NORTH ISLAND RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14766, 23 August 1911, Page 8

NORTH ISLAND RAILWAYS.

GISBORNE TO NAPIER.

[BT TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Gisborne, Tuesday. The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce is in receipt of the following further communication from Mr. H. J. H. Blow, UnderSecretary of the Public Works Department, following on bis letter of the 18th inst.— "In reply, to your Chamber's representations in favour of making an early start with the construction work on the proposed railway between Gisborne and Napier, I am directed by the Minister for Public Works to inform you that, ho prefers to make considerable progress with the survey of the through line before putting construction work in hand, so that there may bo no doubt, before heavy expenditure is incurred, that the best available routo has been selected. With this object in view the survey is now being pushed on, but the Minister is not prepared to authorise the commencement of the construction work at either end of the proposed route until further progress has been mado with the location of the line."

The Chamber has appointed Mr. David Whyte, of Hastings, to act as its representative on the deputation from tho' North Island leagues to the Minister for Public Works. Mr. Whyte has been instructed to urge the immediate commencement of the work at both ends, leaving the question of route to be decided by the Minister on the engineer's advice. "The East Coast Railway League concurs in this attitude.