NORTHERN RAILWAYS,

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 148, 22 June 1917, Page 7

NORTHERN RAILWAYS,

JITTERS TOR PARLIAMENT. PEPUTATION? TO MEMBEKS. IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS. s conference of members of Parliai represent in? the Auckland pro- * -gl district. and the Auckland Rail- """ look piace at the Chamber afternoon, when need* of l '"' province regarding tc? , »vs were explained at iength by relatives of the league nnd dele p - fmm Tauranga. Oliiirn. and the SSJTdtotrioU ' Mr. P. K. Cheal . iiain „ a n of the League) presided over kr „i- atten.lance. comprising the fol- !■„;. - Mr. Adams (Mayor of Tau__ol.' Colonel (i. A. Ward (Tauranga Ss'ibvav l-eag-.0-A Messrs. ('. Norris ".',' r ,,iileiit of Tauranga t hamher or Umeree and Railway U'ague) A. ponsldson .Mayor ~i Nail,,,. . (.race ic i,airman (riinenmn < ounty ( ouncili. v H Mueller ( Paeroa Chamber ~f ( 0111----oWe). T. De Vere Hunt (Ohura). A. R. Crstie (ex-president of Whangarei ( ham k,r of Commerce), Thomas (oates ,v.,,n<nitoroti. C. L. Peacocke. H. 11. ffvnvard. Hie following memliers of Parliament tere present: -Messrs. E. Zander. A. !•:• I . -I. Parr. .1. S. Dickson, H. Poland. W. 1. .lenmngs. C. it Poole, and 1. Payne; apologies being w eived from Messrs. X. W. Rhodes, Yerjpp Reed, aid A. Harris. The chairman, in opening the meeting, his pleasure at the large attendance of delegates and members of Parliament, whom he felt would give their best assistance in completing the rsilway lines in the North for the benefit of Auckland and the country districts of the Nort i. He referred to the fact that three million pounds more money had been spent in the south Island than jn the North, and this was especially interesting at present owing to the recent argument, when the curtailment of trains was suggested, that the North was "reedy. He generally outlined the nrojects of completion and construction of several railways advocated by the league. Mr. G. 1.. Ppacocke (ex-chairman of the League said lie desired to put forward the business facts, which in these ■natters, it seemed a great mistake, tterc not more considered by tiie Government. Two classes of works could be spoken of. those urgent and those essential. There were certain works which belonged to both classes, and the productivity of the ountry. as affected tiy railways, came under this category. They had to look forward to opening up land for returned soldiers and for the general benefit of the country. They sere work- that should be gone on with. not only in spite of. but because of the ■■car. I Applause.) The Otira tunnel in tiie south could be put aside in favour of such works as tiie railways between Auckland and Taranaki. the East Coast railway, and the North Auckland section 'between Y\hangarei to Hokianga and the ?ar Xort! . These schemes, completed, would hcln returned soldiers and the F.mpire to bear the extra cost of the •sir. (Applause.) NORTH Al"< KLAND LINE?. Mr. A. I!. Crane I Whangarei I said that Whangarei, the connecting link of us rjeh country of the North, was still 45 miles from the railhead of the Auekhid sect on. Two hundred men were i.irking ~n a section from Waiotira to Bore ma. and the s llm of £50.000 was Squired to continue the work. When the railway reached Whangarei. over !2ii mile- would lie joined to Auckland. That was. Upua to Onerahi i oS miles'., otiria t. Kaikohe (is miles), and Ranganu to Whangarei i4o miles).. Talis some of the rich country of the North wutld be opened up by a day's journey to Auckland. Over forty men were working at Kaikohe To Te Tin. running to Hokianga. and CIO.OOO wouLI be wanted for extension purposes. Already the Kaikohe Whangarei section na- the fourth best paying line in Xe.v Zealand. The Hokianga land had great possibilities. aPr ] it was estimated would n:n a million sheep. Mr. Peacocke said sll henetits to tiie North must be benefit? to Auckland because of locality. Land se-tlcment could not be promoted without proper access to the land. TAEA NAKI-AUCKLAND SECTION. Mr. T. De Vere Hut., (Ohura) spoke strongly on the injustice suffered by the resident-; of the fertile valley district by the Government's lackadaisical method? in completing the railway. Sixteen tears people had been induced to take up land by the promise tliat the railway between Stratford and Okahutnra on the Main Trunk would be constructed and the reading works facilitated, since the work was commenced •l Okahukura. ten years ago. little had been done. The settlers were asking ■hat the ten miles m Matiere should be Slushed. The tunnel of To chains had been tiie drawback, and it seemed that »t Ihe pre-ent rale of progress the line 'mild not be completed for several years. The district had no metal, and the'roads *ere sach that the settlers hud endured many wardships in getting anything like food transport facilities for their pruoaets. Mr. Peacocke endorsed ti.e remarks. s «t emphasised the fact that the work feferrr-d to would be the means of join- "- tie great Taranaki province witb ; Vi 'kiand. which as v result was suffcr- ">:: commercially. '■"• member* present sympathetically *?hH. and promised to do their utmo*t <" promote railway construction in tiie north