OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 June 1939, Page 7

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

THE PRICE OF MILK (To the Editor.) Sir, —Re the price- of milk in Masterton, since publishing my previous letter I notice that you have been told by another correspondent that the price in Hastings was 4d per quart. I communicated with a resident in Napier and the price there is 6d per quart. Masterton is a very easy run compared with the hills in Napier (where my correspondent resides), so I see no reason for the excessive price charged here. —I remain, etc., STILL PUZZLED. Masterton, June 24. RIMUTAKA TUNNEL (To the Editor.) sir, —I am glad that my effort to obtain some information about the proposed Rimutaka tunnel has be.en so far successful that two letters in reply have been published in the “TimesAge” this week. Thank you “Progress” for your interesting reply, but on reading through the letter carefully I find that you give only two points in favour of the tunnel. (1) “That the tunnel will give a quicker and more convenient means of ■transport.” Of course I agree with you. It is perfectly obvious, but—and it is a big but —this saving of an hour at most on the journey is going to cost about £50,000 per annum interest on the capital cost of construction! Let me ask you a question: How many passengers use the . line? I doubt whether it is 50,000 in a year! Now for answer No. 2 —“ The saving on running costs will actually reduce taxation.” That, friend “Progress,” is a bold statement to make! Do you really believe that the saving in running costs would be more than £50,000 per annum? I have an open mind on the subject, but it will take a lot to convince me that your statement is correct.

Perhaps it would help us if we could persuade the editor of the “Times-Age” to publish for our information: — (1) Estimated cost of tunnel.

(2) Interest and sinking fund ’ per annum.

(3) Approximate number of passengers (through the tunnel) per annum. (4) Estimated saving in running costs per annum.

j (5) Estimated wrjte-off of capital on _ abandoning the present route. j Thank you, “Procrastination,” for your priceless reply. It contains the _ longest sentence without a comma that I have ever read in my life! I quite s realise the inconvenience of the Grey- ; town-Woodside arrangement, but is it ; worth all that money to remedy it? ' It would be a better proposition for the Railways Department to give Greytown residents a free bus ride to Wellington. Anyhow I suspect that both “Progress” and yourself more often than not go “over the hill” by car. I admit that I do. Thank you " both again for your letters and I hope they will encourage other Wairarapa ’ residents to contribute their views. Thank you also, Mr Editor, for giving ' valuable space to the scribblings of. — - Yours, etc., “ANON.” Masterton, June 24. r The principal questions asked by 1 our correspondent are answered in the 5 extracts which are given below from 2 the report of the Engineer-in-Chief to 1 the Public Works Department in 1923. Time and changes in the purchasing ■ power of money no ' doubt have af- ‘ fected the estimates. Both working and capital costs have increased and a new report in detail would be need- - ed to show the bearing of these i changes on the tunnel project. It may i be'noted that the. work was recommended in 1923 on the basis of known factors, little if any account being taken of the important and far-reach- ; ing impetus likely to be given to ; development by a great improvement < in transport service. [• In his report on the Rimutaka deviation in 1923. the Engineer-in-Chief to the Public Works Department said in part:— “The position, therefore, with regard to the whole question is that if the tunnel line recommended as most favourable be constructed there will , be an increase in interest charges of between £40.000 and £45,000 per annum, while there would be.a saving to New Zealand of £45.000, made up as follows:— £ (1) Abolition of all expenses in connection with incline 27,500 1 (2) Saving in maintenance of way 4,000 ’ (3) Saving due to eliminated curvature 2,000 (4) Saving through lesser dis- ! tance to haul 12,000 ! £45,500 : “Of those items, (1), (2) and (3) would be a direct saving to the Railways Department, and although the £12,000 would be an apparent loss to them, it would be an actual saving to New Zealand. In addition to such savings as can be assessed in pounds, shillings and pence, there is also the improvement in travelling conditions to the general public and the livestock carried on the line, and the saving of time, which cannot be assessed in money unless one knew the value of every person's time who travelled on the railway. “The conclusions to be drawn from the above report seem to me to be that while the deviation of the Rimutaka railway may not be a crying necessity for financial reasons, yet when funds are available to put the work in hand it can be justified, and its benefit from a social point of view cannot be controverted.” The estimated cost, in 1923, of coniStructing the tunnel was approximately £1.000.000. Many items of cost have since increased, but some public works costs have been reduced notably by the use of machinery and modern methods. —Ed. RECRUITING (To the Editor.) Sir, —It would appear that M.R., in endeavouring to discredit New Zealand youth for which she has nothing but contempt, has advanced rather hurriedly under the barrage of defence. In her haste to condemn she has drawn a very unfair if not biased comparison with regard to 1914 and now. In the first place, in 1914 the enemy was at the gate, the war was on in full blast. Today we are not at war, which makes all the difference. M.R. wishes to infer that the youth of' today is spoonfed, does not desire to work and has a poor sense of responsibility. Strange to say, the youth of each generation has been greeted with the same condemnation, but in spite of this we continue along the road of progress

and enlightenment. M.R. says'apparently the youth of today prefer cocktail parties, jazzing,/ etc., to manly training. I wonder if there is any real difference between the jazzing of today and dancing of her young days. As to manly training, if learning the art of sticking a bayonet into someone constitutes manly training, or looking down the sights of a machinegun with the idea of ultimately blowing out the brains of a fellow being, then in my opinion our two thousand years of Christianity have been wasted. Thanking you, etc., E. J. ESLER. Masterton, June 26. ZONING OF CREAM (To the Editor.) Sir,— My friend, “Digger Farmer,” has touched on some of the vital points in this matter. To my mind, tire whole question of cream collecting could be straightened out, if the zoning of the cream carriers alone was arranged in a proper manner. Take for instance several small districts close to Masterton, such as Te Ore Ore, Te Whiti, Kaituna and Matahiwi. I understand the Masterton and Mauriceville factories get a fifty-fifty supply from these districts, and one carrier collects for the two factories. This proves that no overlapping of cartage takes place. Then why force all these farmers to supply one factory, much against their will? The Mauriceville main supply truck is fed by the other small cream carriers. Therefore, I claim it is as easy for the carrier, when he collects for the two factories, to hand over Masterton cream and Mauriceville cream without going past the town of Mas-, terton. No collection of people would submit to buy all their groceries or goods from one store, because all the storekeepers send delivery trucks into

their district. This then becomes expensive delivery, but the dairy farmer has this decision made for him, much against his wish. It would be interesting to know which of the two factories, Masterton or Mauriceville, are the most anxious to have this zoning of farmers brought about. I trust the protest will be great enough to cause this matter to be reopened again in the immediate future by the Department of Agriculture. Agaip, I am sure the overlapping of cartage can be overcome by the zoning of the cream carriers in districts, and the dairy farmer will have retained some of his independence, most of which has been taken away.

I trust that many more farmers will express their views before next Friday. Once this zoning is forced on the dairy industry, it will be most difficult to have removed. —Yours, etc., “ANOTHER VERY INTERESTED . DAIRY FARMER.” Masterton, June 26. \