LIGHT RAILWAYS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10288, 24 May 1919, Page 7

LIGHT RAILWAYS

.-,., FOR OUTLYING DISTRICTS. ''.'»' iBVIDETfCB BEFORE INDUSTRIES COMMITTEES. ''MtT/W. Furkert, of the Public Works Department, was called yesterday" by the Parliamentary Industries 'Committee to give evidence on the tuestion of light railways for outlying istr-icts-and the purchase by the Government Of light railway material that had'bee'n ; used on the Western front. The witness stated that nine-tenths of our roads were ■ not suitable for light railways Tunning along the side. Twofoot gauge railways were too much like ■ toy •■ *He"imd~been told' that they■■ had -'carried 6-inch guns on 2ft gauge railways, but they could do any-" thing in time of war that would never bo„stoßg»Sflinniercially. A 2ft Gin or 3f<T gauge, especially the latter, would not' be so bad. The Public Works Dep'tfrfemeß* had cabled t©> "their own men who were at the fronti to try to got. hold of light railway materials — Anything'from 301 bto 401 b—to be used for construction work, but they had not., been, able to do so. His opinion was that there had been bo much destruction at the front that all the material,on,the spot at the endofc the war would be needed there. Light railways would be suitable for the Nelson and Motueka and. other fruit districts, and other districts like Wnitara, where it was so difficult to get metal for roads; but the difficulty was that if they were under the same management as the existing railways the tendency wlways would he to' bring them up to -tha-•same- standard as the main lines: . ■■- If a light railway was to be built, i\TJ would be built in the best place, inde-'J ,-pejident >" of the present road. If a JigJrMailway took up 10ft of the width ,pf „a. 4.6 ft jroad, they would have to injj£ej;'se, .the width, of the road by 10ft, jorjit least.sft, to allow, for it, as the "people"would still want to use carta ana motors on the road. In the CatKris district, at the urgent request of the settlers, they had laid down wooden tramlines'''on 1 the roads,' but one settler. who'waß'at'loggerheads with his neighbours,, r protested that he wanted to use lus/carts-on the road, and they had been.'-' fighting, ever since. Light railways could be made for £3OOO a mile. €hey had been made for £I2OO in Queensland.' 'They "would have to be TUti''-'under local management, stopping like tramways when required, to pick up goods or passengers, if they were to pay and, to/serve the districts properly. * He believe'd' in light railways to de- ; vclop .outlying districts where there was enough 'traffic to make them pay. If the Government was satisfied that a light railway would pay, the Government should have power to lend money at'a bedrock rate of interest to the local* peffple to build the lines. Reply-■ lite" I "to'Dr. Nowmau and Mr G. W.' "Forbes JM : .P.'s, the witness stated that .i)i-;E|igland- motor-lorry traffic was takjiig'j/he plaoo of light railways. Per .ton-mile,/given : sufficient traffic, light railways '.were much cheaper thar motor-lorry traffic.