The Railways Statement

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1922, Page 4

The Railways Statement

DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE. 1 (Hansard Report.) Mr T. E. Y. Scddon, M.P., for West land, said:—There are one or two points in connection with the Westland Section of railways which I desire to brine under the notice of the Minister. I "wish, first of all, to ask the hooiiriible gentleman if he and the officers of bis Department have any estimate of what the increased traffic will be oh the Westland Section when tli Otirn Tunnel is completed. I i know that they have exercised a cer- I tain amount of foresight in the mattci I because already at tiie. Stillwater station vast improvements have been I made so as to cope, with the increased , traffic, which at Stillwater will biancb i south and north. That island station at Stillwater has been completed for j sonic months, and so far so good ; but . when we conio to the town of Grey- | month I think tlie Minister will realise | that the present condition of alt airs cannot exist much longer The .station is badly situated. With the coal ti a the . coming down to the wharf from Black- , ball and the State mines, and tlio crowding-in of the traffic-trains Rom Otirn and Roof ton, there is a great deal of danger to ordinary pedestrian , and vehicular traffic m tlie town it ; self. It has been recognised for some ■ time T think, among the railway officials that there is not sufficient room at the present station site, and that other arrangements have got to ,c , made Wo' should like to know m Grovmoutli how soon those alterations are going to ho made, what the plans and specifications are, how the Department are going to altar the station, and where they are going to put the rolling-stock. Then, farther south at Hokitika, the Railway Departin' nt have bad representations made to them to increase , tlie facilities there for the loading of timber. I >ehe tlfiifc tlie Dopartiiient have drawn up plans so that at Gibson’s Quay and towards the rail way-swat ion there will be sites allocated to tlie different gawnulldrs for the loading of their timber; but so far no work lias been done Tlie Department were anxious to get the local bodies to agree to the alterations which will have to be made m the town of Hokitika. That agreement was drawn up and the terns were si greed upon nt a meeting '>» tin officials’of the railway department with representatives of local bodies. Ihat was some considerable time back, but nothing has been done. Then, farther south from Hokitika to Ross, the Department had representations made to them to revert to the old time-table. So far tlie Department have not done so. I should like to point out to tlie Minister that as the tourist season nilvawes and the summor-time comes, when there will he considerable traffic between Hokitika and South Westland, the people will have to lt.se the road from Ross to Hokitika. As the Department are at the present time running so many special trains for the purpose of bringing timber to Hokitika, it seems to me it would pay the Department to levert to the previous time-table. Representations have also boon made to the Department that a number of, trains coming from (Him to Grevmoufh and on to Hokitikh do not' regularly stop at places which formerly were small, but now have grown iii size, stiid tlie people of "Inch regal’d the places as big enough to I fear rant tli trains stopping there. I | have made representations on behalf of I the people pit Baxter’s Siding, and Koj kiri, and Batura, and Tc Kinga. I would urge on the Government. to have tlie trains slop at those places. There is also a inquest made on behalf of the settlers in South Westland i which is a most reasonable one, but which, 1 believe, at the first time ol asking has I icon refused. From Ross 1 southwards there is a big fanning population, and the only wav to get produce to the people there is by talc- j ing iL in motor-lorries, or by using ; i tram-line, though it is of the same , gauge as the railway. If produce ' could be taken down oven that line to , Waitalia, a most circuitous route would he avoided, which is at present followed bv traffic going south. It would lie of tlie grimiest possible. advantage to the settlers in South \\ estland. " Why the Department rcfusul to grant the request of the settlers and the sawniilling company I do not know, f should like the Minister to reconsider the matter. It is just like the railways—the same gauge—ninl there is no" reason why tlio goods should not ho brought down over it. As to the other matters, J wrote to the Minister about facilities at the (Ireymouth Station and the Hokitika Station, and in connection with the expected increase of traffic from Otirn when the -tunnel is open. I would like an expression of opinion from the .Minister, and possibly some advice as to what the Government intends to do, if it is intended to carry out inis important work; and I would advise them to carry it out very quickly indeed, because we expect the tunnel will beopen early ill the new year, and an increase of traffic will then ensue. .The Hon Mr Guthrie, Minister of Railways in tlio course of bis reply said the honorable member for Westland had referred to tlio Grey mouth and Hokitika railway stations. '1 hose matters wore really occupying the attention of the authorities, and they were on Uiw.JtCgWltpJis l *-