LIGHT RAILWAYS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 663, 25 April 1914, Page 2

LIGHT RAILWAYS.

| PRIME MINISTER'S VIEWS,

DEVELOPMENT OP COUNTRY

The persistency of the branch railway lines w»a referred to by the -Prime Minister on Tuesday after turning the first sod of a branch line from Whangarei. This, he said, was particularly noticeable in districts where dairying had bsen making rapid progress, and Mr Massey said he looked upon light lines with favour, one advantage being that in caies where the construction of permanent lines was not justifiable the Government could assist districts putting ilown light lnes to pioneer, the development of their resources. But this should be dona on the understanding that when later on the Government deemen it advisable to take over the line at a valuation, opportunity of doing so mum be given. Some little time ago the GovernmsEt sent En engineer to inquire into the system of light lina as used in Belgium, and that officer had obtained a fund o? information which would dnubtless bs of considerable use 111 the future. | Mr Massey said that an all important stipulation in regard to light lines was that no matter what condition regulated their construction, they must absolutely be of a standard 3ft Gin gauge. They might be as light as required, and they Eiiight run round hills to avoid cutting,, but they must not he of irregular gauge. Some districts, added the Premier, were particularly suitable for light lines, as for instance, Taranaki, where the dairying industry was being developed so extensively. Arrangements were being made by the settler there to construct light lines, and he thought that in the tuture there would be hundreds of such lines helping to develop various parts of our fertile Dominion.