Bay Of Plenty Times THURSDAY, SEPT. 30th, 1915 RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 6301, 30 September 1915, Page 2

Bay Of Plenty Times THURSDAY, SEPT. 30th, 1915 RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

PASSING as we are through the greatest national crisis we have known it is natural that public interest in anything not pertaining to the war should be somewhat indifferent. Tho annual report of the Auckland Kailways League indicates that this indifference has manifested itself during the year in connection with the operation of the League. It has been without a Chairman for the whole twelve months, and in the report prssented to the annual meeting held in Auckland a few days ago it is pointed out that the war has so completely engrossed the attention of everybody that reports as to the progress of work on the various trunk lines have been difficult to obtain. Regarding the East Coast Railway and the Pokeno-Paeroa loop line the report states:—"lhe supreme im- , portance to the development of the productive resources of the North Island of the East Coast railway is indisputable. There is probably no other area of land of equai extent and fertility in New Zealand still to be opened up to settlement for the I purposes of agriculture, dairying and | stock raising, as the great stretch of splendid country which lies between Opotiki ;and Pokeno on the Main Trunk line. Although these lands are not all of equal quality, there is no belter land in New Zealand than for several miles inland along the Bay of Plenty from Opotiki to Tauranga, and between Paeroa and Pcker.o, known as the Hauraki Plains, upon which large sums of public money have been wisely expended in extensive drainage operations. A Infost every acre of the country between the present terminus of the East Coast line (a few miles beyond Waihi) and Tauranga, although much of it is not of first-class quality, can be profitably settled for ordinary farming or for fruit-growing. In view of these facts it can be iirmly maintained that as a business proposition tho energetic extension of the line will be of the greatest advantage to the Dominion and materially assist in increasing the output of those products of which there is at the present time a great Imperial need." Although there is much in connection with the despatch of the expeditionary forces, and other matters arising out of the war, to engross the attention of the Government, Cabinet is still doing its utmost to maintain the same standard of expenditure in connection with public works as heretofore. This being : the case it is natural-—however much iwe may deplore it at tho present I time —that there should be the usual j clamour from all parts of the Domi- , nion for the prosecution of public works in each particular district. Fori tunately the work in which we are | vitally interested here—tbe construction of the East Coast railway—is of such national importance that we can rely at ordinary times on outside help to advocate its claims for attention. A greater portion of \his outside help nas hitherto come from the Auckland Railways League, but with the present apparent indifference in the affairs of the League wo may find that the help from that quarter will not be as great e& formerly. Consequently it must be left to the local Railway League and other public bodies interested to more vigorously represent the claims of the district than hitherto. Unless this is done we may be left with a much smaller grant than the work, a3 a national work of the first importance, de-

mands.