NORTHERN RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17650, 10 December 1920, Page 6

NORTHERN RAILWAY.

COMMISSION'S TRAVELS.

EVIDENCE AT KAITAIA. [bt telegraph.--own CORRESPONDENT. ] KAITAIA. Thursday. The Royal Commission which is inquiring into the route of the Northern railway continued its sittings at Kaitaia yesterday afternoon. In the morning the commissioners closely inspected the Takahuo saddle, over which the proposed route from Totara Point, on Hokianga Harbour, would have to pass ,f the line were taken to Kaitaia via Takahue and Broad wood. . Evidence was tendered yesterday aftarnoon dv Mr. Charles McKuinon, county clerk, who gave statistics dealing in the county's progress. . Leonard Seil, farmer, urged the necessity of railway connection in the of . settlement and * production. The North was now languishing for population. The best land was ,to the westward.

. Mr. f. McMullen, county engineer, put in a schedule of roads the "County Council proposed to improve and tar eal* amounting to about.4s. miles, for which a loan of had been raised. He favoured the Broadwood-Takahue-Kaitaia route for the railway. About 70 per cent, of the county's ordinary rating revenue was spent on road maintenance. Mr. Begg said the condition of some roads the commission had travelled on indicated that good stretches had been allowed to get into bad repair. Witness replied that this applied to past years, but not to present activities. Several farming witnesses stressed the need of a railway if stock-rearing was to do any good. The fat lamb trade was practically valueless through want of a market.

The ast witness was a local resident who, advocated a light line of railway to connect the district with the Main Trunk at Mangramuka. but at present onlv going to Victoria Valley. A petition under the Local Railways Act had already been lodged with the Minister. This .morninz the tour was continued through Victoria Valley to Mangonui.