THE KAPONGA-STRATFORD RAILWAY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 294, 10 December 1914, Page 8

THE KAPONGA-STRATFORD RAILWAY.

TO BE ■ SANCTIONED BY THE (LIBERALS.' A statement by Mr Hawk-ns, Liberal candidate for the StratKmd seat at his. open-air meeting last night, concerning the construct! m of a branch line from Kapouga, on the route of tile Opunake Railway, tt Stratford, should not be lost sight of by the residents of Stratford and district. After referring to me fact that the Commissioners in their report on the Opunake railway strongly favoured the construction of a Kapong.u Stratford branch in the near future, Mr Hawkins stated that he had the authority of the Liberal leader Sm Joseph Ward) to make public the fact that should the Party be returned to the Ministerial benches, one of the first acts in their public works policy would be to push the construction of this branch. Ino public demonstration following Ins statement testified to the interest m the railway which had been awakened in local circles in these parts. Speaking further on the subject of the Opunake railway, Mr Hawkiim said that, as they all knew, the point of junction with the main line had not yet been definitely fixed, and that there was great possibility of the line being carried through Eltham to junction with the Stratiord-Okahukui a main trunk line at Toko. Thus, he pointed out, Stratford would be left out in the cold, and would be at the “dead-end” of TanTnaki instead of being the distributing centre for a wide stretch of country with enormous possibilities for the future. There was no limit, Mr Hawkins anticipated, to eventualities in this connection which might accrue from the activities of Egmont’s representative if they were assisted by lethargy and ignorance of tli£ responsibility on the part of Stratford’s member.