-page 10, The Guardian Thur., March 1, 1956

'9

'.,?remi'er Matheson's Text

Causeway Proposals As

and me En:-Lorey In I909 five hundred and one thousand: Prince Edward Island in 1917 seven hund- red and five l.IIOIlSBIld and the ad- ditlons afterwards cost up to eight hundred and fifteen thousand: the Charlottetown two million one hun- dred and seventy-seven thousand with additions that brought it up to two million one hundred and eighty-nine thousand. The total ex- clusive of the Abegweit was three million eight hundred and twenty- two thousand dollars. These

land

iinseway are here om the records of the House.

The proposal of a causeway to e mainland was outlined in con- :lerable detail to the Legislature Friday, February 25 by Prem- l: t' A.W. Matheson. A report of p esjpeech has already been pub- th ' but part: referring to the reproduced

Now the answer to the causeway I929-the Canadian National

Outlined In The House

niainland.

cent increase in traffic over the Canso Causeway since it was open- ed compared with the former means of transportation. if there was a corresponding increase if we had a causeway in Prince Ed- ward Island in 1962, which would possibly be the earliest date. would be two hundred and forty thous- and vehicles rather than one hund- red and eight thousand if we are

made a through railway service which was inaugurated in 1917 and

ailway engineers prepared estim- c es on probable costs of providing rect rail communication with b . ince Edward Island. These pos- bilities were considered (at tun- ti, (bl causeway or to) bridge. be estimated expenditure at that - ite were approximately as fol- ; Xws:

Tunnel of steel and concrete cy- . riders laid on the bottom. sev- I ity-eight million dollars; driven

present boat, that is tlic new boat, was built that boat carried .-'1 the traffic alone. Last year boats, the Old Prince Etlwui'i' is- land working and the Aliv.-go:-it as well, there were times wlicii there were line ups at the piers.

arryiiig on the way ue are. "Now I think that most incin- ers of this lloiisc knoir uiicii the

uilit two

"I came across one lllllf? lust

lies have been made by engineers

trough the ground with shield and - .r pressure, one hundred and six- 3 en million dollars; driven through 1 .e ground with no air pressure

iirty-eight million dollars. A causeway,

i p, re going to discuss

I Have these ' ers of the House.

v j 5AlN SURVEY

e..m,...

ii- and Resources.

forty-six million; And a bridge seventy-sevcn mil-

an

; I will be giving you figures lat- l .' and it will give you some idea 3 i - how these compare with present I 3y figures. These will be avail- l ble to any members who wan . r see them because 1 think if we this again ' 3' I way of resolution we should available to all mem-

Therc is one other plan that I 'ould like to make available as .ell: the Geological Map of the I Iaritime Provinces. It is from this I 'is is prepared. Not by anyone it Prince Edward Island, prepar- by the Federal Department of

It shows y much the same story that in writing by the late

year on the Abegwcit. Cars and trucks were lined up a llCi)' lic- yond the weigh scale in Borden. Now if this trend contiiiiics. anti there is no reason why it shoiildiilt, we will need more than another boat.

"I will give you the cost of catch of these as I go along. There is another draft, and this agaiii am not taking possibly in tha ord- er in which 1 should. We all know that there are operating deficits on the car-ferry. From the report of the Canadian National Railway tab- led each year we have been able to get from 1940 to 1953 a report of the operating deficits on the carfcrry.

FERRY DEFICITS

"They started in 1940 at about four Iiiiiidred thousand dollars; dropped in 1941 bccause there wasn't ilie traffic. went up in 1942 and 1943 and dropped again in 1945; went tip cotisitlcrably M1946: slightly in 1947 and a great deal in 1948; with a slower increase in 1949 and 1950. Going on to 1951 and 1952 the operating deficits were

s ld ancifs Bain. This will also be

gets it

, onorable Members. There is one other matter. when t . .was reading the report that I t sibly neglected to mention and should come back to it now. other,radlo address that was de by a member of the F - at House (and I am gong to re-

