THE RIMUTAKA DEVIATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1919, Page 8

THE RIMUTAKA DEVIATION

THE BEST UOIJTE AND WHY,

Sir,—ln reference to a letter appearing in your columns over the name of ''John Ball" about the Kiinutaka railway deviation, I would likt" to jwini out that Mr. Ball is a long out in his idea of where.,the deviation should run. ■ In tho first place- Mr. Ballpoints out that the Wainui-o-mata line would run through flat and fertile country. 1 suppose ho knows that the suggested »line runs ill rough' some of the worst and poorest country "for many miles around. Tako the Wainui hills and the miles of rouglj, poor hills between the Hutt Valley and tho Lake, are they not poor enough for anything'i Mr. Ball's deviation would have to climb the Wainui hills, then tunnel through to the Wainui Valley, crossing this, and tunnel about four miles into more rough country, and when it does reach the lako it must cross ns thero is only a narrow strip of flat land between the lnke and the hills on the Western Lake. This route moans tho construction of nliout -10 miles of new railway for practically nothing, and, moreover, to deviate over tho Wainui would be a worse blunder than the present Kimutaka. For oue thing, it goes a good many miles in practically tho opposite direction. Now take tho Kimutaka deviation via Tauhereniltau Valley. It would leavo tho present line at a point half a milo north of Kaitoko (83Gft. above sea level) then running on an easy down-lull grado of 1 in SO across the Pakurntahi flats for three miles until it reaches a point opposito the lowest saddle of the Itimutaka rouge. A tunnel of 1 milo 10 chains would put the line through this saddle. Then a down grado of 1 in 70 or 1 in 80, with 10-chain curves through tho Tnuhorenikaii Valloy to Woodsido station ,(300ft. above sea level). This lino could ' bo made very cheaply, as ' the country is not rough. The distance from Kaitoko to Woodsido is 12} miles, instead of 23 as at present, thus shortening the journey by about l'l miles, making the distance "from Woodside to Wellington only about 38 or 3!) miles instead of 50 ns at present. And tho line would be almost straight. Also, the land along this route is fairly good country, in fact, the Tauhereiiikau Valley would make some ideal little dairy farms when cleared and grassed. At present it is all in heavy standing forset comprising totara, matai, rimu, white pine, etc. The valley is about one mile wide and about eight miles long. I suggest that a main arterial road bo laid off alongside the railway and that the tunnota bo made wido enough for both;- this route also giving a road of 1 in 70 or 1 in 80. Therefore, with

the exception of the Mungaroa Hill, there would bo practically a flat road from Wellington to 'W'airarapa. Mr. Ball suggests that tho Ilutt River be dredged out, so that a vessel could load. A very good idea, but why not deepen it up to Belmont and load direct from truck to eliip? 111 - . Coleman Phillips has also a letter in your columns in which he 6ets forth tho claims of tho Wainui route. I think the above should clwitee Mr. Phillips's view of tho matter. I give Mr. Phil.. lips great credit for the wav lie has fought for a deviation and. also for wh!a.t lie has done for the dairying industry, but I must certainly 6ay that he will no doubt declare for the Tauhercnikau route once lie has seen both tlio routes in question, Mr. Phillips speaks of got.ting outside engineers to consult with Mr. Holmes.. Would it not be better to put tlio salary required by these men into construc.ting the first mile of new line? I suppose Mr. Phillips does not know that the N.Z. C.E.'s ara soino of the smartest men in the world, and aro sought after verv much by other countries. Mr. Holmes is a thoroughly capable C.E., so why not give him a'free band to put the line in. the best placo far the good of the country and our benefit and not for the good of a few largo runholders on the lake who would get thousands of pounds' more for their land at the country's expense'!' It would mean forty miles of new line to do tho work of the present railway with absolutely no gain, while the Tauhercnikau Valley deviation is only twelve and a half miles with a good grade and a possibility of opening up another good piece of dairying land not more than thirty miles ' from the city. Just think. Sir, a. saving of iilwut twenty-eight 'liiles of new line; what would this mean in the cost of construction? The cost of t.he Tmiherenikau would bo between • three hundred and . four hundred thousand. Can the Wainui deviation be done - for this? I hardly think so. Mr. Phillips has probably never heard the old saying that any fool can run steep and crooked grades (of which the Rirautaka. is a splendid Sam. t pie), but it takes a good engineer, to run a level line with easy curves.

Now, we will take citv milk supply. What oould be better than the Tauhernniknu deviation for getting the milk into town auicldy? A train could lcavo Woodside at, say, G a.m., and be ill Wellington by 7.3(1. In fact, the milk would still be warm from the cow. Again the line would take in one of tho best dairying districts in New Zealand, and that is Carterton. Look at the hundreds of gallons of milk tluit could be run into town quickly from there". Also Greytown and Fcatherston. Therefore, the city could get its ■milk supply from Featherston, Greytown, Carterton, and Masterton instead of the Hutt Valley only on this side. Being a dairy., farmer I can quite understand Mr. Colemnn Phillips wanting to run the milk and water through the Wainui tunnel, so as to give tho Wellington' people a good supply. If I were Mr. Phillips I would not let the water 6upply trouble me, as I know where there are millions of gallons of some of the best water in the. world to be obtained, merely in the Rutt I\ivei' above, the junction with the Pakuratahi. The source of the/Hutt River is springs ia the bushclad mountains—Hector. Quoin. Alpha, and Marclmnt—and these springs are there winter nnd summer. The waters of tho Hutt River above the junction are as clear as crystal,, and as cold as ietf even in midsummer. It would not 1« necessary to dnm the river as there is a very large supply; the only tiling needed i 5.,.1 good intake nnd a pipe line of a littlo 9ver 20 miles. The pressnre would ba in great tha£ water could be carried to i.lio greatest heights around Wellington, as the intake would be between six and seven hundred feet above sea level. In any case, by putting in a dam. many hundreds of'millions of gallons of water could bo stored. This perpetual river supply would last Wellington, and also the Hutt Valley towns, for the next hundred years. "Would this not be better. than the everlasting trouble and shortage they havo at present? .My suggestion is that tho railway ba deviated via Tauherenikau Valley to Woodside, run a. branch to Featiierston. and continue on to 'Martinborough and then on to the coast. Another branch could run to Groytown, and then out to Gladstone, embracing all the country thereabouts nnd on to the coast beyond Carterton'; 1 ' These lines Could be "' constructed out of money 6aved by not doing the Wainui deviation, and also flie running expense of the present, line over the Rimntaka through saving 28' miles of useless line. The lines I suggest ■ would help thousands'o£ people, and how manv thousands of acres of good land could be iitado to produce more than at present? I think if this suggestion is carried out, the Martinborough and ■Lower Valley jjeople will get .their railway much quicker, also the Gladstone, coast, v and Homebusk will got theirs. After twelve miles are taken for the Tauliorenikau Valley,' twentyeight are left, as compared with tho Wainui route. This would enable Martinborough to ]>e given fourteen and Gladstone (mother fourteen. - How does this compare iwitli the proposed fortymile line round Wainui? All level ana good grades compared to Wainui. What? I think about another six miles may be added to the lines I suggest, to bring the cost up to a level of the proposed Wainui. scheme. It " would be very interesting to know the difference in the revenue of the two proposed y schemes. Trusting you can find 6pace m your columns for this protest against public money, beiiifr wasted on such a useless piece of engineering,—l am, etc., ONE WHO WAS ON THESE DIFFERENT. SURVEYS.