THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 9 November 1901, Page 3

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

The Arthur’s Pass Tunnel

Expert Advice to be Obtained.

There was some enquiry on the Public Works’ Estimate concerning the Midland Railway. Mr Homes was anxious to know what the Government proposed to do about this work, and he suggested that the treatment of the debenture-holders woul affect our loans on the London market. This s'atement Sir Joseph Ward took serious exception to ridiculing the suggestion that our loans could bo affected in any such manner. In reply to an interjection, Sir Joseph saul that if the worst come to the worst we could raise within the colony whatever loans we required. Captain Russell held that members ought to know, before they voted the money, what was the position of the railway. If we were to have the tunnel cut at Arthur’s Pass, it ought to be put in hand at once. Unless there was atunnel it would be impossible to conduct mineral traffic over the top of the pass.

Mr Hogg agreed that it would be almost suicidal to proceed with the work until members knew more about it. The tunnel would be over six miles in length, and as the lino would go through barren country, he thought money proposed to be spent on the tunnel might as well be thrown into the ocean.

Hon. W. Hall-Jones explained that the question was whether a system of haulage to the top of the pass, somewhat similar to that on the Rimutaka line should bo adopted, or whether a tunnel should be constructed. He agreed that the tunnel was the best from economical and commercial points of view. However, the Government did not propose to start with the tunnel at present. Arrangements had been made that an expert, Mr Bogue, a man of very high standing, who was highly spoken of by the Chairman of the Canadian Pacific Company, should report as to the best way of dealing with this section. The tunnel proposed would be six miles ten chains in length. Mr Bogue would leave for New Zealand in the course of a week. In answer to Mr Hogg, Hon. Hall-Jones raid the expert would also bo consulted in regard to the Rimutaki deviation.

Mr Guinness resented the terms in which Mr Hogg had spoken of the railway, claiming that it was exceedingly unfair to judge of the lino from what he had seen from Arthur’s Pass.