THE BRANCH RAILWAY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 31, 7 October 1913, Page 5

THE BRANCH RAILWAY.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS SUBSTANTIAL VOTE THIS YEAR. (Special to Post.) Wellington, October 7. A deputation of Taranaki members of Parliament, consisting of Messrs Hine, Okey and Pearce, waited upon the Prime Minister (Mr Massey), and the Minister, of Public Works (Mi Fraser), urging the steady prosecution of the Stratford-le Koura railway at the Whangamomona end. Mr Hine was chief spokesman, and in reply both Ministers indicated that there would bo a substantial vote thif year, and that there was no intention of curtailing th'e work on the Whanga momona side. LOCAL PAPER’S OPINION. Commenting on the recent conference at Whangamomona regarding .communication between Stratford am Ohura the “Ohura Advocate” says “The conference held at Whangamo mona last week decided to impres upon the Government the need o mail and telephone connection betweei Ohura and Taranaki, via the Gorge route. There is no denying that hot! these services are required in order to develop the trade between these two districts', but we feel sure there will be a lot of disagreement over the railway motion. Seeing that the rail way has now been pushed on fortj miles from Stratford we were unde the impression no objection coule reasonably be urged against the bull of the money being spent at the Tc Koura end for two or three years si that our long suffering settlers raiglr he provided with a railway outlet a J the earliest possible moment. Ii fact, we feel safe in saying this is tin wish of the Ohura Council and the set tiers, and when the Prime Ministc was.here recently he was led to believi that the people were united on tha’ point, hence his promise to have tin

railway here in four years. Even i the whole of the vote continued to b< sunk at the, southern end we don’t believe Ohura and Matiere would get the railway inside ten years, so win should these settlers be penalised through the see-sawing by Taranak and Auckland business people for tin trade of the district? Our best ad vim to the Ohura people (Tatu included' is to be satisfied with Mr Massey’: promise. By all means Jet the railway work progress at: the Stratford end We have never be.pn among those .wig urged that work should be stoppec when it reached Whangamomona. Wf notice that in a letter to an Auck land paper the Chairman of the rail way league there refers to the quit' useless for ordinary settlement gorg' country. Evidently he has not ye heard that a deviation has been dec id ed upon which will miss the Tangara kau Gorge route and bring the rail way through splendid country am which will only necessitate some tun nelling at the range which separate the two watersheds.”

It i. 3 pleasing to observe that tin inland journal takes the broad-minclet and far-seeing view and advocates pro gress of work at the Stratford end and is not among those who urged tha' work should be stopped when the rail way reached Whangamomona. Tlv attitude adopted by the people o' Taranaki is to urge speedy progress with a view to the completion o through communication and not om step will they take to hinder work at the Ohura end, but neither will Tara i naki idly contemplate- relaxation of work at this end. There can bo m doubt that the completion of the rail way will confer benefits to settlers al along the route, and this should bf a first consideration. The trade o the district might well be allowed tr settle itself into the channels mos suited to it..