THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81839, 4 September 1906, Page 2

THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

New Plymouth, a portion of it at least, has taken a hand in the mutter of the Opunake Railway. At the public meeting held on Monday evening, the Mayor presiding, the following letter was read from the Mayor of Stratford to Mr Dockrill: "1 understand you propose holding a public meeting shortly to consider the question of a national memorial to our late Premier, Mr Seddon, and I would suggest that you take advantage of tne opportunity thus offered to discuss fully the question of the railway from Opunake to the New Plymouth-Wellington iine. I believe, if my information is correct, that you have already considered the matter at your Council table, finally deciding not to advocate any particular route. This, 1 would venture to submit with ali deference, is a mistake on New Plymouth's part. The ■question of route from Opunake to | the main line is one that affects the interests of commercial men and others in New Plymouth in no small degree, for it will, I think, be generally conceded that with a line functioning at Stratford, New Plymouth would undoubtedly be the port for all that portion of the province through which the railway passes, whilst the further south from Stratford the junction is, the more the trade would be diverted to Patea and other places. Moreover, th e Opun-ake-Stratford route, touching as it does at Kaponga, Lowgarth, and Cardiff, passes through a rich and thickly settled district, and would undoubtedly afford a greater amount of good to a greater number of settlers than any other route at present surveyed or unsurveyed. Stratford at the present time draws tho bulk of its supplies either from or through New Plymouth, and in the event of the line from Opunake junctioning here, our town would be the distributing centre for the whole of the settlers in the district immediately southward of the mountain. The importance of the Stratford route to New Plymouth is therefore obvious. Again, it cannot be gainsaid that New Plymouth is, and should be for all time, the premier port of tho Taranaki province. Any action, theforc, that would tend to weaken such a port in any way should, I submit, be resisted wih all possible strength. The farmers in this district are anxious to see the port of Moturoa their port improving year by year until it becomes a port of ca'l for occnn-going vessels. They have no wish to see it remain stationary owing to a large portion of its trade being diverted to another, less suitable and less important, port. To my mind, if the interests of New Plymouth are carefully guarded, the farmers in the Taranaki district will in a short time have an up-;odatc port, affording them all the facilities they require. ; If, on the other hand, matters are allowed to go by default, then I am convinced there will be many years of uphill fight before us before the above much to be desired eonsumma- ■ tion can be brought about. I trust, therefore, that you will do your best to see that no stone is left unturned to onsure that the contemplated line i from Opunake junctions with the ■ main line at the place where it will i be of the most benefit, not only to this province, but to the colony as a whole, and that place is, and must undoubtedly be—Stratford.—l am, ■ etc., N. J. KING." 1 The Mayor said that up till recently he had not thought it desir- ; able to interfere in the matter of . route, thinking the wholo question should be left to the Government. Now, however, a movement was afoot to take the line along the coast , to Ilawera, and this would be a serious matter for New Plymouth. He would be pleased to work with Stratford in the matter. Mr Collis endorsed these remarks. , Had the matter been left to the Go- , vernment, he would not have assented to any interference with the route; but now the wires were being pulled, and the pulling might end lisastrously for the port of New Plymouth. Wellington merchants . were known to be interesting thomse;ves in the Ilawera route, being actuated by a desiie to prevent tho growth of our harbour and in taking , the trade ol Taranaki through Patea to Wellington. It would not suit the We'lington book f >r New Plymouth to be a port of ca'l for ocean-going steamers. Patea wou'd njver be suitablo as a port to handle the trade of Taranaki. He moved t'lat if any deviation were to be made from the leserved route, the meeting urge the claims of Stratford as the junction.. Mr Brooks seconded. Mr C. L. Bcllringer thought the motion .t 00 modest, After confirming the remarks that outside influence was being brought to bear on this mattter, and to New Plymouth's detriment, ■ho moved that tins meeting is of opinion that the Opunake railway should be con- ■ structed without delay, an( l that it [ should junction at Stratford. 1 Mr Roy, in seconding, condemned the apathy of the New Plymouth public m this matter of such vital importance. Mr CoHis Withdrew his motion, and Mr Beilringcr's motion was earned unanimously, and copies of the resolution will he forwarded to the iremier, the Minister for Public Works, and to the Taranaki mem-