EAST COAST RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16870, 7 June 1918, Page 4

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Ut VIM I! UN IU VVfSMrvM I MH t. UtvlfiliUN I U wnHi\«iMi«t. j RIVAL CLAIMS, URi-ED. ! BT ielkm: \ru. — -rm iai. correspondent.] i '.ViiAK VTA K. Thursday. I A i'.rvi 'I thai the 1 r •pos-d line . i the' ii.i-t ( ■■;..-i H.iiiwav. i.-tween Matata and • 'l.il'eat'M. 1 i■ ■ •:; v' •ii. ■ d ; Whaka 1 t arc. Vas in-tde !,«• • deputati-m from the j Wr-akatai.i' l "i:.:n''e r ■! < ■ n un rc e, ■vlnc'i i •' ;t<-i r;j, ,ii til" Mllll-t; 1 i"l Lands t' j siuisf. : Tin d.-p'i:ati. ,* it.-d thai the Min'-tt ■■ j f■ :• l'i:!.:- \V.-rks 'hid -aid it. W.i? itnr*':■ h ide to n.ik" a..v deviation, hut. m sup- , :!;e char.i'ccr'? • iami tha*, 't »v entitled to i.ii • iv fa. ii;rns. ilgurc.-' were , t-i . ! ■•■v that tile pti'ali■ Ihal m- : i reased i>y 1C:~0 in three wars and the , iipi'al value had :n "'va-,-bv £7 -C«'"-0 in o— v. r. In IM2 'i • Hub nr 8.-.a-d".-in'-m.> M-'.s £.s; r '. and :t »a, m.w j To i.. aid 'pad .fjv.it Jt'36.od J ..n liarh >>•:• : iii.pr>-v.-n-e--! ■ and hid p'-riu ■■ -n '•> ■p. nd .a f-nth.'i £'"6.He iir.e "a.vi been v--\.'d ! S yea: rg •, .and ct,,i < li; n. A d,-'\i:.'i' -n 1-. W'hakatane nng'.t , lengthen (he line si'gin s . bill It v..-ad : seive t 'e : vvaiup and the wli-de district i h'-t>-r than the piopo-ed I.i.e. It would j a.,--, 01.-;,-ite t :>o n--. .1 f< r a bran, i: !:ne u> I Whakatane in the pilule. The II n. i A'-'. IS. Ma.])- naid. it •• as staled, had | -aid that Wnakatai;.. had greater ]«>.= = i | b that: Ci-bo'iie. c.d the dep..tat. on ; aiged '.ha: i: if was going to b" as in. , p.-riant as that, then it was only right it j should have a railway. ; Mr. -■: il■ i**i *■. in rrply. said lie was pi-.isi dto heir of the prosper:ty of the ! d:st! tel. a* ; l inwi) bv til" figures, and l pthi-'d that his personal observations had , satisfied him that they had a great dis- j trict. Sir \Vif?l-,in Fraser had not only i said that he must follow the shortest I route, _ but that the proposed route had extensive country on either side of it. J whereas, if the line was placed on the i coast, rt would serve only tin? count'— I on one s,de. However, the figures quoted ! provided the most telling part of the I deputation's argument, and he would j place them fore Sir William Fraser. together ,th his own _ iirpressirins. He certainly would not till' Sir William that Whakatane was not deserving of consideration. The jiroposed deviation was opposed by ; a deputation from tlv Whakatane County ! Council, which waited upon the Minister !at Te Teko. If was stateel that the pro ! posed route tapped rich, fertile country, ; and would benefit more settlers than if i a deviation was made to Whakatane. -Mr. ! Guthrie promised to convey the request! i to the Minister for Public Works.