WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 October 1931, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. SOUTH ISLAND DEMAND. (Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, October 5. On Wednesday next—the day after o-morr'uv— a party some four hundred ,trong from Marlborough and North Canterbury will wait upon the Prime Minister and his colleagues in Welling-; on with a request, approaching very nearly a demand, that the South Island portion of the Alain Trunk Railway, marked on the map and approved •by Parliament sixty years ago, shall be completed forthwith. This onslaught uoon the Government, as a protest against the recent report of the Railway t<» the effect that the work upon the line should be discontinued, has en organised by Mr E. E. Healv, the verv live member for Wairau in the .-•resent House of Representatives, 'who has had the cordial support of a great majority of the settlers and workers between Christchurch and ' Blenheim. S' r Joseph Ward, it will be remembered, on coming into office three years ago, made the completion of this arterial line the most urgent of his railway schemes and since then it has been pushed on at a cost of sonte. 1 or £800,000.--RAILWAY BOARD’S OPINION,

The Railway Board, .which inspected the line carefully a month or two ago,. . came to the conclusion that even if. another £700,000 or £BOO,OOO were spent upon its completion it still would remain an unprofitable undertaking. It .is doubtful, however, if < the members of the board, even if they gave any careful attention to the productive ability of the country to be served by the lme, were able to form any reliable estimate of its magnitude. Members of Parliament who drove through the country last week, most of them expecting to h e able to confirm the opinion of the Railway Board, had quite a different tale to tell. Mr G. €. Munns, the member for Roskill, an Aucklander,. who was not expected to grow enthusiastic, over the South Island, on his return declared .that he had been astounded by what he had seen. “I was told,” he said, “that we were coming to a land of precipices, rocks and barren land, but 1 have seen just good lanu all along the route.” For closer settlement, he

declared, nothing could be better

OTHER OPINIONS,

The Hon. C. J. Carrington, another Aucklander, who confessed he had come strongly prejudiced against Marlborough, had a similar tale to Mr Mu mi's to tell. “I left Auckland,” he told his hosts at Blenheim, “prejudiced n gainst the line for the simple reason I was under the impression it followed the rocky cOaSt-ihle all the WaJL i _ Understood the land—l hay© been as* fioeiated with farming fob a quarter of a. confui'y--(Uid I say, without tho slightest fear of contradiction that there is no province with greater possibilities for development as far as closer settlement is concerned than rs the Marlborough province.” Mr Harris, yet another Aucklander, aroused some amusement at the welcome to the visitors, by his characteristic caution. “It is the first time I have been over the route,” he told his hosts, “and I want to assure you I am very deeply impressed with the country I have seen. It does not necessarily follow I am going to support the railway.” M.r Langstone, the Labour member for Waimnrino, contented himself by saying if the Government did not complete the railway the Opposition would. BY AND BY. What with the weight of the LabourParty, now the Opposition, and the disposition of many supporters of the Coalition Government, it is not likely that the idea of completing the South Island Main Trunk will be. altogether dismissed by the present Parliament. J Probably if the Railway Beard were I entrusted with the last word in the matter the completion of the line on the scale contemplated by Sir Julius j Vogel six decades ago would be finally abandoned. But thanks largely to the efforts of Mr Healy and his predecessors in the representation of the district in j Parliament, the public is beginning to j realise that the province of Marlj borough is entitled to more attention j .than it has received from those in 'authority for many years past. The i province is capable of very substantial development in various directions, and this development is waiting only the facilities the Government will be able j to provide when the passing troubles have been overcome. There is no province within the Dominion more fully entitled to helpful attention.