Opunake Railway.

Opunake Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 2051, 31 March 1914, Page 2

Opunake Railway.

One of the strongest “J support of the Government s deoißion on the route question is that the country is pleased with the. Government’s pronouncement and hope tha^ the pronouncement will be backed p by a vigorous policy of We have every confidence m the Government doing this, ernment have put their hands to the plough and we are sure that y Sot turn back. The farmers and country people are keenly desirous of seeing the heavy traffic lifted off the roads by means of sooner the better. To assumethat because the proposed lme doeß come nearer tbe mam south road ib 1 a sufficient reason to raise objection is ridiculous policy. mont have wisely looked to the futu and the country through which the proposed line goes will increase tenfold by the time the line is put there. 7 Why Mr Pearce, of Patea,

aD d the Haters tradesmen pass a resolntion condemning the route is ffi to.oaeMt.na. The whole of Booth Taranaki should rejoice at the early commencement of the line ana S forces in having it commenced sceedily. The Hawera Chamber of Commence, in engineering the opposition, acted unwisely, because the farmers moat directly . h * of have taken this move on thepartof the Hawera Chamber of 9°S£®™® as direci opposition, and that will be used to prevent the early commencement of the lme. W appeal to the Hawera Ohamber of Commerce to drop sinister desires and look at the question from aP™ 1 ® spirited point of view. Incur opimoa the Government have specially copsidered Manaia in diverting between the commission and reae JT e “ routes, with the early prospect of » line to lift the Plains produce, Evidently the Hawera people have SOt earnestly considered the Oommisßiott route otherwise they would not be so urono to sdck to the Commission , route. That report had primarily for its object the lifting of the produce and shooting it to New Plymouth, branch lines to be considered after the main line was fully constructed, \Hawera and its henchman, the Patea pvirt, was not considered in’ the Commissioners report. Why these towns tha t are already served with a railway are desirous of standing in the way of th e isolated settler is a dog m the manage'* policy. Another point we wish to emphasise is: that the Commission report was a flying report f —not to specially follow the red line on the map until a detailed survey was made. This was borne out by the Opunako deputation that waited on the Premier and Minister of Public Works and pointed out that the Commissioned put the Opunake station about two miles the Minister of Public Works drew a circle round the Bpot and said that did not mean to say that that would be the identical spot. Mr Jb'ißßer also gave us to understand that he would be guidedl principallyJ by hii departmental officers as to route, which. W 0 think was a very reasonable position to take up. However I we think for the good of South ! Taranaki particularly, and Taranaki ! as a whole, that obstruction should be buried Mw that the route* r defined.