MASTERTON-WAIPUKURAU

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10110, 4 October 1910, Page 5

MASTERTON-WAIPUKU-RAU

PROPOSED NEW RAILWAY

TI-IE PREMIER GIVES NO HOPE

Yesterday afternoon the Prime Minister received a deputation on the subjsct of the proposed Maeter-ton-Waipukurau railway—a work that has been urgrd for several years past. The deputation was introduced by Mr A,. W. Hogg, M.P., who said he knew the district intimately, and if such a raiiwdy was made it would intersect a lar»r- area of country 30 to 40 miles from a shipping port on one side or a railway on the other. It was paya ccun. try, the roads were soft and unequal to winter traffic, and the general result was that country adapted for close settlement had been converted into sheep runs. The deputation, consisting of members of local bodies' and settlers, expressed the full belief that such a line would pay. A survey had been authorised and partially carried out, and the settlers were willing to guarantee the interest on the necessary expenditure providing .tin Government would pass a Bill defining the route to be followed. It was also slated that the area which the railway would lap consis.ed «f a million and a quarter acres. Sir Joseph Ward said that the estimated cost of tue. liui wa3 £850,001'. The deputation pointed out. however, that its desire was to go by a different route, costing £530,000. Sir Joseph stated that he wculd like to be able to tell them that the Government could put snch a railway in hard. In the House he had indicated that it was one of the railways that ought to he made, but the diffi culty was to borrow sufficient money fot all the works that were necessary. The Dominion was going to spend this year over two and a half millions on public works, and his opinion was that until some of the present railways were out of the road it would be a bad policy to go on with a new line which could only be proceeded with at a very slow rate. It would be no good btarting a line which would not be completed within the lifetime of the people who wanted it. It would take £50,000 a year to make reasonable progress, and that could not be spared because some of the existing railways must be started before a new line was begun.

The guarantee of interest on the expenditure would not increase the borrowing power of the Dominion, but he would keep the representations oi the deputation on file for future consideration.