JOINED UP

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 159, 26 September 1927, Page 12

JOINED UP

PUKEHUIA AND KEREKOPUNE NEW RAILWAY SECTION (From Our Own Correspondent) DARGAVILLE, To-day. The official opening of another section of the Waiotira-Pukehuia-Kiri-kopuni-Dargaville railway took place on Saturday. Although the weather was atrocious a large number of settlers attended to take part in the ceremony, which meant so much to them as it marked the completion of another sectiion of th£ railway which will bring town and district in closer touch with Auckland and the Main Trunk line by railway communication. The section opened on Saturday is between Pukehuia and Kirikopuni, crossing the northern Wairoa river by a fine concrete pier and pile bridge. The completion of this section only leaves 13 miles of railway to construct between Kirikopuni and Dargaville, and as there are no great engineering difficulties and the country is easy it should not be more than three years before the whole line is completed. The new terminus of the railway brings Dargaville within seven hours of Auckland city and will have a most important bearing on the future prospects of the district. Most of the fat stock —cattle, sheep and lambs—will be landed on the trucks there for the Auckland market. The line will also be used exclusively for the pig trade, for which the district, with its two large dairy factories, is suitable. At the present time large numbers of pigs are raised and fattened, but the facilities for getting them to market have not been of the best and returns not encouraging to the farmer owing to excessive cost of freight. The completion of the new line will considerably alter this and there are already signs that the pig industry will be one of the best in the district. The opening ceremony was performed by the Hon. Carey J. Carrington, M.L.C., in the absence of the Prime Minister and the Hon. K. S. ■Williams. Other speakers to address the gathering were the Deputy-Mayors of Dargaville and Whangarei, representatives of Auckland and Kaipara Chambers of Commerce, and representatives of Hobson and Whangarei County Councils. The proceedings were most enthusiastic despite the bad weather.