BUSINESSMEN VOICE PROTEST

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 681, 5 June 1929, Page 1

BUSINESSMEN VOICE PROTEST

That South Island Main Trunk BRUSH WITH PRIME MINISTER WHEN a deputation from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce waited on the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph "Ward, today, the leader of the deputation, Mr. 11. T. Merritt, chairman of the Chamber, exchanged words with the Prime Minister concerning the Government's railway policy. The central point of the argument was the decision to complete the South Island Main Trunk.

T\TR. MERRITT said that the Cliamber did not make any objection to j the abandonment of the Taupo-Roto-rua line, or the Palmerston North de- i viation, realising that the Government had acted for reasons of economy. Regarding the South Island Main ! Trunk route, Mr. Merritt and the Prime Minister had a slight difference of opinion on the Fay-Raven commission report and the Fay-Casey report, Mr. Merritt claiming that the Chamber thought that the Fay-Casey report should be given consideration. Sir Joseph said that the Fay-Casey report was not taken into account. According to that report, said Mr. Merritt, a loss of £140,000 a year was estimated for the South Island Trunk line. Mr. Merritt wished to be assured that the same careful economic investigation should be made of the South Trunk line as of the other railways. Sir Joseph: But the Fay-Raven commission report favoured that railway as the only one which should be completed. Mr. Merritt: But was not that report taken contemporaneously with the suggestion of a train ferry service ? Sir Joseph Ward: No. The report was separate. Mr. Merritt then read a letter to the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. B. Taverner, asking if the Ward-Par-nassus line had been subjected to the same scrutiny as other lines, and if the Fay-Casey report on the line had been taken into consideration. Sir Joseph read the recommendation of the Fay-Raven commission, and stated that the commissioners recommended the completion of the line between Ward and Parnassus, irrespective of an inter-island train-ferry. Mr. Merritt: Why, if the line were so important, did not the late Government carry out the line? Sir Joseph: All that 1 can say is that the late Government promised to carry out the work, but had not done so. Mr. Merritt said that the Chamber viewed with alarm the prosecution of railway works, and thought that all projective lines should be inquired into carefully by an independent board of experts. Under the Minister of Transport, a Transport Advisory Board had been set up, and such questions could be referred to it. Dr. E. P. Neale, secretary of the

Chamber of Comm lt 1 , and Mr. A. G. Lunn also spoke. The deputation, said Sir Joseph, had based its requests on wrong assumptions. The gap in the South Trunk line was the only main line gap in New Zealand. It broke communication between the whole of both islands. It was the only liue that should be completed from a policy point of view. The Government had been pledged to the completion of the line before the election. The deputation was behind the age. if he might say so. The railway had beeu investigated by independent high authorities, and if New Zealand wanted another report, it would have to son l out for men beyond her shores, for there were not men in New Zealand capable of dealing with the question. The representations would be carefully noted, but Sir Joseph wished to make it clear that the deputation was arguing from wrong premises. It was not logical to object to the completion of a section that would give communication throughout New Zealand. Regarding the Transport Board. Sir Joseph said that it had nothing to do and would have nothing to do with railway administration. The board was set up for the control of motorcars. The solution of the transport problem, in his opinion, was the long-dis-tance railway. The Transport Board was set up to consider road travel, for motors had as much right to run as the railways. Replying to a question. Sir Joseph said that no mandatory system could be fixed for railways. As Minister of Railways, he had put oil the first Rotorua express, w r hich had paid its way in two years. On its present grounds, the deputation would have taken that express off, when it was not paying. Rotorua and the line had prospered since those days. PROTEST FROM WELLINGTON (From Our Resident Reporter) WELLINGTON, Today. That, unless the Government inquired further into the proposal to complete the South Island Main Trunk railway, they would be taking a leap in the dark, was the opinion expressed by Mr. E. Salmond, chairman, at last evening's meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, in moving a resolution that the Government be requested to make further inquiries and obtain a report upon the profit-earn-ing capacity of the line under presentday conditions before incurring any expenditure upon additional construction works. Mr. Salmond said that members would notice the motion was couched in guarded terms. The chamber had not sufficient information to make any further statement of its opinion. On one hand was the opinion of Mr. F. J. Jones, former chairman of the Board of Management of the New Zealand Railways, who expressed the conviction that the railway would not pay; while the Fay-Casey Commission a few years ago arrived at the same conclusion. On the other hand was a vague statement by the Prime Minister that the line would pay. The chairman thought the Chamber should take notice of the discussion regarding the line which, if it was proceeded with and resulted in a loss, as experts predicted, would mean further taxation. The motion was carried unanimously without discussion.