RAILWAYS WANTED.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13661, 27 March 1908, Page 5

RAILWAYS WANTED.

AUCKLAND'S CLAIMS. *• .- i • •/ " \ r THE STRATFORD-ONGARUE LINE. , . Per Pross Association. , , " AUdKLAND, March 26. . A deputation consisting of nearly . on^'^iundredvinembers of the Auckland Railway League. waited ii])on the Premier to-day to' urge the claims of fhe proHncial railways. Mr G. L. Pj&aoocke, touching on the Main Trirhk line, s,aid they all recognised that tho Government was doing all in its poTJrer to complete the connection between Auckland and Wellington by the fefid of the year. Efforts, however, should Hbe made to hurry on the contractor for the Makatote. viaduct. He mentioned with regard to the pYoposed connection between the main line and Taraiii&ki •that there' was a suggestion to deviate to a ooint further south than that oHfeinally intended. It was felt here #nat the Ongarue <*oiwrfecttion was the^sbst advantageous. He thought work might be-xCommenced.iiMua -the- Ongarue^ end as well as from Stratford. Coining to the North Auckland line, he said everyone fully appreciated the .efforts of the Government invp-usbing ;on this line. The non-comp}e^on of the Main Trunk, however, prevented the Government from spending as much as it would desire. Its completion, however, was an urgent necessifyT'lfor when the line reached Maungaturoto it would become much more profitable, and for this reason he urged that the vote for this line should be as large as possible. Referring to the East Coast railway, belaid that this line would open up large areas which were sinrpT^ held back by* tKe lack of communication.Sir Joseph- Ward; in repry, said that, there could be no doubt that the North Island Main Trunk line would be carried through in the time stated by the Government; 1 ' unless there was a very bad winter, which would make it- impossible for work to be carried on ; but even in this case the delay would be but a short one. - The line should be connected with Auckland' before Christmas next: (Applause.)' There was £330,000 in course of expenditure now, and another £67, w0 would be spent by the Government before the completion of the railway. An expenditure of £500,000 upon railway construction within this period was unprecedented , in New Zealand. Continuing, Sir "Jo- ' seph Ward pointed out that they had to make railway appropriations for • a ■ great many parts or New Zealand. One railway in \the North Island which should be completed — and he had not heard- its claims urged that day — was the closing of the gap between Kawakawa and Hukerentii. -Here were two ends of a railway lino which were not paying, but which would be doing far A better 1 \wheA completed. One of the disabilities which- the North had suffered as compared with the South in railway construction was that, when -Sir' Julius -¥og£#s public works policy was in progress^ the lines in the North were delayed because they could not be made through a portion of the .nativeowned country, ■ but the Government was doing its best to overcome this disparity. Regarding the rumour that the 'StratfoFd-Ongaruß route was to be changed, he said that nothing definite had Been decide*)."' The line would receive the fullest consideration of the Government, which' was doing all in its power t to ajteisti those in the North to .obtain facilities, which they recognised were required. They would try to treat the country, as a wjtiole fairly, and there would be no "political" lines.