91

V. W. MACLEAN.

i).—4a

They will be torn up and taken somewhere else, ? —That is so. I understood you to say you would require fourteen miles of tracks in tho new station ?—Yes, a double track seven miles long, and twenty-three miles in addition to that. If you duplicated the line from Longburn to Palmerston North it could bo done at tho same cost alongside the present line, could it not ? —No. Unfortunately the duplication of the railway between Longburn and Palmerston North presents a good many difficulties. There would be a certain amount of bridging, and there is also a deep drain, in addition, to many other difficulties. I ' consider we would be fortunate if we could duplicate that line satisfactorily for £50,000. But it all runs along practically on one side of the road from. West Street ? —lt docs. So that there would be no severence there ?—Oh, yes. You would simply take the additional area of land which the railway at present occupies ? —No, you would have to put the whole thing in the centre of the roadway, or else take land on the western or northern side. That is tho strip of land which, at present has no frontage ? —lt has a legal frontage to the Longburn-Palmerston North. Road, and Railway Reserve. It is useless without crossings ?—There arc twenty-three private crossings. It would leave the same number of private crossings ? —lt might increase them very much. These people have the right to subdivide their land. Have they the right to subdivide it now ?—Yes. So that they might increase the number of crossings now ? —Yes. And duplication of the railway-line would not increase them ?—No. It is only a question of taking another strip of land ? —That is so, probably, and for the main road. You have got the road there already ?- -If you take a strip of land you have to dedicate it as a road. But the road that lies on that side of the railway-line is totally unformed at the present time ? —But in legal phraseology it is a road. If there is no roadway there the District Land Registrar cannot issue a title, but he can in this case issue a title because it has a legal frontage to a road. You could get over that difficulty by dedicating a little on the other side ? —You have to form a road. I understand you to say that you allow only £50,000 for crossings which will be involved throughout the route of the new deviation —that is, if you put crossings at every street ?—At every legal public road. You have put down £350,000 for crossings between the Square and Terrace End : is that because they will be of that character ?—Yes. And you think they will be of that character right up to Terrace End ?—Yes, I am sure of it. If it is necessary to have these level crossings bridged or subways provided in this locality, surely it is equally necessary throughout the whole railway system of New Zealand where they are in the; neighbourhood of large towns ?—That is your opinion, is it ? I am asking you is that not your opinion ?—-No. You made tho statement that the Railway Department will be faced with the question of bridges at level crossings ? —But I did not say at all level crossings. But at level crossings in populated areas ? —I said that the whole question of the bridging of level crossings would have to be faced. What did you mean by that ? —Exactly what I said. Is it your opinion that bridges will ultimately have to be provided at level crossings ?—What level crossings ? The Chairman : We all understand the position. Mr. Luckie.] You remember preparing this No. 2 scheme which I think you gave, consideration to just at the time those figures were supplied, which was prior to the sitting of the Commission horo ? —ln that particular form they were supplied. You had not prepared any plans or outlined any definite scheme for the construction of a station farther south of Palmerston North ? —I had not prepared any detailed plans. Had you given the whole matter full and complete consideration ?—I had. And. you came to the conclusion that the crossing element was the chief difficulty ? —I did not say anything of the kind. I am suggesting that ?—Well, do not suggest. I did not. I have already said that it was not the chief consideration. But one of the most important ones ? —I said it was not one of the most important ones. In any case you preferred and thought it wise to get outside that site ? —lf you will read my memorandum you will sec the whole position set out. The point of view was put as clearly as possible before the General Manager, and the General Manager has put that before the Commission. You are satisfied, I take it, that to do what is wanted at the present site, even without the bridging, except at Cook Street, as suggested in Mr. Fulton's scheme, is really going to be more expensive than your own proposal ?—I believe it will be. Mr. Marchbanks.] Given this distance of about a mile and a half as shown on Mr. Fulton's plan, and assuming that the roads which he marks as closed are closed, is there any special difficulty in making the layout that would be satisfactory ? —lf you could get, as I said, sufficient length of absolutely uninterrupted area without any level crossings, and you are able to purchase sufficient land, then I think there is no question but that you could make a satisfactory station. I understood, from your examination by Mr. Myers that you had an objection to subways ? — No, I do not object to them. What I gathered from the scheme as outlined on Mr. Fulton's sketch-plan was that it presupposes that you are going to have what they call in America a train-shed, with tracks on the level. [Sketch-plan referred to and explained.]