The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1901. LIGHT RAILWAY LINE TO WHANGAMOMONA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12, 16 January 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1901. LIGHT RAILWAY LINE TO WHANGAMOMONA.

All those who know the natura of the soil and the difficulty of gstting metal for roads, will agree that tha Government sre acting in the interest of the settlers and of the colony in deciding to put a light railway into the Whangamomoua. It is very gratifying to notice by the letter from our Stratford correspondent that the survey of tho line has commenced. There is every reason to believe that the cost ef this line will ba vary mnch loss than th*t of tha ordinary railway lino on the standard guage, while the construction of the line will ans'ele the Ohura Road to be metalled at about one-half the cost of doing it under present circumstances. The Egmont Post goes further thin onr corrrspondon*, and says " that the 2 ft eb guage has been decided upon, that two other parlioa of surveyors are being put on, and that the line is to be pushed on vigorously, so that in two years Whangamomona will be connected by rail with the main line." There are those in Taranaki who still look with disfavour on the construction of this lice, although there can be little doubt but that beside; being the salvation of tha settlers in the Whangamomona, it will really preserve the trade of the whole cf central Taranaki to New Plymouth. What efforts are being made to divert this to Wanganui, and how nearly they have succeeded, may be judged by the following remarks of our Stratford

contemporary bffore referred tc, wbo says:—"lt is fortunate that this line is being undertaken, because the Wanpanui pe-iple have for some time past intended to make a desperate effort to secure the trade of our bick country, and with that view Mr, Hafcriuk in building a store on one of the tributaries of the Tangarakau, to which the light draught steamers can run—at certain eeacons. The intention is to convey prcduca to Wanganui and return with the stores, etc., required by . tha settltrs. However, the light line of railway will always have tho advantage, being indepeadent of the "stat e 0 f the river," and therefore more to be depended upon, and it must, therefore, favourably aft set tha traffic in this direction." This should be sufficient to iuduce everyone between Patea and New Plymouth to throw the whole weight of their influence into the scale with tho people of Stratford to secure tho prosecution of this line with the greatest possible expedition. The ttado cf tha district (including its now known to ba valuable eoal measures) which this line will tap will be very large, and well worth fighting for.