OPUNAKE RAILWAYS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 14 May 1912, Page 4

OPUNAKE RAILWAYS

A public meeting convened by < the Chamber of Commerce to discuss thjj matter of wnat railway or tram routes should be advocated before the Opunaka Kailway Commission was held at thl lechmeal School,. Hawera, on Monda/ evening. Ihe chair was occupied by M? E Dixon, and about 60 persons were

The Chairman explained that themeetmg had been called with the idea * or obtaining a free expression of opinion, as in a multitude of councilors there might be wisdom. Mr Powdrell (chairman of directors of the Kaupokonui Dairy Company) proposed in order to open up the matter, the following resolution, which was duly seconded by Mr Christiansen (PateJ uiges the delegates appointed to <nve evidence betore the Railway Commission to do their utmost in favor of the proposed railway from Opunake to Ha we a connecting at Normanbv." aa"eia >

Mr G Y. Pearce, M.P., who was present by invitation, pointed out that unless the evidence given on behalf of Hawera was unanimous, there would bebut little chance of getting the railway. Mr 1 earce further pointed out that 'if the railway joined the main line furtherawaj than Normanby, it would drain a. lot of trade from Hawera, With the' ? ♦ v n pap' Ml" P, earce explained the route he favored, lying for some distance about halt a mile to the south. rnni 1 f'^' CroSSillg Ahipaipa.. road about one mile north of Okaiawa. The contention that the junction at Normanby would cause all the trade to remain there was Mr Pearce considered absurd, mid the argument that therai way should be placed on the reserve •A" 2? had ' he said > been done away with. The route he advocated was quite far enough north'to tap most of the Plains production, and would save a great deal of traffic on the Mam South, road. 1 atea was the cheapest outlet, for most of the factories in the diV tricb as was evidenced by the face that b,yOo tons of their produce went from Patea, as against 900 tons from NewPlymouth -Nor was there', any probability of .New Plymouth being available tor the direct shipment of dairy produce for the next fifty years, as thesteamers which carried it would soonerpay the coastal freight than call at New Plymouth to ship it. Mr Pearce further expressed the opinion that the route recommended by the Commission would be the one to be adopted, and that this railway would be one of the. first put ?n hand.

Mr Buxton (secretary of the Auroa Railway League), said the settlers in his district favored the Te Roti route, which he thought would be a convenient one for Hawera. With the aid or a map Mr Buxton pointed out the number of factories which would be served by the route he advocated. Some of the people he represented did not, Mr Buxton said wish to be cut adrift from Hawera* and there were others who did not wish to cut adrift from Elthani, as they would have to if the junction were at - Normanby. He would like to see Hawera support the Te Roti route, which would not, of course, serve everybody, but would tap. a lot of the most valuable land in Taranaki.

Mr Scott (chairman of the Kap'unr Railway League) said he had been in.!V; ct? d to > as far as possible, fall in with the views of others, in order that a concrete plan might be arrived at to lay before the Commission. Mr Scott iiiyed that more interference with farms would be caused by putting the railway half a mile south of Skeet road than would be the case were it placed half a mile to the north of that road. In any case north or south, all the factories on bKeet road would have to cart: The le Koti connection was,, he consid-ved the most central and most fair to all' and would be much better than if the railway were put further north and a tram put from Hawera to Manaia Mr Mudford (chairman of the Auroa Railway League) endorsed the views of Mr Buxton, which, he said, substantially set out the opinions of his league * Mr Powdrell (chairman of directors \ or the Kaupokonui Dairy Factory) con- '*' sidered the Government was unlikely to put a tramline to Manaia to take traffic from the railway, and if Hawera allowed the railway to be put further north, so as to get the tram, it would be between the devil and the deep sea and would get neither railway nor tram' He favored the route suggested by Mr 1 earce, and pointed out that his factory saved 6s bd per ton by sending its produce to Patea instead of to Moturoa If a tram-line . were put in it should be troni the opposite direction to that suggested by the Mayor of Hawera, so that it could bring produce down-hill from the direction of Kaponga to the railway. Mr Powdrell also dwelt on the disinclination of the Home boats that carry dairy produce to call at New Plymouth (as evidenced by the fact that *in-pre-ference they paid the' coastal freight on produce from Patea to Wellington), and claimed that Pa tea would be the port tor ftouth Taranaki produce for all time. He iurther quoted figures showing that by tar the greater proportion of South Jaranaki produce was shipp&d from Patea. if the line were diverted to Eltham or Stratford it meant that the works erected-by the farmers at Patea would be left a derelict and he would ask the citizens of Hawera to be unanimous in endeavoring not to allow, the railway to be pushed further north Mr O Haw ken (president of the A and P Association) contended that it would be an extraordinary thing for ' Hawera to advocate a tramway along the South road and neglect the railwaY -There was but little difference between one two railway routes suggested that wH 1118' /V Xl he hoped the advocates of both \vould agree upon one or other +„, *U ■ rdoch (chairman of directms of the Joll Company) supported the railway route, and said it was a mistake for Hawera people to suppose that if they let the railway go further north they would therefore get a tramway. & Mr Christiansen (chairman of the Patea Harbor Board) expressed-the.hope ."hat, any small feeling as to the exact 1U^ C iu 11 the raihv'ay would be sunk and that the Hawera delegates would be unammous in their evidence before the Commission. Mr E. Dixon (president of the Cham- ' r>er or Commerce) expressed regret that the advocates of the tramway had not been present, and that the' Mayor of Hawera was going before the Commission to advocate a tramway, and let the . • ailway go. Mr Dixon considered thai it the railway was placed further north <t would be a very serious thing for Hawera and the Hawera delegate* should advocate the railway every time. Mr Powdrell's motion was then put and carried unanimously; after which the meeting dispersed, with the except turn of the delegates, who remained beiund to decide upon which particular railway rou ethsuobaeddluLfliiifv™ railway route should be advocated bet lore the Commission.

After considerable conversational discussion in committee the delegates present dispersed with the understanding that the Auroa and Kapuni delegate? would consult the leagues they represented with the object of falling in with Hawera views when giving evidence before the Commission.