OPUNAKE RAILWAY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 83, 28 September 1911, Page 4

OPUNAKE RAILWAY

CLAIMS OF SOUTHERN ROUTE. A deputation from South Taranaki waited upon the Prime Minister (Sir .Joseph Ward) and the Minister for Public Works (Hon. R. AlcKenzie) on Tuesday afternoon, to discuss the question of the. route of the proposed Opunake railway.

The request of the deputation was that different routes should be inquired into, but they favored a suggestion that the branch should junction with tho main line at Normanhy, instead of at Stratford or Eltham. They urged that this would afford a much-needed relief to the heavy traffic on the roads, whicfi were difficult to maintain, owing to the cost of getting metal. They pointed out that the Normanby route would enable the exports of dairy produce, from the district to continue to take their natural course by way of the port of Pa tea. ' Mr. I'earce, M.P., who introduced the deputation, said that out of the 847<i tons of dairy produced exported annually from Southern Taranaki, G7BO tons were shipped at Paten, and 1900 tons at New Plymouth. The deputation consisted of Messrs. YV. Powdrell (chairman of Kaupokonui Dairy Company and a director of the Pa tea. Freezing Company), T. A. Bridge (acting-chairman of Waimate West County Council), and J. 1!. Murdoch (chairman of doll's Dairy Company). Sir Joseph Ward said the Government had not yet decided to build the railway. The question of what railways should be authorised this y<>a.r had not yet been gone into. He mentioned that representations had been made in favor of other routes for the, Opunake railway, and another deputation had said that the port of Patea would not be able to cope with all the traffic in the future. So far as knew, Patea was all right. The whole matter would be carefully investigated from beginning to end hefom anything was decided.