THE DARGAVILLE LINE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 210, 18 August 1933, Page 7

THE DARGAVILLE LINE

PROPOSED HANDING OVER. GOVERNMENT TERMS INVITED. AUCKLAND, Thursday. An invitation to the Government to formulate terms upon which the Dargaville railway and other abandoned railway branches will be handed over to private operation is to be extended to the acting-Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The request is being made at the suggestion of the people of Dargaville, who express the view that as the Government is unwilling to complete and operate the line an opportunity should be given to private enterprise. The council of the chamber had before it the terms recently announced by Mr Coates upon which the Government will hand over the uncompleted East Coast lino to private enterprise. The chairman (Mr 11. Turner) said that an enormous amount of money had been wasted as a result of the Dargavillo line not being completed. No-one with money or sense would consider leasing or purchasing the line under the Government’s conditionc. Mr T. H. Bowie said that the position with regard to tho Dargaville railway was different, as no-ono had come forward expressing a wish to lake the line over. In the ease of the Napier-Gis-borne line there was a definite body of people who wanted to operate the line. A motion asking the Government for its terms was carried.