ANOTHER RED HERRING.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 105, 27 June 1913, Page 1

ANOTHER RED HERRING.

Across The Waiuku

Railway.

On more than one occasion the "Times" has given its reasons for its belief that the hopes of the advocates of the Waiuku railway will not be realised. Those reasons were not prompted by a spirit of antagonbut merely by an impartial desire to look the facts fairly in the face as they exist tc-day.

In a letter in these columns some time ago Mr J. Henry, of Patumahoe, expressed the opinion that letters to the local press wsuld have little weijht in favour of the railway. We now suggest, in a spirit of self-effacement, that the Leagues should bring pressure to bear 011 the metropolitan press to see what they will or can do in the matter.

The "Herald," we notice, is fighting for the Coast line, but so far as we remember it has never lifted a finger to help the Waiuku line. In its issue of Wednesday the Herald says:— "Parliament re-opens to-morrow; before Parliament adjourns adequate attention should have been paid, and sufficient money allocated, to the most important railway project ever placed before the people of New Zealand. In the South Island we have the pressure of an unreasoning and automatic sectional movement forcing the Government, at a time of great financial ttringency, to spend half-a-million sterling upon a tunnel which cannot and will not assist production in any way whatever ; in the North Island, amazingly little interest is taken in tne pushing forward of the East Coast railway, the effect of which would he to open up more country and to increase wealth production more greatly than has been achieved by I any railway yet opened, North or South. Some progress is being made with the East Coast Railway from the eastern end, thanks to the intelligent activity of Gisborne and there are visible prospects of vigorous action south of Gisborre thanks to the shrewd interest of Napier, but tfce Waihi end of the East Coast route is treated with contemptuous indifference by succes:ive governments, one cf the first official act 3 of Mr Fraser being to stop the work grudgingly and reluctantly ordered by his predecessor. The apathy of Auckland to a great developmental line is the cause of this Ministerial trifling. Lines are not built on their merits, either bv Continuous or Reform Administrations—[Do you hear that, Waiuku?Ed. "Tim£s"]--or we should not have had the East Coast construction stopped and Otira Tunnel construction pushed, and defended. Only the unfaltering insistency of districts and members draws Ministerial support and departmental approval to any project --[Are you still listening, Waiuku?— Ed. "Times'']—and we shall never cave justice done to the East Coast proposition until Auckland and Auckland's members insist on its claims

being considered and recognised. Such provincial Ection will be more than justified because of the splendid returns the line will yield for the arncunt required to construct it; in lact there is no better investment cfI fertd in any other avenue into whi c'i Public Works money is at prtssr.t going. As far as Auckland is concerned, to public woik, complele or con offers Euch benefit?. Everybody knows the benefits d;livtd by the city frcm the Main Trunk construction, but it can be unhesitatingly asserted that the trade created by the East Coast line will be of more value to Auckland than the trade created by the Main Trurk. "Ihe commercial interests of Auckland are the commercial interests of New Zealand for the city cannnt profit by new ard expanding trade without ihe Dominion similarly profiting by increasing and buoyant revenue. New Zealandei'3 ought to realise that the East Coast line, including the Pokena deviation, will ! open up more productive country, | develop more trade ar.d add mere to j the yearly wealth production of the Dominion than did any equal length of Main Trunk line. The total length of the East Coast line from Waihi to Gisborne is 218 miles, that of the desirable connection between Pokeco and Faeroa 13 44 miles—262 mile 3in all. No similar length on any line in New Zealand could possibly yield as much revenue from traffic; benefit as many people already on the land, open up so much new country to settlement, or so greatly increase the unfailing yi6ld of the laud, as this 262 miles of railway required to effectively complete railway connection between Auckland and Gisborne. Those who know much of New Zealand are the most impressed by the country travered by the proposed East Coast lice and the most fascinated by the vast potentialities of this neglected district. Ministers who see it for the first time declaim of the great population it will some day carry and wax eloquent upon the tens of thousands of homes and hundreds of thousands of prosperous people who will some day be found in what are now undeveloped wilds; but none of them seem to see any necessity for immediate action, for r.ona cf them have had laid upon them the whip of a determined public agitation. Yet the East Coast can only be effectively t'eveloped by this railway. Between Auckland and Gisborne there is only one poit worthy of mention, and this fa absolutely unfit for large steamers. Through the whole length of the line the Government would be carrying produce to the terminal points, thus reaping the full reward cf a constiurtion policy. It may be sail that the money is not available for energetic construction. Thie is a point requiring fearless criticism and impartial comment. Why 13 there ho little money for railway construction and so much for other purposes".' This is a question which the public have a right to ask, ard which Mr Massey should endeavour to answer. 7 ' Let us repeat what our contemporary says: "Only the unfalterirg insistency of districts and numbers draws Ministerial eupuort and departmental approval of any project."