A PUKERUA DEPUTATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1076, 15 March 1911, Page 4

A PUKERUA DEPUTATION.

RAILWAY SIDING WANTED. The claims of P.ukerua, a little settlement on'tho Main Trunk lino between Plimmerton' and Packakariki, for a railway •siding wcro brought before the Minister for Railways yesterday. Mr. Field'..(member.for Otaki). introduced a to the Hon. J. A. Millar, and stated that all tho Pukerua people asked for was a "dead end" siding. Pukerua was a growing place, and it \va's also. a ..considerable stock centre. At' present there .were no facilities for entraining stock or yards. Heavy goods for Pukerua had to betaken first to Paekakariki and then sent back by special engine at additional cost. A road had been formed to the station, and the settlers wcro willing to pay half the cost of the siding, a matter of about £75. The people of the settlement' also desired to have some meana of getting into Wellington on Saturday afternoon, so that they could do business comfortably or go to the theatres, and return home by the late train. At present tho down trains that would suit them did not stop at the station. The request was supported by Mr. Gallaway, a. member, of tho Hutt County Council (in whose jurisdiction Pukerua is situate); also by Messrs. C. Gray, Ward. Ames, and G. Cartney, settlors. Each of theso gentlemen pointed out that the settlement of the locality was being held back by the lack of railway facilities. Stock had mostly to be driven to Wellington,, though in some cases it was shipped at other stations. Much firewood could also he. sent into Wellington from there.

The Minister said that since the matter had last como before him a road had been constructed to the station, and the request had also been modified in other directions. ' The deputation were prepare' dto pay half tho cost, and under those circumstances he would give instructions, for a report to be obtained on .the .matter." It was certainly important that every facility should be given for the carriage of stock and goods to market, and he was only too anxious that this should be done. He would also go into tho request for the stoppage of one of the Saturday afternoon trains, but at the same time he pointed out tho absolute necessity there was for maintaining the speed and times of through trains.