RIVAL ROUTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 7 May 1925, Page 4

RIVAL ROUTES

EAST COAST FAVOURED BY CANTERBURY PROGRESS LEAGUE WEST COAST 58 PER GENT. J.ONCER. (Bv Telegraph —Special to The Mail.) CHRISTCHURCH, A lay 6. The report of the special committee set. up by the Canterbury Progress League to report on the comparative suitability of the East Coast (Whare-mii-Parnassus) and West Coast (Glen-, hope-ltiangahua) sections of the uncompleted railway to serve as links in the dominions unain trunk line and the commercial and developmental possibilities, immediate and prospective, of the more suitable route, was submitted at tonight's meeting of the executive of the League. Tho investigation of these questions arose out of a request made last year by the Marlborough Progress League, for the Canterbury League’s support, in urging the Government to complete the South Island main trunk line at art early date by constructing the section between Wharenui and Parnassus. a distance of 81 miles. 'The special committee consists of Aressrs H. Herbert Smith (chairman), AicKellar, W. H. Nicholson,. H. R. Best. W. K. Me Alpine and P. R. Climie (secretary). Several members of the committee travelled over the whole of: the rival routes, heard local testimony, and formed their own opinions concerning the claims made on behalf ot the various districts. The report is a very comprehensive one and contains several pages cf illustrations, and a map of the route is appended. The report gives a biief summary of the results of the commit-, tee’s investigations, the.docisions arrived at. and the recommendations submitted. These are as , follows , (1) That considered as part of a main trunk railway connecting the extreme north with the extreme south of New Zealand the. East Coast route is the most suitable for the following reasons—(a) Because it is 148 miles shorter than the West Coast router;---(b) because itopens up country whose productivitycan be appreciably improved by railway connection; (c) because the volume of "traffic already passing over the route is considerable enough to give promise ot"' payable dimensions when ; the line actually is constructed ;■ (cl) because the line appears destined to carry all the passenger traffic between the North and South Islands in conjunction with a. train ferry service, this feature alone indicating" a good revenue earning prospect and one that must improve with **vory increase in the population i.t tne Dominion. (2) The committee strongly recentmends that the Government- be urged to carry out complete surveys of the r est Coast route between the existing tail heads as an essential preliminary iu the early construction of the line. (3j That tho committee is of <pini m that the decision of the 'Government to push on with the line from Gienliope as far south as Alurchison is wmvanted by the general conditions anc. _ situation of the Alurchison district «Ld is rendered necessary by the fact that considerable expenditure lias already been incurred in extending the - Ine southward from Glerihppe. (4) That the committee-is not convinced that the early completion of -.ne l.ne between Alurchison and Inangahua* Junction, is of pressing importance, though it- believes that ultimately the J line should be built. The cost of completion of the East. Coast line according to estimate» of the Minister of' Public Works- is £2,176,000, made up as follows —Parnassus-Kai-koura (Hapuka River) 44 miles, £1,595,100; Kaikoura-Wharenui 37 miles, £580,900; total £2,176,000. The committees omnion is that the cost, especially of the Parnassus-Kaikoura section. has been overstated, but in any case it can only be accepted as approximate in the absence of complete surveys which the Minister admits have not yet been made over a considerable portion of tho route. The estimate has'icfcii arrived at, so the committee has been informed, on the assumption that fhe work would be done-at the same costas similar work already carried out in similar localities elsewhere, allowance being made for variations in the value of such items as labour. If the work were carried out by contract the committee considers these estimates would he considerably reduced. It does r.ot require a very large stretch of imagination to see in the future a fast express service from end to end of the dominion crossing Cook Strait by railway fei-rv steamers and entirely eliminating passenger traffic between Lyttelton and Wellington bv sea. That- would be a logical result” to follow the completion of the main trunk line, as a recent royal commission lias pointed out in its report. In the circumstances, carrying the whole of the Lyttelton-Weilington passenger traffic, together with additions due to increased population t -at the vears will bring, and the greater facility of travel, the passenger revenue of the' 81 miles section might easily be in the neighbourhood of. £250,000 per annum, which would 'more than coyer all the running costs without atlcnying for traffic-arising en route between Christchurch and Blenheim. The mileages of the two routes are—'West. Coast 307 miles (Port Nelsoiy tp Christchurch via Arthur’s Pass); East Coast 222 miles (Picton to Christchurch). The West Coast route involves 85 more miles, a difference which the committee thinks puts it out of court as a. main trunk railway, especially in these davs when railways are subject to such, keen competition both in carriage • i passengers and goods. Another point that militates against the selection of Nelson as the terminus of a main trunk line is the distance that, separates Nelson from Wellington. Front Picton to Wellington, tho distance as computed in the Nautical Almanac is 51 miles, and from Nelson to Wellington 106 miles. These are nautical miles. Extending the distances to land miles (59 miles and 122 miles respectively) it will be found that the distance between Christchurch and Wellington via hie West Coast route is 429 miles and via the East Coast route 281 miles, a difference in favour of the East Const route of 148 miles. To put it another way the West Coast route would be 58 per cent, longer than the East Coast route.

DISCUSSION DEFERRED

(By Telegraph.—Special to The Mail.)

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The report of the chairman, Air J. H. Blackwell, remarked that as the report, had been only before members ot the League only that evening an opportunity ought to be given them to read it carefully before a discussion is taken. He moved that the report be received and that 500 copies be printed for circulation among public bodies, members of Parliament, and others interested and the discussion be deferred until the next meeting. The motion was carried.