AUCKLAND RAILWAYS LEAGUE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4509, 29 December 1922, Page 3

AUCKLAND RAILWAYS LEAGUE.

The foilowing letter from the chairman. of, .the Auckland Railways and Development League was. before the Borough Council at its 1 meeting, on Tuesday last: ; “In wishing you the compliments, of the season I have the honour to bring before ypur attention that the annual meeting of the Auckland Railways and Development League will be held at the Chamber of Commerce, Auckland, on Thursday, January 26, 1923, at 2.30 p.m. “The main business will be resolutions to push on the Eastland Main Trunk line from Pokeno tp Gisborne, and also to strongly advocate the immediate linking up of the ‘missing links’ on our railway construction, by contractos, as proposed by the Minister of Public Works, tp carry out between Taupiro (near Katikati) and Tauranga some 28 miles. This reform requires your strong and vigorous support, . “Economic transit is the life-blood of any country’s prosperity, and ybu only require to contrast India and China with Japan to realise that transit is the bedrock of the prosperity of a nation. The increase of production is imperative in our Dominion if we are to ’live and prosper, and increased prosperity will pot avail for our advancemnet without rapid and cheap transit facilities to enable our primary producers tp compete in the markets of the wortd on equal terms. “Our expenditure on the unbpened lines of. the Dominion is now £5,300,000, and the compound interest on this'huge amount for railway construction is mounting up and swamping our resources. The only business way is to .obtain the necessary funds for the rapid completion of those lines that will pay as soon as constructed. “Through traffic alone pays’. The main trunk Auckland to Wellington line gave hett. revenue of over sever millions sterling more between 1908, when the line was opened, and 1921, than the , previous thirteen years, and Ohakune, Taumnrunui, ami Te Kui,ti townships were established, with an increased population in the King Country Of 17,000 settlers With' a valuation off ten millions and a ha’f sterling. “I took out. the quantities for two railway contracts at Waipawa and Waipukurau, on the Napier line, in 1872, and to day, after fifty years, we are not yet' connected up with Auckland from Wellington on the east or west coasts of the Dominion. We are out, as a league, to fight for railway construction from Pokeno tp Gisborne, the extent of our provincial district. I tried to get the Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki districts to join in with us. Failing their assistance,., we propose to make a vigorous effort fbr our Eastland-Auckland tp Gisborne «m--nection. “We have the Northland—Wai tomato to Ohaikau—23o miles virtually completed. They, have 60,000 population, and a valuation of £24,800,000. “The Eastland district froffiThames to Gisborne has 57,000- population, with a valuation'of £33,500,000, and more than a million acres of land than the Northland district. “This should .be a great argument for the speedy linking up with Auckland of your district. We shall reknirc a strong and persistent effort all along the Eastland district to get the lines completed, and in this respect I think we should advocate the assistance of strong' financial organisations, either, in Great Britain or Canada, to take up these contracts, to be paid for by our debentures!—the employment of pur Dominion labour to be strictly safeguarded.’*