RIVALRY ON THE MAIN TRUNK LINE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 247, 2 April 1910, Page 2

RIVALRY ON THE MAIN TRUNK LINE.

The town rivalry or.ee so noticeable between Taihape and Mangaweka in their earlier days is at present in evidence farther up the line, where there is a sort of triangular thiol oetween Ohakune, Rangataiia and Kactihi. .t'/rce places (says the Dominion) are progresn'ng rapidly. Kaelihi, which was laid out some, fifteen or .sixteen years ago 1 on the as■•uinptoin that it would be on the main line of railway, is the commercial and farming centre. It recently held a very successful agricultural and pastoral show, and this season it has exported over ,£IO,OOO worth of wool. It. is also the headquarters of the bank which opens a branch twice a week at Ohakune, and which is now on the point of erecting a now building in its own town. Ohakune and Uangalaua now claim populations of HOD and 700 inhabitants respectively, and each watch is the other with'a very observant, but not very friendly eye. Recently it was given out that Ohakune intended to transform itself into a borough, and to rone in Rangataua in order to gain the necessary one thousand population. As liangataua desires to play a lone hand in its municipal development, this announcement was treated by its inhabitants as a sort of civic bombshell. and a meeting was hurriedly called to discuss ways and means of frustrating the alleged project. On it being stated, however, that Ohakune had no wish to absorb Kangatai|a, the latter party held its hand, but each district is now endeavouring to attain a population basis which \yill give it the status mentioned; i