MASTERTON-WAIPUKURAU RAILWAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 24 May 1913, Page 5

MASTERTON-WAIPUKURAU RAILWAY.

AND THE RIMUTAKA HEVIATh*ft.

HON. MR *TRASER DEPUTATtOMBED IN MASTERTON.

A Uuge number of settlers of the district and townspeople, including numbers of the Chamber of Com mere*, Borough Council, County Counoil, and A., and I'. Association waited upon the Minister of PuWic Works in the A. and P. rooms last night ia support of the proposal to construct a railway between Masteitoa and Waipukurau. The chair was occupied by His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. M. Coradine). Mr J.; CJ. Cooper, speaking on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, stated that th« demand for a railway connection on the East Coast oame, not from Masterton, but from the settlers of the. backblocks, who were vitally interested. Mr Cooper said the question was one of great concern to the Dominion. The Minister' might say that roads would serve the district. Unhappily, however, they could not get the metal for roads. At the present time stock could not' be. gol to tile feezing works without depreciation in. value. Me (Mr Cooper) had to instruct his .buyers to allow five per cent, shrinkage on stock brought from the backblocks. The back country was suitable for dairying and closer settlement, but this settlement could not be expected unless railways were provided. Mr Cooper urged that if the Masterton-Waipukurau railway were constructed the problem of metalling the backblocks roads would be solved. He contended that the duty of the Goveioment was to open up the vast territory of magnificent country to the east of Masterton for closer settlement. (Applause.)

Mr C. E. Daniell, President of the Chamber of Commerce, after eulogising the Minister for his enterprise in going ovr the backblocks, referred to the importance of deviating the Rimutaka railway. He urged that this was a national undertaking, of great importance to all parts of the North Island. The present route was, to the nation, costly, wasteful and extravagant; to commerce it was tedious and irritating in its delays; arid to the development of * industries it was a block. Mr Daniell quoted instances to.show how the industries had suffered in consequence of the Rimutaka incline. He stated that, as a result of rival route® having been advocated, the. question of deviation had been shelved. Tlis carefully-prepared report of Mr (P, S. Hay had, he said, shown that a really good line, 7£ miles, shorter than the present, and onehalf the climb, could be made. The actual saving, estimated fourteen y3«rs ago by the Railway Department, was £13,000 per yqar, which could now be » fairly assessed at £20,000, A decision on the route question would have an \ important bearing' on probable extensions of the railways in the Valley\ as well a-s an all railways now made and to he made on the East Coast. The railway to Martin-borough should be designed to work in with the eventually improved,conditions of a through service, say, by the extension of a Greytown branch, whilst any Government lands that may be required should in the meantime be reserved. Mr Damliell stated that they would stand or fall on the deviation as a business proposition. He drew attention to the fact tlmr since the .engineers had reported on the work, the Dominion had (in yearsY soent £12,399.218 on railways, of which sum about £3,500,000 had bee.ni spent on 6pen lines. So convinced was tlie community in . the soundness of the case for a Rimutaka deviation, that there would be little difficulty in securing a guarantee against loss. He asked that, in view of the different opinions and interests, involved, a iuommission be set up to determine a definite route for the deviation as well as the East Coast railway. Mr Daniell stated that the cost of jtne line" through the Tauherenikau Valley had been estimated at £326,000. Five different routes had been suggested, and the cost of those varied lip to £400,000. In conclusion, Mr i>aniell thanked the Minister lor his attention to the deputation. , , The Minister, in reply, said he had seen only a portion of the proposed Masterton-Waipukurau route. Refore he would express a definite opinion, he wished to see the other end of 'the country. He wanted to see all parts of the district, and he intended going over the other end early i noxt recess. He was not an engineer, and he would therefore be accompanied by the Engineer-in-Chief. In this matter, he would take the advice of his experts. He was satisfied that the district required to be opened up. They should be careful, if they ..were, going to have a railway, that they should not make mistakes. (Applause.) .They had one mistake in. the Rimutn-ka incline, and this should be sufficient. Referring to the pro poswl deviation, the Minister said that ho had long been of opinion that this line should be deviated. The question, however, was a national one. Five routes flad been suggested, and one of these proposed a tunnel three and a-half miles in length. He thought tnat more than a flying survey was necessary. They should have such a report as would warrant Parliament in saying whether the work should be. gone on wi,th. He would bring the matter before Cabin 3t, and see if a suitable engineer could not ba found to prepare a report on the subject. Unfortunately, the Government at the present tinu« was short' of engineer. He would,

however, see what could be done, i Applause.) Mr W. H. Beetham referred to the early days of the district. He stated that he had helped to make the road over the Rimutaka. (Applause.) While'"engaged in the work, he had explored the locain-y and had come to the conclusion., that a survey should be made, or a road he had suggested. He had interviewed Dr Featherston somewhere in the fifties, and Captain Smith, a British engineer, had been over the district. He had reported that a suitable route'for a railway could be obtained from Pakuratahi to the Taukerenikau. Some years later the Government had decided on the j.i.jmutaka railway. The route suggested by Captain Smith had been condemned "by the instructions of some person whom he weaild not mention. They all knew what a great expense the Bimutaka had b?en. He hoped to live to see the line diverted. (Voices : You will!) He was glad to see that the matter was being taken up by younger men. Mr .Beetham stated that the Rimutaka railway was a political mistake.,' Another such mistake was the railway at Port Chalmers.