CORRESPONDENCE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 18 December 1919, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

LIGHT RAILWAYS

To the Editor.

SIR, —Build light railways, where necessary, but do not build narrow gauge lines, if you wish light railways to be a success. My reason for advising you in this direction is quite clear to anyone having experience in handling thousands of tons of produce to and from a market or shipping port. "Handling" is the killing factor in change cf gauge, where everything has to be unloaded and reloaded when consigned beyond the limit of the narrow gauge. I could take you to the border of Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria, and show you wastage by the hundred thousand. Let them pay their own piper. We must not have the idea here. Build your light lines to the present gauge—3 feet 6 inches, with 201b rails and 2ft or 2ft 2in centres. You can use any stock three parts worn (at present in use on your open road) and with safety use this for years to come—as long as you do not exceed 20 miles an hour, and see that your grades are not steeper than 1 in 80 and your curves are easy and safely radius (the speed and cant of curve meets all difficultie here). You can see at a glance that if you build a 2Sli or 24in. gauge everything going further afield must be transhipped and handled a second time, whereas in using the Dominion gauge, 3ft 6in, you take the light wagons and light engines already obsolete for the open road, use them with safety, and take your goods to port or market without unnecessary delay or extra handling. The light lines behind the trenches were a grand idea, and the break of gauge a splendid thing in strategy. Even half an inch would capsize the enemies first attempt to make use of a 24in. for his 23Hin. rolling stock. The first points or crossing would i upset the caravan and land Yon Hindenburg in the mud. When you build your light railways I want to be able to load 1000 sheep at the foot of the sand hills near, the, Kaipara Heads at 6 o'clock on Monday evening, have them penned at Westfield before 9 p.m. the same night, have a night's rest, and sell by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, getting home in time for lunch. A light railway on these practical lines will pay every day in the year.—l am, etc., Wayfarer.