THE RAILWAYS

Southland Times, Issue 20488, 16 May 1928, Page 10

THE RAILWAYS

NORTH AUCKLAND SYSTEM. ANOTHER SECTION OPENED. (Per United Press Association.) Dargaville, May 15. The Waiotira-Kirikopuni braqch of the North Auckland Main Trunk railway system, a length of about 16 miles, was taken over by the Railway Department to-day, the official ceremony being performed by the Prime Minister, assisted by Mrs Coates In addition to an address by the Prime Minister, appropriate speeches were delivered by Mr F. A. Jones, Mayor of Dargavjjle, Mr L. J. Brake, Mayor of Whangarei, Mr V. Trounson, chairman of the Hobson County Council, Mr A. E. Harding, president of the Kaipara Chamber of Commerce and a former M.P. for Kaipara, also Messrs Allen Bell and W. Jones, M.P. for Bay of Islands and Marsden respectively. The day was beautifully fine and the ceremony was largely attended. After the ceremony the visitors were entertained at afternoon tea by the ladies of the district The work in connection with this line has been in progress upwards of eight years and has been most difficult and costly owing to the nature of the country. There is one large tunnel and in addition to a cylinder bridge over the Northern Wairoa River near Kirikopuni, numerous smaller ones. There are five stations on the length with Waiotira, which is the junction, with, the Whangarei-Auckland line as the principal The whole of the rolling stock and engines are housed there. The line has been open between the ends of the section under the control of the Public Works Department for about two years, during which time considerable trade has been done in the carriage of stock, manure and passengers. Kirikopuni is the centre of a very fertile block of country and the main road north to Kaiokohe starts from there. An up-to-date butter factory has been recently completed and will be running next year. The completion of this line brings Dargaville within an hour’s easy run of the railway system by a good motor road. Works for the completion of the line between Kirikopuni and Dargaville have now been rapidly pushed on and should be completed under three years when another 13 miles will be added to the section and it will be linked up with the Kaihu section from Dargaville to Donnelly’s Crossing, where it leads to the famus Trounson Kauri Park and Waipoua Forest. The Prime Minister unveils a soldiers’ memorial at Dargaville on Wednesday afternoon and delivers a political address at Paparoa in the evening, returning to Wei lington via Auckland by train next morning.