NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAYS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14211, 12 May 1908, Page 3

NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAYS.

TRIAL SURVEYS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, May 10. The Irial survey in connection with the Auckland end of Ihe East Coast railwayis nl. present being proceeded with. Mr ,1. A. Wilson (resident engineer of the Public Works Department). who has just returned from a visit to the line of the survey route, says ihal Iwc strongly staffed parties of .surveyors are now at, work between Waihi and Ta.iir.tngi, under the charge of .Mr Hannah. Mr Wilson, who has traversed the country from Waihi to Otamarakau, about half way between Maketu anil Matata, a. distance- of from 70 lo 80 miles from Waihi, states that the trial route has hecn located as far as Katikati. From Katikati to about 10 miles south of Maketu the route, so far as the trial survey is concerned, lm-3 been generally decided upon, subject to the consideration of alternative routes over certain sections. Whore the route lies near the sea, the resident engineer states, it is not difficult to fix, hut over a considerable portion of the other pari of the route the country requires .to be carefully examined. It must ha borne in mind that it is only a irial survey that is being made. When all tho information obtained has been collected it will be submitted to the engiiiecr-in-ehicf for his decision as lo the route to he adopted. The work now proceeding, Mr Wilson slates, is regarded by the department as an urgent one. and is being pushed on as rapidly as possible. The trial survey of the proposed alternative route ro connect with the main line at Mamakn wa s completed sonic time ago. A similar survey of a route from Paeroa to Pokeno, which has so often been urged upon tho Government by deputations, is also proceeding. At the present time this route lies across the I'iako swamp to Wabakawuni, and thence by Maramarua to Pokeno. A lino across tho route will reduce tho distance from Auckland to Paeroa by over 40 miles.