NORTHERN RAILWAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 215, 7 September 1912, Page 11

NORTHERN RAILWAYS.

■WHASGAHEI CONNECTION DISCUSSED. y ACCKLAND_LEAGUE COUNCIL. The meeting of the council of the * Ala* Bwlwaj-B League was conSuedl weterday afternoon, after the «cfir" went to pr? 6?. 'in dieenwing the amount the J>asrup. Js" wring the Government to vote for 3JJPSfnrtructibn during the present X fa chairman (Mr. G. L. Peaeocke) Sid'that £300.000 kerned a lot ta ask, r t { Viev of the requirements of the Srincf, and the resource of Auckland, Ft *>ula on i- be regarded as a. business '^poritloß.' Retorring to the conference ?«entlv held at. VTnangarei. Mr. Peaeocke l?;i it'seemed to him that it was prema- ,' tn RS k for a start "ti tha branch line M ewnJ'i , the Main Trunk with Whal c -,-?\ 'It would b» some years before j>7 r-ct the Main Trunk line up to the «)int C Bt whirfi th« link with WTiangarei TMl |rt he nr-.'omplisheil. ■jjr. Stewart: The main line mu3t be takPTi on another l> miles before that point is r»ich?d. At the present rate of .projross it will be 15 years before you ert'tbw*. c Mr. r«'2crcke: Ev»n when you get the Whaogsrei link, it will be no eubsti-xin-e for a central M"in Trunk line. .But until the main line i? advanced anothei .13 null , !* i ; ,r i" on ' v he wasting money to no on 'with the \Yhanararei connection. "Mr.-A. E. Harding said that Mr. Jack and .himself hid come as representatives of the r"«T.* conference held at. Wha•jiratci. it '"hifh Dargaville and WhaBrsrsi had Ifirted to bury the differesces of the pri.-f. .md rombine in urging the piwrw! of the northern Ma.in Trunk Ttnp- : Th?T were oonvinoed that the main line would approach the linking point mOTP gpe*flily than the League appeared to think. Mr. Peacor.ke: How soon! Mr. Hording: Five years. ■ ; Mr-.Pescocke: Then why ask for money .this year? Why not -wait for four years? ' >lr- Harding: Well, at least the Departusent should pn on with a survey. Mr. Pe'aenrkF: There -""ould-be no objection to that. Mr. D- Jack said the idea in asking for ♦'lie connecting line from Whajgarei at once was that if it took five years to bring the Main Trunk up to Wa.ikeke, it would take just as long to build the Whangarei branch line, and the result would be the reaching of the point of junction at Waikeke coincidentelly. ' . Mr. Peacocke: You would make the .branch line of equal importance to the jiiia line. The danger is that if your 'proposal is carried out. the Department Till'say "Auckland is now connected nith Hokianga and thr Far North, via Whangarei. end there is consequently no seed to hurry the main line through to jjauagatahia." : Mr. L. J. Baginll said there was no i«ibt that the Xorth had good reason to ■OBrtlain of neglect in the past, and he wild like to see the Department go light ahead with a survey of this eonTttthig link. He -was also glad to find •Dirgaville and Whangarei burying their differences about questions of route. The | Sortb had suffered by dissensions in the i

tast., . , „ -Mr, Jack said this was not really a brtmfcline, • It was a link of 16 miles, paired to connect the main line to a SOrjmiie .'system between' V."hangarei and Kadkobe. "Mr. Peacoeke: Yes. but it's not a question of 16 miles; it's 30 miles at least between the present railhead on the main line and Vfhangarci. Mr. Harding said the Wbangarei people -wanted more than a location survey. They wanted an authorisation. Mr. Peacocke: We. do not disagree with you as to the necessity for this line. It's a-: .question of tactic?. You cannot get an authorisation without first having a Eurrey. When you have got that we will be; prepared to help you. :..W)th this reply Messrs Harding and •Ji£k .expressed themselves satisfied. Mr. A- E. Harding said he questioned whether they were wise in asking that the work on tbe Gi=borne-Xapier line should be ceased at tbe Gisborne end, in order that an extra £15.000 should be •Spent on the Auckland end of that line. • Mr. Peai>ocke replied that he thought it was enough that that line should be puEhecl on from tbe Napier end. Prom ffiaborne they were only pushing the line iSto the wilderness. of the proposed Huntly-Awa-.Mt. branch, lie*. Mr. .Tas. Stewart. said Bat this could be hardly considered as a ibraneb or loop line, for in his opinion Ji" , " ,5 rMlly of main line importance. The Pukemiro coal was of better quality than.any in the Waikato. and there was A practically unlimited supply waiting xobeopen?d up. Through the'Waingaro We was nn easy route, presenting no Wneerinj! difficulties. In fact, between Huntlv and Raglan there was no. serious «fSra«rin£t difficulty, and the constnienon.ef such a line would be a profitable proposition. r /Os report (as published v?sterdav) *" adopted. '