NEW RAILWAY WANTED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 651, 1 May 1929, Page 10

NEW RAILWAY WANTED

PAEROA TO POKENO MINISTER SYMPATHETIC ( Special to THE SUN) PAEROA, Tuesday. The benefits that would accrue from the building of the PaeroaPokeno railway were outlined by a deputation headed by the Mayor of Paeroa, Mr. W. Marshall, which waited on the Hon. W. A. Veitch, Minister of Mines, to-day. jl/TR. MARSHALL said that the line JjX W as already surveyed, and that sites for the stations had been marked out, together with an area for the erection of 66 workers’ homes. The cost was authorised, and all that was wanted was the order to commence work, for which staff offices and equipment were stationed at Paeroa. On a recent evening, he said, he had counted 51 double-decked trucks of sheep en route to Auckland from the East Coast. This was a common happening. Special stock trains passed through Paeroa from the newly-railed territory by a circuitous route, involving 44 miles of unnecessary haulage. “No other business in the world,” said Mr. Marshall, “would operate on such lines. One thing that amazes us is that we have never had a reply from the Government to our requests for a commencement of this line. I have been on the Paeroa Borough Council for 10 years, and the necessity for this loop has been represented year aftex* year. “I think I will have to admit,” said the Minister, “that there is much to be said in favour of the proposition. You have stated a sufficiently strong case to convince me that your proposal is worthy of sympathetic and careful consideration. I will undertake to see that your arguments are faithfully represented. On the face of It, it loes seem tha.t the construction of this line will save' the country a great deal of money. This is a case of business waiting to use the line, and cannot be classed in the category of developmental lines.”