MINISTERIAL VISIT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 28 March 1918, Page 7

MINISTERIAL VISIT.

HON. W. H. HERRIES IN HAWERA

The Hon. W. H. Herries, Minister for Railways and Native Affairs, arrived in Hawera by the II o'clock train from New Plymouth.. The Minister was accompanied by Mr Crowe (private secretary for railways) and Mr Balnears (private secretary for Native Affairs). Mr G V. Pearce, M.P., and the Mayor (Mr E. Dixon; officially welcomed the Hon. Mr Herries aad party to Hawera. Subse quently a deputation from the Hawera Chamber of Commerce waited upon the Minister in regard to several matters, chiefly in connection with improved railway station facilities.

Mr Pearce first brought under the no tice of the Minister the necessity for doing something to prevent the blocking afc the Princes street level crossing, which was caused by shunting operations. He had discussed the whole matter of railway improvements at Hawera including the removal of the cattle yards, with officials of the Railway Department, and he understood that there was a proposal to shift the station buildings further north.

The Mayor said this matter of improvements to the railway station had been before the Department for a great many years;.he believed that actually the Department had prepared two schemes (1) for an overhead traffic bridge at Princes street, and (2) the removal of the station, to another site. The Hawera residents had been a very long-suffering people in regard to the contemplated improvements. ■. Hawera had progressed more than any other town on the coast, and the railway station, goods shed/ and refreshment i I rooms were not in keeping with the im- j portance of the place. He recognised that the present was not an opportune time to spend money, but. certain improvements were really necessary in the interests of commerce. He trusted that after the wjar the Department would give immediate attention'tp the requests of tHe people, which had been frequently represented to the Department, even as far back as in the late Mr Seddon's time. The Minister: Is there any objection by the residents to the shifting of the station ? . ! The Mayor: I don't think iso. We have heard nothing about it. * NEW TIME-TABLE WANTED. | Mr L. A. Bon© asked that the old time-table should be reverted to so as to enable the . Technical College students from the south to reach Hawera by 10.30 or thereabouts, and also that the train should leave in the afternoon for the south about 4.20, as previously. This would give the pupils a good day's schooling. ;' The Minister: Where do these children come from?

■r Mr Bone replied between Patea and Mokoia. He went on to?explain that they were pushing technical education! in Hawera, and if the Railway timetable was revised to suit the local requirements, it would greatly assist the college.

The Minister pointed out that the re. cent alterations were merely for duration of the war, so as to enable the Department to release men for the front. The Department was endeavorj. ing to keep the working, of the rail•ways within certain hours.

The Mayor: We contend, however, that there, is room for the speeding up of these mixed trains north and south. We are anxious to help the New Plymouth people in this matter, and to have the morning train leave at seven o'clock.

Mr Pearce pointed out that all the settlers used the morning train from .Wangauui to attend the Hawera sales, and under the present time-table they iad to leave at 3.30 in the afternoon, before the sales were over. The result was that motor cars were being more largely used. In the interests of the roads it would be better if the old^time- | table could.be reverted to. He agreed i with the Mayor that these trains could be speeded up, as they were running ■$% the same speed as they did 30 years' ago. ~ (Laughter): % The Mayor*" suggested that it would be possible to speed-up, one train north and one south. Mr Lynskey, president of the Chamber, endorsed the mayor's remarks for better facilities at the station, including the necessity" for. enlarging, the goods shed. The whole station was hardly in keeping with the progress and importance of the town. He also referred to the need for removing the trucking yards further down the line. , The Minister: Would the Department have to buy land for this purpose ? " : ■>~. The Mayor: I understand the Dejpartment has bought land in order 'to 'make provision for this removal scheme. 'He added that only yesterday a deputation came to him in connection with the nuisance caused by trucking at four o'dlock in the morn'infgs. The ■ yards were all right in their present 20 years ago when there were no houses in the vicinity. But, to-day, there was a large residential population close to the yards. The Minister: Do you think the cattle yards could be shifted without involving any other scheme? The Mayor replied in the affirmative, and said he understood that the men had actually been sent to Hawera to commence this very necessary work, j but which for some reason, probably because of more urgent work elsewhere, had never been commenced. PATEA "SORTING" CHARGES. Mr E. C. Hayton brought before the Minister a Patea matter which required to be looked into. He said the Department were making a "sorting charge", of 4s 6d per ton on goods which had-to be re-handled from the steamers. The charge was previously Is 6d, but 4s 6d was certainly a most unreasonable charge. ' V The Minister said he did not* think 4s 6d could be all sorting charges, and he desired to inform the deputation that he was looking into the charged at all the smaller ports. BALL ROAD STATION. Mr Hayton also spoke of the need for an officer being placed in charge of the Ball Road station. There had been complaints from Hawera and Patea business men that goods had been missed frotn this station. ~~ Mr Pearce remarked that Ball Road station served a large district, and he supported Mr Hayton's request. Tihe Minister replied that the Department were at present short staffed and would be so until after the war, and he was afraid nothing could be <°one in that direction until things returned to normal. As it was officers had Lad to be withdrawn from stations because of the demand for men for the war. He recognised that the Department would have to spend a large sum of money on railways in Taranaki. but he was afraid that this expenditure would have to wait until after the war and even then everything would depend whether the money could be obtained. NATIVE AFFAIRS. Mr Pearoe urged upon the Minister the desirableness of the Department fa '.ilitatinjr land transactions between the natives and the Europeans in connection with the purchase of Native land. The -Minister replied that the Dopartinent had only pot a limited amount for the purchase of land, and it was