The Daily News. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 1903. THE WHANGAMOMONA RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 195, 31 August 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 1903. THE WHANGAMOMONA RAILWAY.

It is gratifying to notice that the people of New Plymouth are beginning to realise the importance of this railway. The Mayor of Stratford has invited the Mayor of New Plymouth to attend the meeting which is to be held at Stratford to-night to urge the Government to push on with the construction of the line, and ho has ao cepted the invitation and will be present with several of the leading citizens of New Plymouth. We hope the meeting will b« united, and that the Mayor of New Plymouth and any others who may go from here will give their whole-hearted support to the object of the meeting. Our local contemporary lately had an admirable article on this question, so far as urging the necessity of opening up the vast area through which the proposed line runs. He was not, however, clear whether metalling the Ohura-road, which rune alongside the railway line south, would not be better than pushing on the railway. We hope our contemporary will join whole-heartedly with the for the construction of the line and give it tha weight of his powerful support. Writing with an intimate knowledge of the whole of the area through which the proposed line of railway runs, we say, as the result of a careful study extending over a long period of years, that nothing will so soon bring about the extension of the harbour as the construction of this line of railway, and, further, that in no other way can the trade of this country ba secured for the Port of New Plymouth than by connecting it with Stratford and New Plymouth by rail. In the first place, New Plymouth p„op!e must realise that hundreds of the settlers, in what is known as the Eaßt-ro&d d.'s h .rict, have tome from Wanganui, Pjlmerston North, acd tho Suuth Island. Many of thorn have never setn New Plymouth and have nothing in sympathy with it, and their trade can only b< secured by cheap and rapid transit to this port for shipment, In the next. place, the Ohura-road and the railway line describe a hugb curve; starting at Stratford, it runs due east as far a? Toko, after which it gradually turns northwards till it approaches very near the Wanganui river. At intervals of a mile or two throughout its entire length roads leave it, those on the east side running to the Wanganui river. Settlement extends along tirse side roads 15, 20, and 30 m Its. Now it will be seen that if tho settlers on thes" roads, when they reach the Ohura-road, can put their produce on the railway trucks and send it to a dirept steamer at New Plymouth, the produce will come this way, If on the other hand it has to be carted 40 to 50 miles, as in the case of the Whangamomona, it will find some other outlet. This outlet is afforded by the Wanganui river, because it will be easily reached by all the roads running east. Wanganui is doing everything to secure this trade and unless the railway is pushed on will secure all the trade of the Whangamomonaahd Ohura valleys. If on the other hand the railway is pushed on and direct shipment is provided no power on earth can stop the trade coming this wsy via Stratford. As we said before New Plymouth and Stratford should join hand in hand in pushing on the development of inland Taranaki in every possibl* way, and Mr Maxwell's reproach that Taranaki has no trade will aooa cease to apply, The settlers of the EiSt Road country have also a very big contract to form, metal, and maintain their side roads without having to maintain 60 miles of main road. No metal road will stand the enormous amount of traffic such a road as the Ohura Road will have to carry, At the present time the whole of the rates from gjsty

miles of this road :iro insufficient to ] vi'ops.-ly maintain the 12 nailer of the road which are metalled, Every year the traffic increases and a railway is an !absolute necessity. We trust; the ! fejfcraiiford meeting will be united and • }.\ive no uncertain Bound on this imIportant question.