OUR RAILWAY—A FRIEND IN NEW PLYMOUTH.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 479, 26 November 1879, Page 2

OUR RAILWAY—A FRIEND IN NEW PLYMOUTH.

The late Mayor of New Plymouth (Mr A* C. Fookes) lias forwarded the following lettertothe DunedinChainberof Commerce, and although the Taranaki Herald considers the epistle damaging to New Plymouth, we believe there are very few in the Patea County but will thank Mr Fookes for putting our affairs so plainly before the Dunedin Chamber of Commeice : “New Plymouth, September 25,1879. “ To the Chairman, “ Chamber of Commerce, “ Dunedin. “ Sir, —Permit me to call the attention of your Chamber to the following facts : “ In the first place you will of course be aware that the trade of the Patea County is already considerable and continually increasing as the settlement progresses, and that Southern, (viz., Dunedin and Wellington) merchants have hitherto done an extensive business with the Patea County traders, chiefly because the Auckland merchants have been at a disadvantage from the fact that goods purchased in Auckland (say by a Hawera trader) have hitherto been*first shipped to Wellington, transhipped thence to Wanganui, again transhipped thence to Patea, and then carted up 25 miles of a very indifferent road. “ The neighbourhood of Hawera is the most important in the County, owing to the large extent of magnificent land (including Waimate Plains,) which must shortly be occupied by a large population, in addition to the present settlement. “ Some time since, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce became aware of this, and through its influence with the Auckland members, the portion of the trunk line of railway from Waitara to Hawera was pushed on more rapidly than j

previously, in fact, when the present set of contracts are complete, communication by that route will be opened, and Auckland merchants will ship their goods from Manukau via Waitara to Hawera in 24 hours or leas. This will place the Southern merchants at a greater disadvantage than that suffered heretofore by those of Auckland, and as a necessary consequence, the trade of the Patea County will flow that way. But there is a way of averting this to a groat extent, and that is by your Chamber urging its influence upon your members to secure the completion of the trunk line between VVaitotara and Hawera so that southern goods would pass over the rail from Wanganui to Hawera, as readily as Auckland goods from Waitara to Hawera. I think you will find the above well worth the consideration ofyour Chamber, and really, in the interest of the Colony, there is no line that more urgently requires completion to make it probably the best paying line in either Island —as the gap from Waitotara to Hawera is all a thickly settled and flourishing agricultural district.

“ Being an old trader in the Patea County, I am able to speak very positively as to the above facts being genuine. 11 I admit being interested to a certain extent in the completion of the WaitaraWanganui Trunk Line ; but I contend the Dunedin people are also so interested, in the way already explained, and, that being the case, I venture to hope that your Chamber will seo the desirableness of using its influence with the Otago members to get the portion from Waitotara to Hawera provided for this session. “In conclusion, I might mention that hitherto the line has been rather opposed by Southern members, probably through their not being aware of the commercial interest their constituents have in its completion. —I have, &c., “ A. Cracroft Fookes, “ Mayor of New Plymouth.”