RAILWAY EXTENSIONS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 16 May 1928, Page 7

RAILWAY EXTENSIONS.

ANOTHER, 01< FICALLY OPENED

I.N NORTH AUCKLAND DISTRICT

[by TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION. | I)Al{(jA\ ILLL, May 15. The Waiotira-Kirikopuni branch oi the North Auckland Main Trunk railway system, a length of about 16 miles, was taken over by the Railway Department to-day, the official ceremony being performed by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, who was assisted by Mrs. Coates. In addition to the address by the Prime Minister, appropriate speeches were delivered by Mr. P. *A. Jones (Mayor of Dargaville), Mr. L. J. Drake (Mayor of W hifngarei), Mr. V. Trounson (chairman of the Hobson County Council), Mr. A. E. Harding (president of the Kaipara Chamber of Commerce anc; a .ormer M.P. for Kaipara), Messrs Allan Dell and W. Jones, M’s.P. for Day of Islands and Marsden respectively. The day was beautifully fine and the cex-emony was largely attended. After the ceremony the visitors were entertained at afternoon tea by the ladies of the district.

Work in connection with this line has been in progress for upwards of eight years, and has been most difficult and costly, owing to the nature of the country. There is one large tunnel and, in addition to a cylinder bridge over the Northern Wairoa River near Kirikopuni there are numerous smaller ones. There are five stations on the length, with Waiotira, which is the junction with the Whangarei-Auckland line, as the principal one. The whole of the rolling stock and engines are housed there. The line has been open between the ends of the section under the control of the Public Works Department for about two ye are, during which time considerable trade lias been done in the carriage of stock, fertilisers and passengers. Kirikopuni is the centre of a very fertile block of country, and the main road north to Kaikohe starts from there. An up-to-date butter factory has recently been completed and will be running next year. The completion of the line brings Dargaville within an hour’s easy run of the railway system by a good motor road. Work or the completion of the line between Kirikopuni and Dargaville is now being rapidly pushed on and should be completed in less than three years, when another 13 miles will be added to the section. It will then be linked up with the Kaihu section from Dargaville to Donnelly’s Crossing, which leads to the famous Trounson Kauri Park and the Waipoua forest. The Prime Minister will unveil the soldiers’ war memorial at Dargaville on Wednesday afternoon and deliver a political address at Paparoa in the evening. He will return to Wellington bv> train the next morning.