NEGLECTED RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16927, 13 August 1918, Page 4

NEGLECTED RAILWAYS.

SI gt ; *'S V^V.V MINISTER'S HELP .ENLISTED®! —* ; "W| The backward condition of railway con- ?'"• struction in the Auckland Province wag : > brought under the notice of the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, as the acting head of the Liberal division of the National Ministry, yester- '||f| day, by' a deputation from the Auckland" y<;]J Railways League, consisting of Messrs. P. /. E. Cheal, president, W. F. Mander, M.P., and R. Hornblow. \ . s \ ,

GAPS IN COMPLETED LINES.

C The necessity for the extension of the Kaihu Railway to Donnelly's Crossing, for hastening of the' work on the tunnels near Maungaturoto, and i for the completion of the connecting link on the line from Whangarei towards the North Auckland Main Trunk was strongly urged upon the Minister. With, regard to the last-mentioned line, the deputation stated that the construction of two and a-half miles of line would, by enabling the utilisation of the already-completed section beyond it, give railway' facilities to the settlers for 17 or 18: milefl out of Wliangarei. So far, however, the Minister for Public Works had not seen his way to carry out the work. Apparently, it was .suggested, the Minis-, ter was disinclined to nave the completed railway handed over from his Department to the working Railways Department. A similar situation, it was added, existed on the Bay of Plenty railway, where the line between Tauranga and Matataj a distance of 35 miles, had been completed, part of it for years, but had not yet been handed over to the working Railways Department for traffic.

Mr. Mac Donald replied that on his return to Wellington he would confer with the Acting-Prime Minister and ascertain whit could be done to bring about compliance with the wishes of tho district, as exemplified by the' deputation. He also stated that he hoped to be able to retu.i to the Auckland district in about three weeks and to visit the localities mentioned during the interview, in order to make himself personally acquainted with tlie Situation.