NOTE. The article is quoted verbatim.
[Begin Article]
Friday January 16 1948
RAILWAY EXTENSION TO NORTHERN TERRITORY
MIXED RECEPTION TO PROPOSED PLANS
The people of Alice Springs and surrounding districts
have given a very mixed reception to the proposed plans
of the Federal Government in connecting the Northern
Territory by rail either through South Australia or
Queensland. This proposal, no doubt, will be the topic
of conversation for some time throughout the Territory.
In South Australia there is, of course, widespread
support for the North-South line, and the people have
expressed themselves as standing firmly behind their
Premier Mr. Playford who insists that South Australia
has the right to be connected to Darwin by Rail, and
that the Commonwealth should honour its old promise of
building the Darwin to Adelaide Railway, and that any
benefits that were to come from opening up new beef
country to provide food for Britain and spread of
Industries should go to South Australia.
The fight for the building of the North-South Railway
line connecting Adelaide with Darwin has concerned
South Australia at periods for 40 years since the
original agreement for the State to hand over the
Northern Territory to the Commonwealth. Always in
these discussions it has been brought up that no time
limit was fixed for the construction of the line.
Mr Playford said that when the Bill ratifying the
agreement was before the Federal Parliament in 1910,
Mr Deakin, then Prime Minister, said it was an
essential part of the agreement that the line be built.
GAUGE QUESTION
In political circles it is thought that the latest move
under the suggestion to provide food for Britain and
giving Queensland connection with Darwin might have its
origin in obtaining the support of the Queensland
Parliament for uniform gauge proposals.
Queensland has a self contained narrow gauge scheme.
In 1945, in a report on a uniform railway gauge system
costing 76,000,000 pounds, Sir Harold Clapp ignored the
rights of South Australia on the North South line and
recommended the connection of Queensland with Darwin by
the line which has apparently now been suggested.
On being asked their views of which line should go
through, Centralian pastoralists have given mixed
answers. It appears that quite a few of them favour
the Queensland line.
The people of Alice Springs favour the Queensland line
as many fear that this Town may fall back something the
same as Oodnadatta and fear that the progress of Alice
Springs itself will be impaired. But no doubt, as in
everything else, the Commonwealth will decide just what
they want and that is what we will get.
[End Article]
What was that old saying again.
"The more things change the more they...............!"
Cheers
---- Tell
Alice Springs NT
CR-ANR-AN ...Almost gone but not forgotten.
Australian Pioneers of the Long Heavy Haul.