CHANNEL TUNNEL.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1916, Page 6

CHANNEL TUNNEL.

APPEAL TO THE PREMIER. ■■ On behalf of the executive of the House of Commons Channel Tunnel Committee, Mr. Arthur Fell, M.P., addressed the following letter to the Prime Minister on August 10: "Sir,—Three years ago yon received n deputation from the Channel Tunnel Committee of members of the House oi Commons, nnd you replied to that deputation that the question of the Channel tunnel was being considered by tlie Army Council, assisted by various Government departments. The opinion of the Government had not been communicated to the committee when the war broke out, and as the tunnel could not have been built in time to be of any service during this war, the committee refrained from troubling tlie Government with the matter. "Nov; that we have entered on the third year of the war, although tbe end may not yet be in sight, still, pre-' parations are already being made on all sides to meet the conditions which will prevail after peace has been declared. In the opinion of this committee, one of the most important and pressing works to be undertaken, as soon as the necessary labor is available will be the Channel tunnel. "It will provide a large amount of work for labor, both on the work- itself and in the making of the machinery and plant for the work. It will improve the means of communication between this country and our Allies on the Continent out of all measure, and enable the Paris resolutions to be carried out, by providing a rapid means of communication -vita France, and also with Belgium and Italy—countries which will need every 'help to enable them to divert their trade profitably from Germany to this country. It will so strengthen the military position of the Allies for a possible further war that the commencement of the tunnel will render such a war less like'y; and the mere fact of its construction being determined on will have a favourable effect on the conditions of peace which the Allies may be in a position to enforce. PROPOSED DFjPUTATION. ' "This committee, more, than a year before the war, in their published documents, pointed out the assistance the tunnel would render this country in the event of our being called on under our guarantee to defend the niutr.ility of Belgium, and that our armies and stores would be transported to the field of battle more quickly and securely than by sea. The course of the war has proved the correctness of our statements, although the size of our armies and the amount of the stores to be transported to France has far gxeceded all expectations. Still, the engineer-! of the tunnel and of the French Northern Railway affirm that every soldier and every tun of goods eonld have been carried through the tunnoi, as well as large quantities of coal and other stores required by the French Government, nnd tlie wounded brought back from France to their hospitals in England. By this means millions of tons of shipping would have been available for other purposes, freights would not have been so excessive, and food would have been lower in price. "This committee, who have now grown from 100 to 180 members, drawn proportionately from all the four parties in the House of Commons, have received such support from the outside public, from soldiers r.ntl sailors, and from representatives of tlie allied Powers, that they think it is due to their supporters to ask the Government to consider the subject from the experience gained in the war, and the, new conditions which, now prevail, so that preparations may be made for the commencement of the works as soon as peace is declared. "The French, we understand, have everything ready to commence worlc on their side of the Channel as soon as the English Government give their sanction to the work on the English side. This committee, therefore, beg His Majesty's Government to give the matter their most earnest attention, and they propose after the recess to ask you to receive, a deputation of their members, to whom you may be able to announce the Government's decision."