MAIN TRUNK RAILWAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 May 1919, Page 6

MAIN TRUNK RAILWAYS.

| MORE VIGOROUS CONSTRUCTION , _. POLICY, COMBINED THREE-PROVINCE EFFORT PROPOSED, The recent efforts made by the local bodies throughout Taranaiki with a view to bringing pressure to bear on the iiiuister of Public Works, to initiate a more vigorous policy of railway construction, especially in regard to main trunk lines, are bearing fruit already. The representative and influential deputations which waited on the Minister on the occasion of his visit to Stratford and Whangamomona early last month have had the effect of arousing interest in the same direction in other districts, and a movement is now on foot, initiated by the Auckland Railways League, with the object of making $ combined effort, through the three provincial districts of Auckland, Taranaki, and Hawke's Bay, to secure a greater amount of the proposed loans to enable, the important, but in some cases, somewhat isolated, points In these provinces to bo opened up and linked with die main trunk lines running through the North Island. The main proposal is to complete the East Coast line by connecting Napier with Wairoa and Giaborne and linking that section up to Rotorua, and to connect Stratford with Okahukura, and so provide communication between the northern and southern ends of the island by means of eastern and western routes as well as the present central line, and so place the present isolated areas of both the western and eastern provinces in direct touch with the larger centres, and with the ports, which are the natural outlets for their product*. There is also a proposal'that, for the purpose of feeding these trunk lines, concrete roads should 'be laid down rather than branch runways, as being more economical and able to reach more settlers along the route line.

A comparison shows that the South Island is very much more effectively served with branch railway lines than is the North Island, but those that are in existence can easily be connected up and made part of the trunk line systems of the Dominion. The feeders, in the shape of concrete roads, could be made to cj;.-:wci the main trunk lines while they are in course of construction, and thus help to promote immediate settlement, with a consequent increased production, as soon as these now isolated areas are linked up.

Tr> connection with the scheme, the North Auckland district has not been lost eight of. It is suggested that a vigorous policy of construction over the present gap of a iew miles would provide an unbroken line of 21-0 miles to Auckland, and would open out one of the oldest settlements in the (Dominion —and a district that certainly possesses rich which warrant a progressive policy of development. With the carrying of the loan for' harbor improvements it New Plymouth, with the certainty that in the course of a very few years there will be here" an open deep-sea port capable of accommodating the largest liners trading to the Dominion, the necessity of fully developing the outlying areas of the district and of linking up the preesnt incompleted railways with the trunk system becomes more imperative than ever, and the advantage therefrom must be apparent to everyone. Much, wc believe, has been done to impress the urgency of the claims of this district upon the" attention of Cabinet, but if by a combined effort on the part of all the interests concerned in 4 the northern portion of the island a more speedy recognition of the just demands of patient and longsuffering pioneer settlers can be brought about, there is no reason why the influences in this district should not align themselves with those of the sister provinces in a strong movement of compulsion of the Government to immediately institute a more vigorous and business-like policy in regard to railway" and road construction along what are in reality main arterial routes_

The proposal of the Auckland Railways League is that the chairman of their council should make an extensive tour through the districts referred to, for the purpose of cementing the political strength with a view to attaining the desired ends. A circular letter has been forwarded to the mayors of the principal boroughs and county council chairmen in Hawke's Bay and Taranaki, soliciting their support in the m'atter and asking for an expression of opinion as to the proposed Jour of the chairman.