OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 222, 19 March 1914, Page 7

OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

DEPUTATION TO HON. W. H. HERRIES. At Opunake on Tuesday evening, the Hon. W. H. Herries. Minister of Railways and Native Affairs, wiis interviewed on various matters, the most im portant of which was the necessity of connecting Opunake by rail with the main line. The Minister was accompanied by Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., and lion. W. C F. Carncross, M.L.C. Mr. W. C. Dudley, chairman of the Egmont County Cduncil, Opunake Town Board, and Opunake Railwav League, was the principal spokesman. Mr. Wilkinson, in introducing the deputation, said that railway connection was a matter of vital importance to Opunake. The construction of the railway to Opunake had been authorised, and £15,000 had been voted. It was urgent that the work should be undertaken forthwith. He could not emphasise too much the importance of Tie railway to the district. After formally welcoming Hon. Mr. Herries to Opunake, Mr. Dudley said that unfortunately he had nothing to say to the Minister aB Minister of Railways, because Opunake had no railway. For the past thirty years they had been fighting for the railway. The Maasey Government had, last session, voted an amount for commencing the railway, but so far it had not been started. He pointed out that they were paying a general rate of lyji in the £, and could not keep roads up on that. With rating for loans, etc., the settlers were not rated high enough, and councillors could not ask them to rate themselves further. If the money was voted, winwas the railway not started? Another matter of importance was the This affected neighboring bodies as well, as they wanted to arrange their expenditure on roads to suit the requirements of the railway. Why could not enough money be borrowed so as to push the railway through at both ends? concluded Mr. Dudley. Mr C. A. Trotter also spoke, in a similar strain.

The Minister, in reply, said that be had not come to the district to look at the routes. His business was in connection with the Parihaka function. He was pleased that he had seen the grand country, and he was convinced that a railway would pay from the start. The railway should undoubtedly be made, and this Government had given an indication that they were in earnest. The whole trouble was the route. The Prime Minister I and Minister of Public Works were considering the matter, and he was not certain whether they had come to any cjnclusfion over the matter. He would impress upon his colleagues that it was necessary lc start the work at an early date. It was, he added, only lately that a loan had been raised, and part of it was earmarked for railways. In conclusion, lie promised to urge on them the necessity for deciding the route as soon as possible, and, as soon as that was done, for starting work with full gangs cf men.