THE LINE TO MOTU.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3771, 5 March 1913, Page 3

THE LINE TO MOTU.

12 MILES OF RAILS LAID. INSPECTION BY MR HERRIES v YESTERDAY. A REVIEW OF THE WORK. t? Hon. W. H. Herrios, Minister for Railways, Native Affairs, otc., was accompanied on a tour up the railway line yesterday by a party of about 50 gentlemen connected with local bodies or interested in the development of the district, including the Mayor (Mr W. Pettie), Sir James Carroll, ALP., Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, M.P., and Mr C. E. Armstrong (District Engineer). A special train containing the party , left Gisborne at 9.30 a.m. and alter picking up various country members en route arrived at Otoko, the terminus of the Railway Department’s control, at 11.30 a.m. Here the Public Works Department’s rolling stock, had to be brought into requisition, and a change was made firom the none-too-comfortable railway carriages to the infinitely smaller comfort of open ballast waggons and plank seats. However, the view of the countryside and the cool westerly wind amply compensated for all discomforts, and it was a holiday band which reached Rakauroa, where the Public Works Department’s passenger and goods service ends, in nice time for lunch, which was amply provided on short notice at Air Capon’s re-cently-erected boarding-house. Trains for Winter.

Lunch over, and a deputation having been received by the Minister, the party again boarded the train and continued the journey up the sharp grade to just beyond “the Summit” on the top of the Alotu Plateau, where the rails come to an abrupt termination at the point where the Alotu road crosses the formation. The distance from the termination of the line to Matawai is about 2.) miles, and formation work is completed for about 1-s----miles past Matawai township. Shortage oli rails alone prevents the line being carried on to Matawai, and as these are coming to hand now, and the work of laying them will occupy only about five weeks, Afatawai settlers may rest assured of a railway service under control of the Public Works Department before winter sets in. The 10 miles or so whi«-.* separate Alatawai and Alotu are said to be good and level, so it is probable that before the winter of 1913 the Alotu, with all its wealth and potentialities, will bo in direct communication with Gisborne to the manifest advantage of both port and township. It is felt in the district that once Alotu has been reached a halt will be called and construction work pushed on in the Bay of Plenty, but, of course, this remains to be seen. “The Summit” is the culminating point mi a long steep grade from Waikoliu, a distance of 19 miles, and when it is stated that in that distance the railway raises itself 1500 feet some idea of the difficulties which have had to be contended with in the construction of the lino wiLl be gained

Progress of tha Line. The 42 miles of line laid down and finished except for the ballasting, etc., and the additional formation work carried out, have taken 13 years to eventuate, or an average of roughly 31miles of rails laid per annum. During the year 1899-1900. when the line was commenced, practically only preliminary works were .carried out, and afterwards the line was slowly prosecuted until the main trunk line was completed in 1908, when a vastly increased vote for the Gis-borne-Motu line enabled the work to be pushed on more expeditiously. It is interesting to review the expenditure in this light from year to year, as follows: — 1900 ... £502 1901 ... 32,067 1902 ... 27,381 1903 ... 13,482' 1904 ... 15,333 1905 ... 20,661 1906 ... 18,893 1907 ... 21,029 1908 ... 16,215 1909 ... 40,986 1910 ... 76,706 _ 1911 .:. 72,848 1912 ... 78,000* £434,103 ’Approximate. - The total outlay on tho construction of the line so far then has been £434,103, or an average for the 42 miles of rails laid, exclusive of additional formation work, of about £lO,335 per mile. After an inspection of the rail-head had been made by the party the return journey to town was undertaken the train arriving back shortly after 5,30 p.m.