King Country Chronicle Saturday, May 13, 1911. TOPICS OF THE DAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 359, 13 May 1911, Page 5

King Country Chronicle Saturday, May 13, 1911. TOPICS OF THE DAY.

. . The promise made to the Ohura settlers by Hon. R. McKenzie on Wednesday, that a start shall be made with the construction of the Strat-ford-Ongarue railway from the Ongarue end, in about twelve months time, settles once and for all the highly debatable question of where the railway should go, and when it should be commenced. No one who knows anything of the difficulties settlers have to contend with, especially in the winter months, can deny the justice of their claim that the railway should be pressed on as quickly as ever possible from their end of the route. Evidently an ocular demonstration of the dilliculties of the situation were necessary to enable the Minister to come to a decision, and it rests with us all to see that the promise is fulfilled. On the other hand, the claims of the Aria and Pio Pio district settlers fur railway communication were recognised as pressing by Mr McKenzie, and he admits that route would have been the one lie preferred. But the claims of the Ohura are paramount, and must be \ .satisfactorily settled. The fact that a stationrnaster has been at last appointed at Ongarue, and that the long-pressed for passenger carriages have been attached to the morning and evening goods trains makes one hopeful that; the needs of the King Country have at last impressed themselves upon the Ministry. The building of a branch railway from Te Kumi to the Waitew henna must steadily be kept to the front, and we do not doubt the settler-i in that locality will help us in keening the torch blazing until the appropriate time comes for pressing for a commencement.