PAEROA-POKENO LINE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5205, 18 November 1927, Page 2

PAEROA-POKENO LINE.

WHEN WILL IT RE COMMENCED ?

MR. RHODES WANTS TO KNOW.

In the course of his speech in the House on November 4 Mr T. W. Rhodes, member or Thames, said: — “I have been leading up to the point of asking the Minister of Public Works if he can give’ an indication as to when he is going to take in Hand the long-talked-of Paeroa-Pokeno line. It is a portion of the; main East Coast railway. That line has not been going on quite expeditiously, owing to difficulties over which, the Government has no control, but between the Bay of Plenty and Wailii it is now well advanced, and it ought to have beejn finished last Mprch. According to the Statement it will be completed within the next twelve months. “If that is so, it is time we knew something more definite about the Paerpa-Pokeno section, because that is going to save between 40 and 50 miles. On the Estimates there is only the small amount of £2OOO for this section. I hope that is not an indication that this is all.that is to be done this year. Detail surveys were made some time ago, but we have been waiting,patiently till the Waihi-T&,u-ranga section was further advanced before urging that the new section should be put in hand. There has •been small expenditure on the purchase of land,, and on survey and other preliminaries, but nothing on actual construction. “I would like, to have an assurance that something will be done in the near future. There need be no hesition as to the payableness of th is line. I understand that a departmental officer was detailed some time ago to make inquiries as to the business prospects of the portion that will cross the Hauraki Plains and the Mangataw'hiri Valley. I have not heard what his report was, but it must have been favourable, for within the area that will be traversed is some of the finest dairying land in New Zealand. Then there is plenty of road metal, which is required by local bodies in other parts, and I am credibly informed that the largest coal seam in Australasia will be tapped, by this line. That seam was worked in years gone by, and as late as in 1913, during a coal strike, it was used for the supply of the Waihi mine. It was found to be quite suitable, and the seam is undoubtedly a very large one. “These facts go to prove that there is abundance of traffic, which ought to be an added inducement to the Minister to set to work in the near future, and when he does I. hope the work will be pushed on from both ends.”