Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1907.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13509, 26 August 1907, Page 4

Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1907.

RAILWAY REQUIREMENTS,

Sir Joseph Ward lias made it clear that until the Maiii Trunk Railway is finished othel- lines in the North Island will not be proceeded with at a very rapid rate. No new lines will be undertaken, none even authorised this session, and those which are in process of construction will receive only moderate votes just to keep them moving. TJnd^r the circumstances it is perhaps almost useless to urge the importance of any particular work, but Taranaki has had so little expenditure upon new railways during the last twenty years that it may reasonably ask the Premier to push. on as rapidly as possible with the Sfratford-On-guruhe line. Since the main line between Hawera f and Manutahi was completed in 1885 the only new railway works undertaken in the province have been the short line between the breakwater and New Plymouth — one of the best paying lines in the colony — the Waipuku-Mount Egmont line, which for some time to come will be of more value to the Department than to the public, and the Stratford-Ongaruiie line, which is completed to Douglas, about eleven miles. In all,, something like an average of a mile a. year has been added' to the railway system in Taranaki since 1885, so/tliat we are justified in asking that special 1 efforts be made to complete the Stratford-Ongaruhe Tine as far as its intersection with ' the - Ohura Road near Huiakaina' with theleast possible delay." The section between Douglas and Huiroa is, we understand, almost ready for traffic. Beyond Huiroa the work for several mites is of a. fairly easy"! character, and there is nothing be- i tween that point and the Ohura Road to. delay operations seriously. The strongest argument inj favour of the early. completion of the line to the point indicated is that it will then be of very great service to the" settlers along the Ohura Road and the bye-roads between Huiakaina and Tangarakau. These people have been very badly treated in the matter of road construction, and there is no prospect of .the main road metalling being completed for at least two or three years. Even when it is completed it will be a very expensive road to keep in repair unless the railway relieves it of ,the heaviest traffic. Under present conditions every ton of produce and merchandise has to be carted to or from the railway terminus at Douglas, which is thirty miles from Whangamomona, or to Stratford, eleven miles further. If the railway were open as far as Huiakama that distance would be reduced to less than twenty miles. Another ten miles of metal would be relieved of a large proportion of the heavy traffic and therefore be so much less costly to maintain. The line from Douglas onwards will not pay working expenses until it reaches the Ohura Road again, for if; will be of no use to the bulk of the settlers around Strathmore and onwards to Whangamomona. But whe^ it is opened to the Ohura Road near Huiakama it will attract a" very large traffic and drain an immense area of productive country If the Government would make a special effort to complete it to that point, and also to metal the rest of the road to Tangarakau, we should be inclined almost to rest content" for a while, for the worst of the difficulties of the Ohura settlers would then be overcome. We do, however, feel that notwithstanding the Government's intention to concentrate its efforts on the Main Trunk; Railway until it is completed, tjtie Ohura. Road settlers are entitled ;to special consideration on account of the disabilities they have eindured for so many j-ears for wajnt of efficient means of communication with the markets. ;