NORTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 159, 7 July 1899, Page 2

NORTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY.

MEETING AT HUNUA.

A meeting was held here in the Schoolroom on Tuesday evening last by Mr P. E. Cheal, giving a history of the Central and Taranaki Railway routes from the initiation of the Public Works Policy of 1870. The attendance was small owing to the rough squally weather, and muddy state of the roads. Mr Cheal combatted the view very prevalently held in the country districts around here that communication by rail to Taranaki would lead to the Auckland farmers being smothered by Taranaki produce and competition. He pointed out that Taranaki was the largest dairying district in the colony, and would be larger yet, but all the butter, amounting in the season to thirteen tons per day, went direct to the Home market. His description of the great totara forest, which increased in value by the same gentleman's words from £750,----000 in 1892 to over 8,000,000 sterling in 1898, created great amusement. He also pointed out that the same Opposition that repealed the Taranaki Railway Construction Bill of 1878 are against the Taranaki line to-day on purely party grounds, and not on the question of which is best for the Auckland district or for the colony generally. This district being represented by an Opposition member, for the sake of party he must uphold the Central route. He also further advocated united action in getting any candidate for Parliament at the coming elections to pledge himself to assist the other Auckland members to make every effort to get all the lines required by Auckland placed on the schedule of railways authorised for construction before any loan is raised, or the Auckland district as in the past would be left out in the cold.

The meeting closed at 11 o'clock p.m. with a vote of thanks to Mr Cheal. Some of the settlers were not so sure about the Taranaki connection being against their interests, while all expressed the satisfaction in listening to the statements made about a question of which they were utterly ignorant, and it was thought that if gentlemen in Auckland would visit the outlying country districts occasionally and give addresses on political matters affecting the interests of the settlers in the Auckland Provincial district, it would be a great boon to the settlers generally.