The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1912.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3635, 23 September 1912, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1912.

It is not surprising' to find that fur-

) A Rightful Appeal to the Government.

tlier and stronger efforts are projected with

a- view to impressing on the new Government the absolute necessity for at once granting additional facilities in connection with the construction work and transport of commodities on the Otok i -Rakauroa section of railway. 'Tin; steady increase in the revenue from the line as a whole must he very gratifying to those who originally advocated its construction and gained their point, heedless of the doleful prophecies of some who were so shortsighted that they even foil into the error of declaring that !, it would never pay for its own axle-grease.” As wo have pointed out from time to time the section has, indeed, more than once proved itself, oh the monthly railway statement, the host paying section in the Dominion. This record has, it is true, not boon maintained in the, last returns, which show a

loss on tlio month’s working, but this I is not attributable to any falling off of trade, but to temporary and unusually heavy expenses. As a matter of fact the official figures again show an increase in the carriage oi passengers, goods, parcels and stock. During tho month ending 17th August, 1912, tho passengers , numbered 588 more than in the corresponding month j of last year—a satisfactory increase, ' yet not nearly so great in proportion as the growth of the goods traffic! In August, 1911, 142 G tons of goods were carried, whilst in August 1912 the total was 2195 tons ; or an increase of more than half tho total of the previous period in respect of which freight was paid. If the increase continues in the same ratio the Railway Department must, it will be agreed, •, soon have to make very large additions to the rolling stock in order to , cope with the traffic, and the profits j arising should be considerable. Such an inerase of revenue is no chimerical hope, but a reasonable expectation now that tho rails have actually reached the valuable timber area. The ! extensive forests of the Motu un- I doubtedly contain some of the finest rimu in New Zealand. Mills have sprung u]> all along the railway route, and one is actually working at the present railhead, to which point the owners of two or three other mills, it is known, are now prepared to cart their timber, if the Public "Works Department undertake the transport. The Railway Department would, of course, bo an immediate gainer by large and continuous freights if the other Department were in a position to act as its feeder. But. unfortunately. the Public Works Department is unable to do this at present owing to the fact that the Otoko-Rakauroa section (tlio part of the line under its control) is not yet properly ballasted. In this regard dissatisfaction, as we have indicated, continues to he expressed with the slow progress of this

work. What is required is that a second engine should ho put at the disposal of tho District ngineer. In reply to questions in the House some days ago (it will be recalled) the Minister for Public Works explained that his Department has no engine available, and that if one is to be obtained for the purpose of completing this section of the line more rapidly, it must be through the Railway Department. There is no doubt, we think, that the Minister for Railways should at once be requested to extend to the sister Department the assistance i which is desired. Unquestionably it is the case that all parts of Now Zealand are demanding increased rolling i stock, but no district has a greater claim to assistance than Poverty Bay. We may remind our readers that last year the District Engineer had two engines at his disposal, and that when one was taken away and sent to Tannings it was on the distinct understanding that it was to be replace*., by another —newer, more powerful and in every way more suited to the work. If the ballast engine is to be used solely for the purpose' of pushing ahead the ballasting, and it is not strong enough to carry on the work satisfactorily, a grave injury will be don-:- to tlit* farmers and other residents by depriving them of even tin* present restricted means of transport. If, on the other hand, the engine wore to leave olf its proper work and merely carry goods, it could not in the present state of the line, haul more than a small portion of the freights that are waiting for transmission to town. And if the engine is laid up for any | cause the whole work of ballasting will I stop and all connection by rail be--1 twoim Otoko and Kakauroa may-for a I time cease-! May we suggest that the | Chamber of Commerce would do well | to revive the matter at its next meetj ing this week? Many arguments might he adduced to persuade the Government —or the Railway DepartI ment —to provide tho additional facili- ! ties required. It would undoubtedly i hasten on the work and greatly reduce the cost- of construction of the line. Then, again, it would provide transport for timber and other produce to Otoko and thus help to swell the revenue of the Railway Department. It would be of incalculable assistance to laud-owners and others beyond Otoko. What is more, it would help to supply the large demand for building material in Gisborne and keep many thousands of pounds (now annually sent away for timber) in the district. In j brief, it would add to the prosperity of Poverty Bay by encouraging settlement and trade in country at present locked up 6 and practically inaccessible. Xew Zealand as a whole would, of course, be benefitted if greater progress in the construction of the Gis-borne-Auckland railway could be made possible by the throwing open of a wide area to settlement, as well as by the lightening of tho load of the taxpayer throughout the Dominion by the reduction of expense in the Public Works Department and the in- 1 crease of revenue in the Railway De- j partment before alluded to. We have j no doubt, $ the facts are as represented, and if the Government were fully apprised of those facts, that the heads of tho two Departments concerned would agree to work together for mutual advantage and do their utmost to meet the requirements of the district. If the Government secs its way ut grant the concession asked lor, and especially if it- displays promptitude in despatching the much-needed engine without further loss of time, - t will have a strong claim on the grati- j tude of and increased support oi this i large and wealthy district, and of j electors in other parts ol Xew Zeu- j land to all of whom tho vigorous )>;o----secution of this line -of rail is of im- j portanco.