NEW RAIL LINK

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 63, 6 August 1947, Page 5

NEW RAIL LINK

PROPOSAL FOR MURUPARA WHAKATANE’S INTEREST When members of the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce met and conferred with representatives of the Murupara Branch last Saturday one of the main discussions centred round the proposal to establish a new rail link with the township of Murupara, for the purpose of catering for the increasing log and timber traffic now flowing from the Te Whaiti and Minginui areas. , ~;i s

It was stated that the route had already been surveyed from Murupara to Te Teko and that the utmost pressure was needed now to induce the Government to lose no time in making a start. The reasons put forward by the Murupara chairman (Mr R. Dykstra) were mainly based on the fact that unless something was done to relieve the stress on the roads (approximately sixty lorries would be operating between Te Whaiti and Murupara within the next 12 months), they would soon be cut to pieces. He also emphasised the danger to life in the narrow gorge road past Waiohou with such a stream of heavy traffic. Mr G. W. Cawte also pointed out the fact that in addition to the five mills already operating three more were under construction and each lorry employed was at liberty to load up to 32 tons. The roads couldnever stand it.

Mr H. G. Warren, who apologised for the absence of the president, MiHex Morpeth, undertook to* have the matter fully discussed at a special meeting of the Council to decide a co-operative plan of action. The date was left with Mr C. W. Good, the secretary, to arrange. An address on the timber potentialities of Te Whaiti and the Kaingaroa areas will also be given at a special meeting of the full Chamber by Mr Cawte.