EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1922, Page 7

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

CLOSING THE GAP. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) TAURANGA, Wednesday. The Hon. J. G. Coates was interviewed r( at Te Puna by a deputation of over 20 f, eettlers, who urged the completion of j r ■the railway gap between Tauranga and p. Waihi and improvement of the main o road, which has been greatly damaged o - by the motor services. fc] "The Minister, in reply, eaid that the w vote for the East Coast Main Trunk line this year had been over-expended. „ Work of construction on the Midland: g, line would be out of hand about the end p of the year. Heavy construction on the t ; North Auckland line would be done in a ten months. The Department would Ci then have a lot of plant and material available, and this would mean it would n be able to concentrate on other impor- a tant lines ite mechanical appliances g . and thue speed up construction. He hoped it would not be long before the y Government could tackle this job with plant and material and money. They had aeked for money to metal the roade. It was important tovmake provision to feed the railways. He would aek for a report on the matter. "I think we can bring the railway to Tuapiro within 18 'monthe," he concluded. Mr. Coates and the members of his party, including Sir William Hemes and Mr. H. Poland, M.P.. were entertained to dinner by the people of Katikati. In the course of a speech the Mm- ™ ister said that if he had £400,000 a year l ' for the East Corfst Main Trunk he could * tackle it, and £500,000 would complete " the. line from Katikati to Tauranga. He 4 wished to assist settlement and indue- v try, and concluded by \aying: "I hope c when we pet some of tne other works ' out of hand to surprise\you anl put n your line through." » a d