PAEROA -POKENO LINE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4647, 11 January 1924, Page 2

PAEROA -POKENO LINE.

- U SURVEYS ON THE PLAINS. rV, ■ COMPARISON OF ROUTES. ™ i.uinuurs uie cunciil on lue Pia.Ho ui.c a ciiai Siucej io to oe made co mi i a, route tor me raeroa-PuKeau ,a i\vu> via luitanoa. 'liiU line woutv. truveise aitaaaruru and not tn oi .sgalea and Kerepeehi. in the opinion of seveial men who ... arc qua lined to speak on the matter it is not likely that the rumour lias any foundation, or that the inilway _ will ever go that way. Numerous reasons for this were elaborated. Ihe route would be longer, and probably more difficult to construct; cornpeu-£ sal ion for the land required would be much in avier, as that area is all set tied and highly improved; there wculd be numerous level road crossings, and there would be bound to be strenuous opposition to a bridge across the lower part of tne Piako River, as only under very exceptional circumstances will the Department now choose a route necessitating a bridge with an opening span. Taking these and other matters into consideration, it seems unlikely that another route to one of those already surveyed will be chosen. The trial surveys already made prove that the straight route, as showjn on many plans of the Plains, is almost the best one, and that it can now made much more easily than when smveyed fifteen years ago. The present proposed route is from the Puke bridge, through Netherton at some point near the school to a point near the junction of the Pc-kapcka and Wairau roads. From there alternate routes are available to a point near the southern end of the Pv.hanga canal. One of these — . an 1 the one that will probably he. chosen—runs in a straight line along the Pekapeka road to the Ptthanga canal point, while the alternative route crosses the Pekapeka road neor the Wairau road and curves around, crosses the Kaikahu road, proceeds south of the racecourse drain and on to the point near the Puhanga canal. While this rou.e would bring the railway nearer to Kerepeehi township it would necessitale two level crossings, and these the Department tries to avoid. Tn the case of this route being adopted the Kerepeehi station would be at the back of the racecourse, and a road would have to be made to it, but if the straight route is chosen the station would be on the Pekapeka road near where Mr Fisher’s house now stands. The sections, in the Kerepeehi block will he cut up by the railway, no matter which' route Is chosen, so the present survey will probably be abandoned and another subdivision made. A non-opening bridge will probably be made across the Piako River' south of the Puhanga canal. As this will interfere with transportation up the river from that point by big ve isels, the Public Works Department Y may erect a wharf at that point to r facilitate the handling of cargo from one class of vessel to another. If this wharf eventuates it will be of great benefit to settlers near to stations on the Plains, as it will be an ' easy matter to load trucks direct from the ship’s hold at that point. A trial survey from the Ngatea station site, near the proposed bridge and wharf, to the valley near Mangatarata—chosen at the time of the first survey—it now being made, and little difficulty is being experienced. Deep peat is being avoided, but little has been encountered. Although the - land has received little drainage, niueh consolidation has taken place, anfh strange to relate, it has. been . noticed that in consolidating the surface hag shifted towards the se'a. Pegs put in for the first survey fifteen years ago are now a foot but of line-