KAIHU RAILWAY AND MAIN TRUNK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17283, 6 October 1919, Page 9

KAIHU RAILWAY AND MAIN TRUNK.

Sir, The brief notice in. the' -Herat©- of the meeting recently held at Dargavilie to consider the connecting of the Kaihu railway with the Main Trunk line does not give a fair impression of what took place. The local advertisements calling the meeting said that the purpose was to settle. the connecting route, and ask for an authorisation being put through this session of Parliament. There was a good representation of settlers from many parts of Hobson and Otamatea Counties, as well as of the borough. It was believed by many that it was the intention of the conveners to get a pronouncement in favour of a connection being authorised between Dargaville and Kirikopuni. There was no chance of getting such a pronouncement from the meeting, though The Mayor state*! that he had the authority of the Minister for saying that if the settlers were unanimous an authorisation would be put through this session. Great stress was laid upon the need for unanimity, but the meeting was not prepsjed to give this to the route named. A general desire was voiced to have a commission of inquiry to settle the route. To the resolution published in the Herald wan "added a clause asking for full inquiry to determine th.i best route. This clause was added unanimously, as it was plain the meeting would insist upon it. To many in the district it is absurd to rush for authorisation of a line to connect with the main line at a point about forty miles north of where the line has yet been taken over, and somewhere about thirty miles ahead of the present const-ruction works, and with at least two tunnels intervening. There.is a, strong agitation to have the Kaihu line connected by the shortest possible route to the City of Auckland. The advantages of such a route happen to be very many. John- StAL-LWORTTTT. Aratapu. September 30, 1919.