to three paragraphs only in ' t is) and this is Mr. Neil 'A. Math-

- ii. If I have dwelt at length in this ase of the proposal I have done I with only one purpose in mind. want to assure all of you that - i body is trying to do anything - i at would be harmful to our Prov- i cc. We are trying to help. That . H I the only reason any man should ”- . in public life. That at least. has ways been my view point and it . still my view point. Now that e pcople in Queens have enough inst in me to elect me as their ember of Parliament. I have tak- I this project seriously just as I have taken seriously everything ll se 1 have tried to do for my onstituency and my Province since came here as your represent- ive two years ago. I I have raised the subject in Ill!” ouse of Commons for good reaf. , . First of all I believe in it -. I believe we have a better ance now than we ever had be- ;-e tort getting something done ll . This is according to the authorit- that deal with the bridges and nels and airports around New oi-k greater New York; also the "portant New York authorities sponsible for the construction i nd operation of the Lincoln and y -3 g. olland Tunnel. "The questions you sic in your letter are not in my pinion susceptible to answer with- ut comprehensive study." ' , Now this is the chief engineer a 33,-; an by the name of John N. Kyle. v o my knowledge no one has or attempted to design or con- cl: an under water tunnel nine lien In length." ' Mr. Klckhan refered to the sub- .in Toronto. The subway in To- to; I had an opportunity of nvelling over it within the past oath, one end to the other with e engineer in charge of the con- ru "ion of that subway. Now the- ubway is not a tunnel. It is pract- ally you the surface. it is almost, many places completely open. don't know the exact distance that completely open in the northern rt of the City. it is an open ditch . . f the way through. 1-; Now I asked that engineer as well hat his opinion was about a noel on Northumberlaiid Strait th water on it: and he didn't nlt it was feasible in linc with eir experience in Toronto. But I I give you more information in - junction with that later on.

y why should we bother about W4 is? Why are we stiring up i - e? "Ihy are we worried?

Now I would like to present that - you by way of graphs and fig- ns well. These are not pre-

- -- by one individual; they are - A red by several.

c INCREASING 1901 thirty-five thousand auto - ' Borden and Tor-

n" and crews. From the standpoint

ailable for the information of 11 W215

port.

along to 1962. to the Federal Government will be almost two and one-half million dollars. That is one price of which the people of Prince Edward Is- land only pay :1 share with the rest of Canada.

ing costs i do not take into con- sideration the depreciation on the port facilities nor on the Estimatiiic around fiftccii million and the life expectancy possibly forty and the ferry tonly one of them nowt dollars. cost actually more than that. With a life cxpcctancy of twenty years the depreciation on these alone would be about thitee-quart: ers of a million

Government of Canada could well be over three million dollars for

operating

Now as to the necessity you will b

p to the point where the cost over a million six liiiiidred hoiisand dollars in last year's re-

"Now if we continue that line the operating cost

"Remember when I say operat-

vessels.

the port facilities

years

about seven million

worth that it

I uili show you

itcms

dollars. "So by 1962 the total cost to the

the service between Prince I-Eduard island and New l.llil'il:ati'lt'Ix 'l'lic li.I.ii rlciicii trniii 15133 to i953 was fifteen and one- half million dollars calculated on the drafts from the same liasis it is estimatcd that the deficit could be from 1953 to 1962. a period of ten ycars, over eighteen millions

' dollars.

"From 1933 to H963 over thirty- four millions of dollars.

"These figures are all available 0 any one who wishes to check them so that the increases have been most outstanding from year to year.

HALIFAX BRIDGE "From the Board of Trade in Halifax. secretary of the Board. The example of the Halifax-Dart mouth Bridge in my opinion in- dicates the people will pay for thc newest service available. The traf- fic over the Bridge has far eecd- ed expectations and the volume is substantially ahead of the best years of the Dartmouth Ferry Commission. People will use the service if it is available to them. "I will make reference to the capital cost of the boat. Tiiere are the tabulated figures from which these graphs have been drawn. Be- fore I do draft them I might refer to a report of Railways and Can- als for the year ending March .'ll. i929. it is rather interesting in light of the present day discuss- ions. it may he rather ion . But still. see how time changs t c op- inions in actual change. "in at-cordauce with recommend- ations from the Royal Commission on Maritime Claims the question of improving the communication etween Princc Edward island and the Mainland received very care ful consideration by railway and departmental officials and as a re- sult thrcc and one-half million was voted at "w last session of Parlia- ment. in the estimates of the de- partment to provide an additional ice-breaking carferryy and facilit- ies to accommodate the augmented services.

