TARANAKI FLOODS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 46, 26 February 1935, Page 6

TARANAKI FLOODS

RESTORING SERVICES RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS. HEAVY LOSS TO COUNTIES. ( Par Frees Association ). NEW PLYMOUTH, Feb. 25. Emergency rail services from New Plymouth were restored to-day. Eight trains were scheduled to run to-day and this evening, re-establishing communication which had been broken since Friday by the floods. The trains ran to Inglewood where, owing to the washout danger, passengers, luggage, and mail were transferred by road to Midhirst, where connection was again made with rail. Havy goods are being carried by road. The mail train for Wellington left an hour earlier this morning, and tonight's Auckland express will also start earlier. It is hoped to have the New Plymouth-Stratford line normal late on Wednesday. The repair work is proceeding day and night. The cost of repairing the roads will be considerably greater than was at first estimated and appeals have been addressed to the Government for financial assistance. Engineers are now preparing reports on which the appeals will be considered. County Councils’ estimates of road damage are as follow: Hawera £20,00(1; Inglewood £12,000; Taranaki £3OOO. STRATFORD LINE RAPID PROGRESS MADE EXPRESS LEAVES LAST NIGHT ( Per Pr*M Aaaoeiatloß. 1 NEW PLYMOUTH, Eeb. 25. The repairing of the damage to the railways caused by Friday’s hoods, has been advanced more quickly than was expected. The Auckland express was able to leave to-night via the Stratford. line, and it is hoped that th* express from Wellington will complete the journey to New Plymouth tomorrow night and that the full service on both lines will be resumed on Thursday morning. The Government is receiving reports from engineers, and when these are in hand, consideration will be given loca bodies’ applications for as sistance. The Taranaki County Council, in its comparatively small area, to-day estimated the damage to reads at £lO,OOO, the Hawera County C° un ' nil estimates its damage at £20,000 and Inglewood £lO,OOO, while in Stratford nad Patea it is not so serious.