PAEKAKARIKI HILL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 283, 24 August 1920, Page 5

PAEKAKARIKI HILL

ROAD AND RAILWAY APPEAL FOR RELIEF '. Possibly as.a counterblast to the Warratepa'deputation last week asking for the • deviation of the railway to avoid the in-' ohne as a work of extreme urgency, a representative delegation from the West Coast came, to see Mr. Massey yesterday to presg the claim of the deviation which will avoid' the Poekokariki Hill. Mr; W. H. Field, M.P., introducing the deputation, said .that the deputation represented not only the dectorates along , tho line, but also the chambers of commerce and tho local bodies all tho way between Wellington and Waiiganui by way of the Manawatu line, as well as the' Central Progress League of Wellington. It was not making quite such a display ee the Wairarapa deputation had made. but the people were just as" strongly in earnest, and they felt'that the work in .which they were interested was just as tmportaut as tho :Wairarapa. deviation. <Ihe work was really of more importance .to tho wholo of tho North Island, be- . cause all the traffic by the Main Trunk una had to go by way of the Manawatu JA fording to the new plans of the Public Works Department, and the latest Railways ■ Authorisation Act, tho beach route was to be taken by the new railway, and the present railway route by the now road. By the present route the road climbed to a height of MO fcot, and the height of the Pukerua Saddle was only 800 feet, so that the deviation'of taofpad would saVe 600 feet cf a climb. Within the past I year a considerable amount of Government money had been the present road. The deputation . had come to.ask that the Prime Minister should give if he. could, some indication as to when, the proposed deviation was going to take place. The Primo .Minister knew, as they all did, that the present road was utterly inefficient, and as motor traffio increased so must the danger and loss by this road increase also. They were loth to ask the Government to expend a large amount cf money on the present road at present, 6eejng that if jvas only to be a temporary road. But If the deviation was not to be undertaken within a reasonable time, ihen they ' would have .to ask for considerable expenditure to make the present road safe. If the deviation was many years away, then they would bave to ask that provision be made in some shape or form for a new road from Piimmerton to Pukerua, and thence along the beaoh to Paekakariki, -because this was the only suitable route for a main arterial - road. If the deviation could not be done soon, then a considerable amount of money would have to be wasted on, the present road, for the. expenditure would bo lost when the new permanent xoad camo to bo made. He pointed to the fact that the new road would follow a route along which there fiwuld be available enormous supplies of the best olaes of metal and shingle for toad construction. For the prteent the deputation was not asking for the devia,tion to avoid the Johasonville Hill or jfor the duplication of the line, although it was very clear that both of these .works would have to be undertaken. Anticipating the reply that there was a shortage of labour, he. said that ho understood that the Wellington Progress I/eagae had had the names of three hundred men ready Mo : go on to the Waikaremoana works so soon as they could be commenced. , . Mr. Massey said that the statement of the Progress League had-ken that 300 Natives could be found to go on to the works.

, Mr. Field said that the Jfanawatu people thought that they might he able to assist the Government in. Tegard to labour if he work could only he coamenced. The other, speakers for the deputation were Mr. G. Mitchell, M,P„ Dr. Newman, M.P;,- Messrs Howell iHutt County), Monk (Horowhenua County), and CM. Banks (Automobile Club and "iVellington Chamber of Commerce). Mr. Banks made the suggestion that the shortage of labour might be met by bringing men from Australia or England, and the rate of pay could he increased to M per day to attraot men to the works.

..•' Mr. Massey in Reply., / ■ Mr. Massey, 'in his reply, said that he spoke with a certain amount of knowledge of this road, because he had been over it four times. He was quite willing to admit .that the road was bad, and that it required a great deal of •kill and care on the part of motor . drivers to get over it in safety, But tha people Interested must not 6lupdoSb'that theirs was the only road of this description in New Zealand, He told of an ■ ;«XDerienoe ho had in going over a Dortlon of wad" in his own district—th» Main South Eoad from Auckland—in December last. when, even in Dowinibor.. the road was dangerous and almost impassable. In winter, he was' inrormad. ■ that road was quite impassable. There •were still other parts of New, Zealand I where the roads,were juSt as bad. iind wWa it was just as necessary that improvements should be taken in hand. ' These roads, with the Paekakariki.Road. "' wd&ild have to be taken in hand v ten the Government had the wherewithal to i do the work—labour and money. He bad to doubt about the ability of the Government to find the money. The labour " problem was not so easy «b people im- ,■■ egined,.and for the simple reason that the labour was not in tho country. There was no getting away from this, although he was sorry to have to say so. Ona .. of the sneakers had suggiwted the payment of a pound a day. But a pound • a day would not bring more labour. It was impossible to brine men from Eng- • land any faster than they- were already coming, and there was not enough men : ; here to do the work requiring to be done. When? -. " '!.'•. He had been-asked to say when, tho ' work could be taken in hand. The work 'would be commenced as soon as possible, - but if he were asked to fix a date he • ; simply could not do it. There were 21 • lines of railway in course uf construction ••' and his own opinion was that 6ome of '" these would have to be finished before ■'• any more were undertaken. As ■ a mat- ' ter of fact they • might have to ' take the reverse course, as some of these lines were now approaching completion, and it would be simple folly to undertake any more works of importance until some of these lines were out -of 1 hand. The Wairarapa people had made '' out a, good case for their deviation, although ho had been familiar with it before they oame." In the Wararapa case there was a good deal of survey work to be done before actual construction could '■' be commenced. This preliminary work would take a considerable time, and Par- ' liament would have to be consulted about the authorisation of tho lini> before vork could commence. In the case <f the West Coast line, the surveys had been made, end tho authorisation had been given. All that they wore waiting for were men and materials. As soon as labour could be obtained at a reosonablo rate the work would be undertaken. When that would be it was impossiblo for him to say. 1 Mr. Field: Supposing we can End tho labour for youP ' , , Mr. Massey: You, can get labour only by taking men away from some other works, or from ,6ome local body which needs them just as badly. Mr. Field explained that he had no such idea In mind. , Mr. Massey: Very well, bring them along. Bring also your proposals. We could employ 5000 men more on tho puljlio works of the country if we mM got them. We have 4000 men employed Other Claims, Tho Minister of Public Works (Mr. Coates) said he had no hope that any considerable amount of the cost of thi3 new mad could be paid for out of motor taxation. The proposals of the Government with regard to main arterial roads would be contained in the Publio Works Statement, and it would be found that all the motor taxation, and a deal more money would be absorbed by those proposals. As to the labour supply, he was in need of labour now for works to open up country into which there was not at present any *ood or railway. Aitor all, these oereloproeai worn must ootae first. As to

when the deviation would have to te undertaken, it was really a matter for the Railway Department to sr>y whether they were losing money in T.sing tho present line. He would bo pleaied to tonsuit with his engineers, and let the deputation know tho result of the consultation.