THE COASTAL RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 39, 6 July 1914, Page 4

THE COASTAL RAILWAY.

■ —*a» . . STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. i The Aot passed last session to em- . power the construction of rail wave by j private companies and local bodies . has been found unworkable, and an . amendment is to be introduced this , session. This was explained by the , Hon. W. Fraser (Minister for Public L Works) on Friday in connection with the projected line from Moturba to Opu- > nake. He had, he said, put a Bill on t the Statute Book to enable that and similar work to be done by local bodies j and companies, but after he looked ini to the matter he and hi* advisers found . the method unworkable. It was. pointed i out at the time by the member for Tara- ; naki that local bodies elected for a f speciffc purpose were not necessarily the i best people to have control of the ouild- • ing and financing of a railway. Thus : it was evident that moia must be done, J and therefore a Bill was being prepared for the purpose of rcating an ; eleetive board, elected by the several local bodies interested in carrying out i the railway scheme. i Mr. Davey: You are cutting out the " local bodies. 1 The Minister replied in the. nega- ■ tive. An area would be proclaimed,. ' and within it the Board would exercise ■ and within it the Board would exercise 1 rating powers. It was impossible to get local bodies to agree upon rating r arrangements where a line only touch- } ed the fringe of some of their areas.— ' Hawcra Star's correspondent.