TARANAKI RAILWAY WORKS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 126, 21 October 1914, Page 4

TARANAKI RAILWAY WORKS.

XBTAL VOTE OF <£l47/B*l ABKJGD jPOK. X% ik» Public Work* Statement pr*to Parliament Isbli nijflhfc the fvllowiag lxJ'ereaic# is mad« to th« Taraniiii railway* ii courg# of eowtnm- 1 i i •TJRATFOItD-MATN TRUNK, ! £IOO,(XV. .A»other important «cctio» of tii* railway—from Poiiokura to rWhangamo»ont—6 miliß 111 chain* in length, lu•lodiw; a uumiel tUiroutrii tha Whangsnoniona Ridge, was completed aad opened for trailie on <!uly Ist. Beyond tinnew terminus eurulnvorks axa completed «a<l rails laid jW » distance pf four mile* to a station-site at K.ohur»ta4ii, a>d formation, principally heavy euttingo and banks, is in hand gvor a fuir<thur length of tihree miles. There arc two fcuuneln just bejyondi Kotoratahi, «*e of which (23 oliuine long) ia et}>• jiruaching completion, and the second is ,fuet opened out. llallast is noli ofo uina'lile in this locality and ha« to be hauled ali tii<3 way from Mount Egmon\ It is expected that ;Bie section ;to Koluuratahi -wifcl 'be completed during tho coining summer. From Tahora a new rout*; for the lin« has been adopted, following the Haokohua country to the Haeo Valley. By thi» route s'Ome difficult' and «o«ily works on the original location through tho Tangarakau Uotge will be ar»id«i.

At the eastern end of thi« line there kae Seefl increased actiritj during the year, and formal'ion-vvork is in -progress •ycst a length of six miles fioin tihe junction with liho Main Trunk line at GkaJnrkurn. Included in this length is the OhftSia tunnel now (being excavated under contract, and due for completion in July, IDIO. The tunnel oontradi, cotwh two miles and a lhalf of the railway—namely, one mile and a half of formation in addition to the tunnel itself, (Six small contracts are in hand besides, and several co-operatire parties ore also wnnloynd oa railway and ser-vice-road formation. Aa suitable material for concrete is not obtainable in this locality, tliei Dapartnii'nt is installing a plant for the manufacture on a large scaJo of lirick* to >be used in tunnc-k and culrci'-ts 011 fi'he raihrooß. The expendibuTe 011 this lin« during tie -past financial rear wa» £67,432 at tha wes'iern end, and £M-t3 at the t«st(vm end, or a total of £dft,S73.. For the e.urrenit' year a vote of £100,0009 jg proposed. MOUNT EGMONT BUANOH, £7500.

Tfte quarry-Rite has been finally filed en r, ridge to the uouth of the Mangareawheto Creek, whore thure ia a mass icf rock sufficient to provide nearly 2,000,0000 cirbie yards of me'al. JVamftf tiott-work extending over CO chains was completed during the year, and some eulyeiia <put in. There atiU remains to Ifce done Bome alteration of grades at tihe selected quarry-site, and the installation of t-be machinery for quarrying nnrl crushing the rock and tranaoorting it iown Uie mouriiain-side to tho railwav.

During the laat financial year £5933 wis expended on this line, and for the current ytar & vole of £7s<>o is proposed. It is also proposed to construct a short branch line from the main line near Mar. on to a point in the Rangitikei river bed, whence a n>ry considerable quantity of excellent road-metal can be obtained.

It is confidently expected that . tihe South Taranaki and other intervening iistriela whetfe motal ia scarce can be supplied from this new Hource with tlhis very necessary material at quite a moderate cost. Provision for the authorisation of this branch will !>,• node in tihe Railways Aji■thorisalion Bill, and an amount of £7500 is nrovidod on 'the estimates to caable its construction to be proceeded ■yrith. OPUNAKE BRANCH, £40,000.

Surveys along alternative 6-uggcsted lontes between the main line and o]wnake were completed during the year, aad after full consideration a route was oxkvpted from Te Roti, sJoiw section boundaries north of Skect road, .past Kapuni, Amoa, and l'iliama, to a sta-tion-aite nea.r Opunake. It ia proposed <o oommence construction-work on this lino forthwith, and a tender lias already Ifeeu accepted fur the lirst section. The survey of the Munaia branch is proceeding, and work will be commenced thereon iw soon as it is warranted by the progress made on t'ho Opiunako liiifTlie expenditure during the r»M.' financial year in connection with tho surveys amounted to iS'2B. and for the current year a vote of f-tO,UOO is »rgIpOßed.