SOUTHERN MAIN TRUNK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 935, 31 March 1930, Page 18

SOUTHERN MAIN TRUNK

400 MEN ENGAGED IN WORK OF CONSTRUCTION MORE TO BE EMPLOYED Special to TUB SUN. WELLINGTON, Today. j There are now almost 400 men en- j gaffcd on the constructional work of i the South Island Main Trunk line, j and more will be placed on the south- i ern end shortly. A total of 228 men forms the line \ at the Wharanui end, and the south-! ern link is being formed by 71 labour- j ers. The original estimate of cost for i the 76 miles of line was £2,176,000 and this estimate is still unrevised, though the decision of the Government that future constructional works must show interest on the capital expended from the time of commencement of the work is estimated to add a fair sum to the total. Tho task ahead is long and heavy and it is by no means certain that the line will ever be carried to conclusion, with political developments as they are. Two years would be a conservative estimate for the work, which carries it past the time of the next : general election. Fortunately for the progress of the line and its possibilities as a relief work, the country through which the new railway link is being formed is not difficult “slip” country, and will j stand up well to the winter rains, so j that progress will not be arrested to any degree during the months to ! come. Major works in the construe- | tion of the line are the provision of road deviations (in some places the present road is merely a shelf above I the sea, and the line is being laid on | top of it, so that a new road must be j be formed) and the making of tun-1 nels. There will be several tunnels j on the line between the Conway and j the Clarence, but the longest will be j that of 26 chains through the Hawks- ! foot Saddle. The original vote of £40,000 by | Parliament for the commencement o£ | the line is now over-spent and tbs j work will be financed out of the sum j set aside by the Railway Department for construction and improvements This will continue until it is decidea wliat will be done about providing the balance of finance for the line, fci which it may be necessary to raise a special loan.