WHERE WILL IT GO?

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 37, 22 October 1912, Page 4

WHERE WILL IT GO?

The Paeroa-Auckland Railway. Fight Against Pokeno Junction.

The proposed railway line from Paeroa to Auckland would In* of undoubted benefit and wuild mean good business for the 100,000 people of Auckland," said Air tJ. Pail' (Mayor of Auckland) :it a ;i;«> -ting of representatives of tln* various local Imdios and railway leagues between the points named. Tljo Mayor advised tlio moe iiiii" not to waste its energies in idle c n tr.iversy as to the merits of the 1 i' e they supported or the demerits of the alternative route, P.iema to Pokeno, luit rather to impiess on the public the advantages of tli"ir scheme, and then place tie ir facts before the Government, lay iug down no arbitraiy laws of acceptance, hilt asking iho GoVi-r.;ment to enquire into the in i'ter and h i guided oil the same by tiio e.\p>-it advisers who had sin'li work in hand

In the opinion id' the m etiug, the advantages to he d< r.ved from tin* proposed route were (1) a lessening of haulage distance of some GO miles for all the East Coast-W'ailii and Thames traffic; (*J) an alt-rnative route to Rotonnt via To Arolia, with a lessened distance of ahout 20 miles ; (.'}) the opening up of a new suburban area around Jlowick, and on to Orakei, giving Auckland one of the finest marine suburbs in New Zealand ; (1) the opening up of some 50,000 aeie-t of unimproved hush country at pre-ent lying idle, owing to lack of access; (5) giving railway communication to a district of some 50C square miles at presmt practically without it; (fi) financed' value to the llaiiraki Plains; (7) in addition to all tlie.se the saving of the cost of duplic. itioii of the present Main Trunk line, fivni Penrose t> Junction, a distaac J of 7 I J toilet; also it will afford an alternative rout-; should the present line at any time become interrupted. Mr A. K. Hattaway moved. "That this meeting undertakes to work iiuitu Uy f->r tin best and shoite.-t route for the East Coast Main Trunk railway, from I'm roa to Auckland. This was eariied unanimously.

'I ho following committee was appointed to interview the Piime Minister and Minister for Railways and to urge upon the Government the practical advantages of the direct route, as well a> t > pre>s for a t.ial survey and an engineer's ie,o:t thereon: —Messrs ('. .J. i J arr Mayor of Auckland(\mie-, Coleman, Catupl ell, Harris, l'ilkiiigton, V. Andrews, A. >S. Thomson, K. liond, G. J. liutliei ford, Mellugli, the Mayors of Newmaik't an<l L'arnell, willi the president of the Chanihir of Commerce and chairman of the Harbour Board.