SITTING IN HAWERA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 15 May 1912, Page 5

SITTING IN HAWERA.

R. \\. Holmes, Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, is the chairman, appointed to enquire into the proposed Opunake Railway and Kaupokonui-IS we» *ramway scheme, commenced i£, sittings in Hawera on Tuesday. When the Commission opened the iTf aiLi ated that the Proceeding? wcmfcl not be open to the Press, but that a summary of the evidence would ne given to the representatives at th» eno or the day. The following is a summary of the evidence given: * Mr G, V. Pearce, M.P., advocated qua ters of a, mile south of ,the Skeefc road so as to- enable the large factories* pLfn, s, outheni Potion of the Waimate* the roads of the heavy traffic now passrng over them. He claimed that most IK^if^t present ship their piorlucefrom Patea by the coastal boats, Xln ,S c lu c S\° Uld ** «>nstructed so ?i o.pj the shortest possible route from the factories to the £ort of Patea He was not in favor of a tramway from Ataata Hawera. Any tramwaVcX jtroeted should be from the factories to the railway, which he advocated. The E^J^frL™ to taP the factorii! +L * + T 1C? Wei? r<3sP™sible for half the total output from the Plains. T rTrf • Miirftx*, chairman of the* Joll Dairy Company, in his evidence, gave statistics of population over thedistrict to be served by the proposed railway. He said that the expenditure on the maintenance of the Main roads was becoming a burden on the eountv ratepayers Six miles on the Main South road co.it £1.200 per annum and 5 lmles £, n tVe Skeet r°ad £400 per amnrm;. The factory directors mosthr recognised that it was to their advanMr \ w nt pPS?uce from Pate»Mr A. W Gillies, Mayor of Hawera, advocated the construction of a tramway «>r light lailway between Hawera and ivianaia. Messrs C. Goorlson and T. Barmby_ irembers of the Hawera Borough Couth eu supported the construction of the railway m preference to a tramway between Hawera and Manaia Mr W. D. Powdrell, chairman of theKaupokonui Dairy Company, stated that he was m favor of the railway of the suggested Hawera route, with-Wamway teeders i rom Kaunokonui and Kaponea Katea would probably remain the ship-•mng.-poH for many years to-come, as the produce from South Taranaki was hfrpjv to double in volun-e in the future. Mr A. Chnstensen, chairman of thePatea Fnrbor Board, jra^e evidence of t^e facilities nrovided a* Patea for shio-, cm^ ye Poi"+? d Olit that many of the bouth laranaki daiw, companies w^ve financially fntnve*ted in shipping at Pai.ea. and^urged that the line junction nfc ,the southernmost possible point with the main line. Mr Walter Godland, chairman of the Hawera County Council, urged -the claims of the; Nbrmanby route,: on the ground that it would serve better country than the more northern routes, and that, if the line Junctioned north of Te Koti it would not serve these richer lands. He opposed the Manaia-Hawera tram. \Mr Edward Dixon, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, gave evidence on similar lines, and, in addition, urged! that to place the junction far north of Te Roti would be >to rob Hawera of * trade from Te Roti, Matapu, and other centres, which had for years been coming to Hawera. Hawera business men favored the- Normanby route, and did not support the tram scheme. Mr Oswald Hawken, president of th© Egmont A. and P. Association, urged that the construction of the line to junc- | tion at or near Normanby was the only ! solution of the Hawera County roading problem. Patea would be the port of South Taranaki for many years to come. Really, to fully serve the district, two lines were required—one joining the main line at Normanby, and the other perbaps at Eltham, to relieve the Elthaip road. He thought local bodies would allow railway feeders to be constructed along the roadsides. Mr T. McPhillips, chairman of theWaimate West Road Board, agreed in. this view. The Commissioners concluded the taking of evidence in Hawera yesterday, and this morning were motored over tb« suggested routes of the railway and tramway. The Commission will sit at Manaia this afternoon, and to-morrow will take evidence at Auroa and Kapuni. Opunake will bo visited on Friday, Kaponga on Saturday, and Eltham on Monday.