EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13172, 4 September 1913, Page 4

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

QUESTION OF ROUTE

' STOPPAGE OF CONSTRUCTION WORK.

TAURANGA-OPOTIKI FIRST

(From our Parliamentary Reporter.) „,," WELLINGTON, this day. "*v\*eli, I don't knoAA* about satisfying -the-v_d_*^peopie'/'^ -make it cjeai^i'r haye. not, turned doAvn Motu; I ma^fc-it* quite clear*"!.* Vas not going to builrKthe ifito the township just for AfcV}_,'"'' remarked the Alinister of Public y^orks tp.-yoiui: jrepresentative, Avhen discussing the request of the recent Alotui 'deputation. .The Hon. Mr Fraser add'^'tnat he had received telegram fr9m7the Auckland- Chamber of Comxoerpe,'- urging him not to commit him-.' self -\_botihp: request, and he had simply r£plisj)V telling them 'there. Avas no need to Asb*_yV * '• '''' 1 Reffetfring to the co-operative AVorkerS,: nnmtf&in|r •probably. OA'er 200; present emiblfty^ Upon the earthwork beyond Ala*a\vai, the Aiinist'er AA-as asked what, wasv-fco happen to them m the next tAvoor Avhen '■they finished up to temporary terminus across the; Aloth^iyeh, near the rKpwhai- road. ' 'iQtliV ---there' ivill be plenty of other' wqc^ for. tlWm, how the summer is com---ihg;^h'; w 'assured the Alinister, Avho Went' cm, . •*" ity -point > out '. that- , the Department ' wasv'irow pushing on the Gisborne-soVs^^d%lipe.',.-'.TKe temporary bridge, lie.e^laahedi'Avas nearly completed, and pIM-Itying Avas going to be carried right on'\to Ngatapa. The Waipaoa bridge hap^bje_rn tlie cause of the delay, but %-CiKe time this structure aa-_s finished, the%&rihahent way Avould have been coittpefced to 'Ngatapa. Of .course ptrttelayin^ -did not take many men, but ti^'.'eaHhw.Ork. Avas being extended beyond^N^atapa. No, they were not golhj^Xb^'do that all by contract. Reverting to the Alotu line, : thie Minigtel" iin response* io ; furth^Kcin_fuii*ies, sfatlfa ' that 1^ statfon would be proAnded at-<th'6vEowhai road, Avhere the prospectivVE^rtiiites diverge, which Avould mark. th^Vte'wnihus until the route question teis^^ided. Of course, there -Avould hir^ft, to be a permanent station üboufc t.he^Vto-i'serve that' kwality. He could ■ ji_t^ito- k ''beyond there- just for the sake of^k^epihg'the men on. They had first to 'def&itely determine where the line to Ottotiki - Voifl'd go. ; ' Up '- to the present thß:sesoeht dyer this very rough country, had'-^^n reported aB /Impracticable, .excep^atleiciessive. cost. Why, he added, fdrrafebut- ten friiles it was estimated to cost-- £25.000 to. £30,000 per mile, aiid ihclus-d severaL -spirals. Surely, that Avjrw enough, to: make one pause. \Tljfe>Alirtister went on to say he was . considering -it line ; through Motu down ttievy&liey, bM he could not do that this year>i- 'A railAvay merely for pastoral counter Avas* luxury New Zealand could nbtafford at the present time. Eipphasisipg the excessive cost of raiiin\gtneveourttry J hetween> Alotii ' and Opotiku Mr'tf^rdetilared the money could be stfejit tb ibetter advantage m the^Bay of Kenty from Tauranga towards Opor tiki :,- Here the. line would traverse almost level country, artd the railway would . be one of the easiest constructed m the Dominion, costing probably only £5000 per mile, and would provide- great facilities- for, settlement- ; . The Auckland people, he remarked. ■we*e :'utireasohablcf ' m Wanting the line extended from the Waihi end towards Tauwga, and the Extension of lines, connecting directly with Auckland. Ihe development of. settlement throughout the-feay of Plenty' by the building of 48ie line eastward ffom Tauranga must result m a great deal of increased trade, which' would <go to Auckland by water m the. meantime. ■ '" 4s to the Alotu extension, the Alinister, 'fe?'-concitarionv -affirmed- that further construction from the point indicated rested. entirely upon the solving of the ( route down to Opotiki.