East Coast Railway.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XI, Issue 216, 5 September 1921, Page 7

East Coast Railway.

SLOW RATE OF PROGRESS. PETITION TO PARLIAMENT.’" During next session of Parliament a petition will be presented urging greater expedition iu construction of the East Coast railway. A copy of this petition has bsen forwarded to each county council, borough council, and road board between Opotiki and Wuihi, and has already been approved and signed by the Tauranga Borough Council. The petition read as follows: * 4 Your petitioners, feeling strongly that the progress and prosperity of this important portion of Ihe Dominion has been, and is being, peiiously retarded, owing tc lack of railway communication, desire respectfully io draw the attention of lion, members of the House of Representatives to the exceedingly slow rate of progress of const ruction work on this portion of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and to urge that such provision be made during the ensuing session of .Parliament as will ensure the rapid completion of the railway from Waihi to Opotiki. While your petitioners are fully aware of the fact that the appropriations made last year were spent, the fact remains that progress is so slow that at the present rate of construction it will be many years before the Bay of Plenty can secure connection with the main railway system of the North Island. Not only in the interest of the districts immediately concerned, hut of the whole Dominion, it is desirable that this isolation should he broken at the earliest possible moment ,and wo therefore strongly urge that your honourable House will make such provision as will afford a reasonable prospect of securing to this district what it is fully entitled to, and is long overdue. ’’