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PROPOSED ROTORUA TO TAUPO RAILWAY

Sir,—l have read recently that a .reliable authority had stated in ovidonco that this railway, if built on Government standard pattern at the present time, • might cost .£BOO,OOO. The public were no doubt left to draw their own conclusions.

To people who have not given the matter close attention, I now suggest the following figures :—.1800,000 capital cost at SJ, per cent, represents an interest charge of <£11.000 per annum. The not railway earnings on other Government lines .ire usually less than -10 per_ cent, of the f;ross receipts, and this railway, to pay its way. would require to earn sufficient net income to pay the interest on its capital. Epr the line to be a paying concern, therefore, it would have to earn for interest and ' all expenses .£II.OOO multi-, plied by 100/10 equal to £110,000 a year gros= annual recoipts; 40 per cent, of that"would be the ,£-1-1,000 for interest. Tho railway would run through 40 miles or so of! pumice country, from Rotorua to the little villnre of Taupo, and in attempting, to earn that enormous revonue it would have to comnete with the motor traffic that is now being run there over comparatively easy roads. Cut down the stated nnst by half, nnd this railway would still be an entirely unnrofltablo venture.. The Dominion has much essential work ahead, more than it can undertake and we know that Cabinet' has no intention of building this railway at the present time. Narrow gauge lines: Wfr are aleo hearing a lot inst now of narrow gauge railways with toy rolling stock, to compete with motor traffic, nnd be built under conditions entirely different from those in Trance „ From an nrticle on Light Hailronds, in volir issue of October 30. I hnvo been very nleased to read that._t.he opinionsof the two competent engineers, Messrs. ■purkcrt and H. Vickerman, arc much tho same as my own. I do not wish to unduly prolong this letter, so will not quote much _ from thn published reports of other engineers wlTo were actually ennraged in operating the war railways in France. Those reports were lo this effect:— THt tho little locomotives became derailed many times daily, but the menuveniencft wns not 60 much folt. dcciuisp there were nhvnvs hundmifi of men nt band ready to lift them on again. Banid construction and removal wero all-im-portant. and very high working expenses were of no consaquonco whatever. Let us hope that the Government will nnl'v nllow those lines to be built, under the I)istricl Railways Act by tho districts desiring thorn. fThe locnl ratepayers will then he rcgponsible for tho upkeep, and we, the

public, shall not lw burdened with malting good any shortago in revenue.—l am, ul;e., JAMES E. FULTON, M. Inst. C.E. Australasia Chambers, Welliugton, November 1, 1920.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19201102.2.106

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 32, 2 November 1920, Page 10

Word count
Tapeke kupu
470

PROPOSED ROTORUA TO TAUPO RAILWAY Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 32, 2 November 1920, Page 10

PROPOSED ROTORUA TO TAUPO RAILWAY Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 32, 2 November 1920, Page 10

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