EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5568, 26 October 1910, Page 2

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

■'i expect that authority will be asked for next session to undertake the construction of the East t.'onst railway Iwyonxl ]\lotu towards Opotiki," remarked the Hon. 11. .McLvoniie, Minister for Public Works, to Iho Poverty I'ay Heralds Parliamentary reporter last week, wlkmi approa'-'heu respecting the progress oJ the railumv at the Oisborne end.

The Minister went on to state that authority luw.l just Ix-cn issued for the continuance of the survey, with a view of determining' where a practical route could be. nuvde down from the high ilotu country to the flats of the Bay of Plenty, almost immediately beneath. Several flying surveys were made a year or two ago and i\ trjn| lijje was carried down the \\liitik,,u ..VjiHoy to Papamoa. The surveys would" now) l>e directed to investigate the possibilities of the Pak'ihi route. The country was very sleep and broken, but he hoped to improve upon the Tu-a--•ry grade up to !Motu..

Questioned renaming ti )c nature oi haulage over these grades, the Miiv ister renwirktd tliat his kka was tljat electric motors might probably irf ftmployed pn ijjis section up to Jlotu. 'J'he bulk o f the traffic on the line woukl n o doubt ] X on the flown grado to Giaborne, and there would ;not be a great d«il to haul up, except passengers, through to the Hay of Plenty, and perhaps stoics t<, Mot.i ami t)ie. (jjstrict beyond. Elwtric motors wouhl he able to tope with the trafllc more economically than heavy steam-engines.

Regarding the construction work fio-w in hand, the Minister said the I'tibli.L' Wocks trai tl was now |-un|;ing to Otoko, 31 miles fr.rm Gisborne The viaduct wa;, in course of construction, and 13 months from now should see the lino t p Matawai, about •If, miles. In the meantime 3iiatrri a l« would bo slung over the gorge at ()rol.() on the cable way, and 'about •1J miles vi temporary tv.»e'; \. w iiia be laid to enable several i.rklg^s to ho put in hand. Shir^k- f.-,f" \\ w ccnt-ivte piers aivJ abutmerts would be railed up f rum - IV . K ;1 ,..,], a v contract for ihe Mipply ()f ;Uv| <ts Dad. l, w ,i let. iii,<l wivn themarrived ~»vt October t!x v v<aild T,Plft t . .f? in I'jjsiliOis iiUtf«ko" uv,, "