Round the Mountain

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 318, 6 July 1912, Page 4

Round the Mountain

■ — -» RAILWAY FROM MOTUROA TO TE ROTI. BRANCH LINE FROM MANAIA TO STRATFORD. THE OPU.NAKfTcOMMISSION'S REPORT. A UNANIMOUS REPORT. IMPORTANCE OF MOTUROA HARBOR... (By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The report of the Commission appointed to enquire what railway or tramwaysare required to open up and serve the country lying to the westward of tke line of railway between Hawera and Aew Plymouth, was laid before Parliament this afternoon. The commissioners state that they " made a thorough"'investigation from every practicable point of view. They traversed and examined practically the whole of the country which would be served by a railway or tramway, covering about two hundred miles in several different directions. They carefully computed the portable outward and inward' freight from and to the district concerned, which would be available fortransport by rail, and they took the evidence of representative farmers, commercial men, and members of local bodies - throughout the district. "Our principal function," they go 9n to say, "was to ascertain by investigation the best means of providing railway facilities to serve the district mentioned: ■m our Commission, and from our obser--vations, after careful consideration of the evidence tendered, we are unanimously of opinion that a line of railway should be constructed from Moturoa to j a point near Te Roti station on the main line, with a branch line from Kapuni ' along the existing road line to a point near Kaponga, which would permit of future extension to Stratford and' Manaia. IMPORTANCE OF MOTUROA HARBOR. 'ln considering the commercial prospects of a railway through this district,, we have been influenced somewhat by the important works now in progress j and approaching completion for the improvement of the shipping facilities art New Plymouth. When the works in j hand are completed there seems little ; room for doubt that this port will be, available for use by modern liners, and the authorities entrusted with the control of the harbor expect to be able in the near future to send consignments of" dairy and other produce from New Plymouth direct to the world's markets, without the transhipment which is usual at present. The harbor authorities satisfied us that in a comparatively short time the port would be able to' accommodate moderate ocean liners, suitable for carrying the whole of the produce for export offering from Taranaki and' the interior country, for which New Ply- ' mouth is the natural outlet. The developments in progress also warrant the assumption that New Plymouth will, {lithe near future, be the port through which the greater portion of the British [ and foreign imports for the Tarana,ki [ province will reach the Dominion. We j have, therefore, recommended the loca- ; tion of the proposed railway to suit the> I collection of produce for export, and the convenient distribution of imports, alI though the route may not in all parts fit in with the traffic routes which have developed up to the present. -. There Is already a considerable import trade through New Plymouth from other parts of the Dominion, EXPORT OF DAIRY PRODUCE. With regard to the export of dairy produce, it is essential that it shall arrive regularly at the market. To secure this the exports are confined almost entirely to the mail steamers, which, leaving at fortnightly intervals, and being under contract, can be relied on for the necessary regularity, but as it is found inconvenient and unprofitable for these vessels to call at other than main ports for sma'l lots of dairy produce, which are comparatively small in mass, the practice has arisen of forwarding this class of produce to Wellington for shipment from Auckland, via Onehunga, New Plymouth, Pa tea and Wanganui, several steamers being almost exclusively engaged on the coastal conveyance. The shipping companies appear to encourage this system by arranging to pay the coastal freight, and charging the'same rate of freight from Wellington and each of the ports mentioned to England. Several of the witnesses have expressed the opinion, which is shared by the commit fcioners. that when the ocean liners visit New Plymouth the exports of the Taranaki district will concentrate at New Plymouth, and provide bulk sufficient to warrant the mail boats calling there. In this case it Is likely that New Plymouth would become the second last port of call. Under these circumstances, on the expiration of present engagements, the shipping companies will require some modification of the present terms as regards the payment by them of the coastal freight. This will induce the shipment of dairy produce at New Plymouth instead of Wellington. DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED LINE. The Commission goes on to recommend the construction of a line as follows: £ Motaroa to Okate, 11 miles 99,000 Okato to Te Roti, 44 miles 308,000 Kapuni to Kaponga, 5 miles 25,000 Kaponga to Stratford, 9 miles.. 90,000 Kapuni to Manaia, 3% miles 17,500 Total, 72y a miles £589,500 COMMENCEMENT OF THE WORK. The Commission recommends that the construction of the line should be commenced simultaneously at Te Roti and Moturoa, and that when Kapuni is reach at the southern end the construction of the five miles of branch line to Kaponga should be put in hand. The . extension to Stratford might await the completion of the remainder of the suggested line. The line could be brought into profitable use as soon as the ten miles from Te Roti, with the Kaponga branch of fifteen miles from Moturoa, arc completed. EARNINGS OF THE LINE. They estimate that the earnings of the suggested line will amount to at least £OOO per mile per annum, and that the working expenses will not -exceed £430 - per mile per annum. As the country is further developed there will be every prospect of a considerable increase in the railway revenue. TRAMWAYS NOT FAVORED. The commissioners are not in favor of the, construction of tramways, and they recommend that the land between Eltham. and Opunake, reserved for a railway should be cither leased or sold tothe adjoining owners or oecupiers.