HISTORY "iii the early day: traffic of course on Northumberlnnd Strait was ubmmodnted by steam: in summer and by mail open boots in winter. which could on occasion be aided over by both passengers

of business requirements ouch an arrangement mount I summer ser- with. much inconven- ieneo.'i'heygoontotellnhoutthe continuous communication; the re- gular winter service: the breaking down of bulk shipments and tinni- lc lots for shipinaitx across the

"it goes on ilien to this. It was

attempted to meet the increased trade with Prince Tiward lstandg This has grown to such an extent that in recent years it was nec. essary to provide a second car. ferry during the summer months, The second carferry not being ad. apted for winter service must be taken off in the fall as indicated, the increase of business in the av. eragc of round trips of the ferry in 1928 was one hundred and sixty 35 against sixty-six in 1924. Com- pare that with today. "in considering the problem of improving the scrvice relative stud.

on the possibilities and cost of im.

tunnel of about eight miles; or pro- VM9 3 CBUSCWCLV across the Strait.

Tl'NNEl. REJECTEIS

proved ferry service; a submarinel

are the boats that were used here. "Now the Abegweit: the annual report from the Department of Transport from 1944 to 1949 in- clusive set out th eamount of inun- ey expended each year on the Ab- egweit. These amounts total seven million: six hundred and sixty-fivc thousand two hundred and twenty iiollars-about seven million dol- ars.

CAUSEWAY SKETCH

"I have here as well a sketch "cross-section causeway" sliowiig at its greatest depth: the top sur- face eighty feet. 'l'he base tour hundred and eighty-four feet and showing tides for all that.

"Now let us get some other his tory in conjunction with this. You know as well as I do that the pri-s- l ent ferry boats are now licingl worked to capacity and very :.liort- ly will not be adequate for scr- vice that is required at Borden- Tormentiue. During the busy sum- jmer months and even during this, itlme of the year when the l'rinci-t Edward Island is not opcratiiig illltl t the Abegweit is not able to izilw

NHIC DOSSlbli)' of a tunnel had I399”. PN'l'0lIS1.l' been considered and Illietilcd. At present day prices a tuitiicl is estimated to c0st.thirlv- eight million dollars or more. The causeway approxiiiiateiy fortv-tivu million. ' "From the siziiidpoiut of ant... mobile traffic the causeway was regarded as prcfcrable to a tunnel On the other haiid there was the uncertainty of ice and'tidc and winter gates on the surface strung. tire of this nature.

'iliat was the report for that partcular Illllt'. 'l'lic capital costs of these boats: the Stanley in 1888 for one hiiiidrcd and forty-one thousand: the Miiitu in 1889 for one hunrtred and seventy-five thousand

care of the crossings as it slioiild ll "Now there arc those in tlic lnit .cd States today who f0FEI:i'Isl lIl.tI the traffic will increase tlircc times on the road the next tuvniy iycars and there are sonic that think that foi'i-ctist is absurd - that is now with the small strait. Let us look at another area ulicrc tid- fdiiig to boats doesn't seem to help the situation at all. "Take as example the Straits oft tllilackinaw: that is the Strait con- zncciing North and South illichieaii. ,Ii'l)I' iiiuiiy years they had inrgc lliuats there. six of thcin: six l)l'liIlS l 'lal)ottt the size and cor ca yin capacity of otir ice brctikcr tlicl lAbcgwcit. Thcy were not aiilc to

T:

tkcep the traffic going in that scct- qu

ion so they decided to build a

Strait.

CAUSEWAY CHEAPEST

"On the same basis I bridge could .e built here I presume but the cost is much higher than any of the others. The solution at Mac- kinaw was governed largely by economic circumstances: the high level bridge with a one luspenglon -spun in the middle. The reason was, of course, the water is deep SNPPIIIK is heavy and de- spite the high cost the bridge was

and

E

"in our case. the water averages Iaboui sixty feet and its greatest ,ili-ptli is eighty-five feet. That will tic sltown from the chart here. And pihc iratcr traffic is not very heavy :in the Northumberland Strait u.

rcpt

”l"ruiii the preliminary egtimgtgg ptli.-it we have made (now remem- licr i am using the word prelimin- lary because it is not any ways

tli

for fishing boats.

bridge-a high level bridge 3. cause the traffic wouldn't permit anything clse-and that bridge which will be completed next you-, now under way. Will colt one hund- red million dollars. The distance in eight miles. The situation in mm; what parallel to the Northnmhu-.

"Now what are we going to 15 here. Are we 8008 to build a bridge or are we going to get n tunnel or are we going to get g CHUSCWHY.

