THE TAURANGA AND ROTORUA RAILWAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 949, 13 November 1879, Page 2

THE TAURANGA AND ROTORUA RAILWAY.

This is how the Tauranga people urge their claims on the Government : — On Saturday, a deputation, consisting of the following gentlemen — Mr. George Vesey Stewart, J.P. (Chairman of the Tauranga County Council), Dr. Henry, Mr. Jonathan Brown, Mr. Fitzgibbon Louch, Mr. David Asher, and Hori Tupaea, waited on the Hon. Mr. Rolleston, Minister of Public Works, to urge on the Government the importance of constructing a line of railway between Tauranga and Rotorua. The deputation was introduced by Mr. Allan McDonald and Mr. White. Mr. Stewart, as Chairman of the County Council, stated the object of the deputation. He urged the necessity of the railway being constructed on purely national and colonial grounds, pointing out that the Lake district was marked out by nature to be the future sanitorium of the southern hemisphere. The magnificent steamers of the Union Company made regular calls at Tauranga, conveying passengers from all parts of the world, and it was important that facilities should be given for tourists to reach the Lakes with as little delay as possible. The Government owned nearly 300,000 acres of land in the Hot Lake district, the value of which would be immensely enhanced by a railway. The cost would be only about £200,000, which was inconsiderable in comparison with the advantages to be gained by the country. Mr. Stewart suggested that the Government should place a few thousand pounds on the estimates to have a start made, the balance to be raised by the letting of the adjoining lands, or else the cost should be defrayed entirely by the absolute Bale of such lands. He believed a contractor could be obtained on those terms without any difficulty. Dr. Henry made some very forcible remarks to the same effect. The Hon. Mr. Rolleston acknowledged the vast importance of the undertaking which had already engaged the attention of the Government. He said the suggestions would be carefully considered by his colleagues, but applications involving five millions were in. He stated it was but a question of time and the railway would be made, and he promised, to communicate further in regard to the matter.