to be transhipped from truck or tram to truck or rail. As a general rule branch lines did not pay, August Charles Koch, district railway engineer, in charge of the Wanganui section, examined by Mr. Myers, said the Sandon tram lino was not suitable for running Government stock on. To Mr. Skerrett: The tramway had been used by Governmsnl rolling stock for 40 years. The Commission adjourned until 10 o'clock this morning.