THE OHURA LINE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 173, 17 April 1920, Page 8

THE OHURA LINE

MORE RAPID CONSTRUCTION ASKED. • An appeal to the new Minister of Public Works (Mr. Coatcs) for tho more rapid construction of the Stratford-Oha-kukura line from tho Main Trunk end was made by a deputation of settlers in the district, and from the town, of Tnumarunui yesterday. Mr. It. W. Smith, M.P., introduced the Reputation, nnd M'r. W. T. Jennings, / M.P., sent an apology for his inability to be! present. It was urged by speakers that there was the utmost need for the vigorous prosecution of construction work on this part of the line. It was nine years since the work had been put in hand,.and although the formation work for nine miles had been put in hand, to tho town of Ma,tiere, not a single milo of railway had teen opened. The nine miles was over country somewhat difficult, but most of the difficulties had already been overI come, and beyond, in the Ohura country, [ tho construction" woufil be easy. Work on the line seemed to have censed almost. j With tho present strength of the gangs [employed, it would be three years before, tho line could he opened to Matiere. The deputation submitted that the road service of settlers was very bad, and until the. railway was built it must remain bad, for the reason that the local bodies could not obtain metal for tho making of permanent reads unless they could bring metal into the district from Taumnrunui or elsewhere. There was oJso a great deal of produce from the district, including dairy produce and timber, nnd if the line were opened it would pay from the first day. The settlers had !*en induced to take up land in that part of the country on the undertaking by the Government that the railway would be put through in four years. The war had intervened, but it had made the lot of tho settlers a very hard one, and it was feared that many -of them would be disheartened, and would not go on with their farming operations with enterprise. The deputation suggested to Hie Min'srev that all the work in connection vith tne, line had been done from tho Stratford end. The line had been taken *:s far as Tuhorn, and this was the end <<? the settled country in that narl. Next eeinc the, difficult country of the Tangavaknn Gorge, or the deviation by yo.v of Haeo Valley, and it was suggested that the lino ought to be built from the w. end 'ip to the. gorge hefnre tie difficult part of the work was begun. The argument was that, the Ohura district had no community of interest Tnranaki, but rather • "ith Taiiwarnnu!. and that therefore *he effort of the Government, should lie not to join up the Ohura district with Taranaki, but with Tauniarumii, The immediate aim of rf.o deputation was to sbchm the cniistr.'oHo'i and opening of Ihe line (o Matioi'fl :i .''lstance of ten miles from the Main Ti'inlc junction. ; Tin. Minister was summoned at the moment to Cabinet, and he was unable to d'.ssuss the ninltor at length with the deputation, but he promised to visit he district, coming over the line of route from Slrntford through the Ohura and on via Olmkukiira to Toumarimui during the c«' ii"g week, probably on Wednesday. Fe wid thai- it would be, his endeavour l<- see all the vorks in process of io.i..'M'uction, and among them this line. . , . ~ The deputation cgrced that this would V ihe most way for the Minister to learn th* facts of the'ease, and tVy expressed their appreciation of his promise. ■

The desti'ovcr Bcid was built in the vards at Sqniintun), near Boston, in the record timo of 45! days.