NEW RAILWAY SECTION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 26 September 1927, Page 6

NEW RAILWAY SECTION

WAIOTIRA-DARGAVILLE LINE,

IMPORTANCE TO THE DISTRICT. (Per Press Association). Dargaville, Sept. 26. The official opening of another section of the Waiotira-Pukehura-Kiri-kopuni-Dargaville railway took place on Saturday. Although the weather was atrocious large numbers of settlers attended to take part in the ceremony which meant so much to them, as it saw _the completion of another section ot the railway which will bring the town and district in closer touch with Auckland and the Main Trunk. The section opened on Saturday is between Pukehuia and Kirikopuni, crossing the Northern Wairoa river by a fine concrete pier-and-pile bridge The completion of this section leaves only 13 miles of railway to do between Kirikopuni and Dargaville, and as there are no great engineering difficulties and the country is easy it should not be more than three years before the whole line is completed. The new terminus of the railway brings Dargaville within seven hours of Auckland City and will have a most important bearing in the future prospects of the district. The opening ceremony was performed by the Hon. Carey J. Carrington, M.L.C., in the absence of the Rt. Hon. J. G Coates and Hon. K. S. Williams, who forwarded messages and apologies.

The proceedings were most enthusiastic. At the conclusion /of the ceremony, the guests, numbering several hundreds, were entertained at afternoon tea by the settlers in the immediate vicinity of the railway.