THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 268, 4 April 1913, Page 6

THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

STRATI'TUID-KAPOXCA-MAXAIA COXXECTJOX. an' }:ai;ly start askkd for. Tim lii.-L Jr-Lr;itfortl deputation to tlio Prime .H.ii.ucr iilid the Minister of Public Works 0.1 Wednesday, expressed the wish of the ],i oiilu here that the Strat-fonl-Kiiponga-j.iimm railway should be commenced simultaneously with the To Roti section, but lii.st asked the Premier whether or not the Tc Roti route had been definitely fixed, and whether the Government intended to act on the report of the Opunake Railway Commission.

The Premier replied that nothing about the route had been definitely fixed. A commission had inspected the various suggested routes, ami reported. The Government would confer with its engineers before definitely fixing the route. Mr. Kirk wood, proceeding, said .lie headed a deputation representative of the Whangamomona and Stratford County Councils, the Stratford Borough Council, the Stratford A. and P. Association, the Stratford Chamber of Commerce, and the Kaponga Town Board. As far as the Stratford route was concerned it was quite as fullv able to serve the country as the Te lioti route. The Stratford-Kaponga-Manaia route would be squally as well served by this as by the Te Roti route. The report of the 'Railway Commission had recommended that' the Stratford line be started after the completion or the partial completion of the Te Roti line. The commission evidently recognised the importance of Stratford. They were not asking for anything outside the report of the commission except that the Stratford line be. commenced simultaneously with the southern line. Mr. Kirkwood concluded bv saying that this was a most important matter, and he hoped that in the interests of Taranaki the line would be started from Stratford. NEW PLYMOUTH OUR PORT.

Mr. R. Dingle, Borough Councillor and a member of the A. and P. Executive, said that as pioneer settler he, claimed to know* the requirements of the -district, anil he was firmly of opinion that the line from Stratford to Kaponga .and Manaia would serve the district better than the line which the Commissioners had recommended to be constructed first. Mr, Dingle considered that the New Plymouth harbour would soon life a deep sea harbour, and. yUeu , tUp whole of the dafiry produce of the province was collected there, ocean boats would call and carry the produce to the Home markets : direct. At present n good part of the dairy produce was going via Patea, but he was bound to sitv 'that theservice from that port 'was; wot very satisfactory. The produce would 'have to concentrate at Xew Plymouth fori shipment' before ocean boats would 'call for it, and the construction of. . tlm Stratford to Kaponga and .MlutftifC branch lijie would bring about that eoncentratioji. Mr. Dingle concluded by asking tl|e Minister of Public..Works~to pay us a further visit and to traverse •jtlie;suggested route himself. Mr. J. :B. Richards also *spokei"on

matter. !'"Stratford," lie said., "was a youii" community, poor in , individual wealth and that influence that comes only with age and association 1 , ' so : '-pos'-'■ sibly her claims, like those of a younser, SQn. would suffer by the side, of- the .older 'districts. Tlie report of the recent "commission was bound r great wejght in deciding the route... fl'ie commission had made it perfectly clear' that: the port of New Plymouth was going to be the port for the,., whoje of the ' piovince, and that wheii'the'liar-" 'Bbwf'wp4*« wore completed, ocean liners wfiuld 'hej'tli there, thus'coiicentratip'r at New Plymouth the \vh'ole : i>f"tl*e l e)cp i OTti 'rieed' fqr flairv factories to rail their stuff do\y3jhill ito Te Roti,- hive-it' hauled uphill again to New Plymouth'! Mr. Richards mentioned tiiat'bri/thdihuip' prepared! for the commissioners, and printed with the report.-'.tile .Loin-jjarthJl dairy factory (350 tons output) and the ningongoro creamery were not shown.

He considered that the south-western 1 area, should be railed before the north--cm area,'because of the greater! I>alk -of produce from the land and 'the*'greater burden of rates cast on the peoplo there for road maintenance. The territory along the proposed Moturpa-Ojiftngifce line' produced in 100!) rates amounting to £'20,383, jatul in 1011 £21,104, an increase, showing*only 3.53 per cent." "Hi three .years. In the area to be tappp,d by tlijeyfroposed; Stratford line the rates bad increased','in the same period frop ,(231,478; to £41.323,, an increase pf .31.27 per cent. The feport of the commissioners, pursued the speaker, had not mentioned

..the,,fact .'that there was already, a junction at Stratford,, and the provision of one junction instead of two would be of vast convenience to the public and to the' Railway Department. , 'Mr. J. Smith, county councillor, also

spoke. ... Mr. -Massev, in reply, said he was here to pick tip all the information ho coilld on this matter. The report of the commissioners would undoubtedly carry great wpiglit with the Government in fixing the route. They felt their responsibility in the expenditure of 'the big sum of money necessary, arid wo'uld do their best for the province and the Dominion as a whole. The Hon. W. Fraser said he' coilld not. deride yet oil the route, but would do so shortly. Tliev would weigh all. the evidence tendered here and elsewhere and consult the expert officers of the Department. The whole question agitating the minds of' the people was "Where will th« Opuuake line leave the main line?" All seemed agreed that a line to Opuuake to connect with the existing system was an absolute necessity. He •■would, consider the district which was producing the material. He would consider the men who were working the land and producing the freight. He would give full weight to even the '''younger son's" claims, and to all the arguments used that afternoon. STRATFOKD-TE KOTJRA RAILWAY A MOST IMPORT AXT LIXK. Replying to deputations on Wednesday, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works both stated that the Stratford-To Koura railway was looked upon by the (lovernnient as a very important work. The deputations had urged that there should bo no slackening oil', but rather that the work of construction should lie hastened. The Prime Minister said there was no room for complaint, as the £OO.OOO placed on the Estimates had all been spent. This most important line would be pushed through as quickly as possible, remembering. of course, that there must be an equitable division of public moneys throughout the Dominion. The Minister of Public. Works said that £72.000 had been spent on the line in ten months, besides which contracts up to £SOOO had been let, and there were other liabilities bringing the total to £IOO,OOO. "It is a line that needs to be pushed on. We have no intention of stopping the work there. The only thing that can limit the amount; to be placed on the Estimates will be the amount, of money placed at the disposal of the Public Works Department.