1

ed. at the present time at fun, of taking any of the fill from Prince Edward Inland. Even the sandstoia near Cape Tormentine in not dun able enough for the exposed outer lover of the causeway. It in antici- Plled that at least the core of the causeway could be obtained from that lite meaning that the riff-rat! would be brought from greater din-

nnd estimates of the cost are as follows: Causeway rock fill, forty million

uecunougirn nguro. out no min! decision rests with the Exchequer Court of Canada in that respect. mu mad would c - arry a paved high- TIWIMVUIIIOII lock-I. 101' lht 111' way and one railway track. formation of those that are wor- ried about that - is near Prince Eedwlgl Island. 0! course it would w n w b di t; at even it you ehailrio biiiiidniiaizieitiiiig I.II:tn3):slErteI'wlng::sneclEtdtIIb:hI;;::E i,id'"3.m' hen” the 1" L'"'3 "fr ind?-he other side for those in N.B. with current; with the causeway shoeck E; c3::,se.v,v,aa.y,lnwgul1c:b5;lI;btu;' 't think . ' 5 3 -e-3:. ......:::"..':::?d .'::.:':: :".t.::i:.:.:'.: ::r:it.:.;3t'.m? .?L'.::'i?f..”.' ::.r::::.”:.:;:i - . sng

tniice with a mu spo

increase in costs.

'1'" 0051' "WY Ire very good frcinda and The preliminary investigation Mllllltollrl.

"The causeway,

like would be eighty feet lde top. manner that it fo in b 'I”Pln8 W10 feet out liar oi: foot along the shore. Tliiamoniy Siouiii. smug wind! to pun ice up "mh

no too has under E030 condition

down. no crown or no road wontd would be up and down with the lldg.

be twenty-five feet above low wat- er. Canso is twenty-one feet and unit: . influenced iy wind. Through normal weather comm ions with the causeway in place mums t.';:s.”i:'d.:i:.::t::.t.: W "Thoiie who raise the question of gbnjty of winds rafting a...:..l.”?;

Under these circumstances ice 3.-aduauy to h I t 25 can lip-expected to form on both low low waterioi-eigiieeiiiaboviethiiizi Ciinso, sideoic! the causeway in the same water, it would gake extremely

Continued on page 17

tons, at n cost of forty million dollars.

Navigation Lock, five and a half million.

The lock gate and the swing bridge and the electrical system to operate that, another million and a half.

The administration building necessa y for the construction

KX

c..- smky .e'AwX t

TIIE CASE OF IIIE

there, sixty thousand dollars. "Railway eleven and a half miles. The railway would have to bend off somewhere around Maiden and reach Borden about the pre- sent site. "The site proposed is from Cape Germaine to Cape Tormentine and it could he built with the present boat running.

The Railway across, eleven and

".iounms, TAKE vouit p, STICKY mos or: e . .

complete! it would appear that the cniis way is the cheapest in the first costs and also the cheapest to iiiaiiitain. That is the opinion of Mr. McCullough who I have already said designed and guided the Cause tjsiuseway to its completion.

dollars.

sand.

a half miles. would be one million

"I-llgiiway. ten and a half miles, four hundred and seventy-five thou-

Guard rails for the whole dis-

RIICK

Cape

iroiiiiti.

I)IlI'D()SL'.

"The first active step toward icaiiscway construction must he an investigation. possibly be means of to determine the ality of rock near Cape Tormen-

. No thought is being entertain-

diarnond drill,

0

"Now let us get this question The cost of a causeway uill depend largely on the cost of rock. The geological maps in New Briinswick indicate an area around Tormentlne is founded on sandstone which might be close enough to the quality found at Wallace, Nova Scotla, to serve our

No matter what brand you're using what brand you've tried. here's a new and different- tuting instant ooioio you'll love! '1'!!! it now while your grocer; in offering Morpoin at a big uviggl Always more economical, ' I bigger loving than over, it. . .uIc for it when you shop this woek.,

In-in umuuiv Liuiiru i tux 0 non uoriit

lance, two hundred and forty thousand.

"Surveys, cit-.. seven hundred and fifty thousand, and contingen- cies four hundred thousand, malt- ing a total of fifty million dollars.

"I may say that Mr. McCullough estimated the cost of the Canso Causeway at twcnty-tit-'0 or twenty- three million dollars. and the cost has been about tin-iity million. I just want to point that out for in- formation only. Of course there is one item unsettled yet. and that is the cost of the rock. The amount that they ask for would bring the estimate considerably above Mr.