EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 171, 21 July 1928, Page 11

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

TANEATUA TO OPOTIKI. PETITION TO PARLIAMENT. SETTLERS PLEDGE THEMSELVES. (By Teie^rapii—Own Correspondent.) OPOTIKI, this day. Mr. D. Rodie (commercial manager of railways), and Mr. A. W. Wellstead (business agent), attended a representative meeting of Opotiki town and district residents, when final arrangements were made to present a petition to Parliament asking that construction of the Taneatua-Opotiki section of ,the East Coast Main Trunk Railway be commenced immediately. The chairman of the Railway Committee, Mr. J. H. Reid, reported that the petition had been largely signed. After strongly urging upon residents to support the railway, especially the present terminus at Taneatua, Mr. Reid moved that the petition be sent to Parliament, and that the Hon. K. S. Williams be asked to present it, and that a strong deputation, representing the county and borough councils, the Farmers' Union, Chamber of Commerce and business interests, be sent to Wellington to support it. Mr. Rodie stated that he had been asked by Mr. H. H. Sterling (manager of railways), and the Hon. K. S. Williams, to inquire into the possibilities of railway extension to Opotiki. He said it was useless building the line unless the people would give f-he railway the whole of their business. A full report would be prepared and submitted to the Department, which then would make a decision. The Taneatua section had been open too short a time to show whether the traffic was of a payable nature. The traffic was fairly heavy at present. The railway wanted general merchandise; it could not carry only cheap freight. An appeal for funds by the chairman resulted in a satisfactory resonse. Mr. A. L. Arrowamith proposed, and it was resolved unanimously "that this meeting, representing various interests in Opotiki County, pledges itself to support by word and act and by every means in its power thft. Government RailDepartment in its endeavour to provide facilities for transport within the Dominion for the producers and their produce, and for the commercial community, and deprecates private companies operating to the detriment of the State-owned railway."