The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1904. AN EXTRAVAGANT PROPOSAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 109, 12 May 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1904. AN EXTRAVAGANT PROPOSAL.

A telegram that appeared in yesterday's issue conveyed the information that the straightening of the Hutt line of railway is to be proceeded with at once, at a cost of over half a million of money. Sir Joseph Ward made the announcement when attending some function at PetoTW, and he did not fail to point out the alleged advantages of this work, which, by the way, is to be pushed on " with vigour." He said that the new works would make a tremendous difference in time to passengers on the Hutt to Wellington line. Under present conditions the maximum speed at which the train can travel is 23 miles an hour, but when the straightening is completed the rate can be increased to 45 miles an hour, which Is the maximum allowed in the colony. Considering the needs of the settlers in the back blocks of the colony, we regard this proposal to expend over half a million as a piece of unwarrantable and unnecessary extravagance, that would result in benefits of such a microscopical character as to be out of all proportion to such a large outlay. The distance from Wellington to the Hutt Is nine miles, and the time occupied by the train between the two places, including three stoppages, ig 29 minutes. Probably, therefore, the average speed is 20 miles an hour, which compares very favourably with the speed of ordinary trains on the Taranaki section. The mail train, however,, which leaves Wellington at 8.22 a.m., departs from Lower Hutt at 8.43, so that it gets along at the rate of 27 miles an hour, which is more than Sir Joseph Ward says can be done in safety owing to the curves. If the Government is knowingly running this train at a higher speed than the limit of safety permits then it is taking a heavy responsibility in doing so. But the fact remains that this train has been running for a long time, and so it may 'be taken for granted that 27 miles per hour is not too much for the Hutt line, and that being so we fail to see the urgent necessity for embarking upon this large expenditure at the present time. No doubt the removal or reduction of the curves on the line is a desirable thing. The same may be said of the Wellington-Taranaki line, but we should not clamour for it to be done while works of much greater urgency are staring us in the face. The railway service between Wellington and the Hutt may stand In need of improvement— most likely it does—and it probably could to some extent be improved with present appliances. In any case, the saving of five minutes on a short journey does not appear to us of sufficient urgency to warrant the colony spending half a million of money. The Minister for Railways asserts that a portion of the money is "expected" to be returned by the sale of land reclaimed during the straightening but how much he does not say. However that may be, we feel it our duty to protest against the proposal, upon tho ground that if there is any such Bum available for expenditure it can bo laid out to much better advantage in developing the country and in the relief of teome of the t hardships of the country settlers in the interior.