HAWERA RAILWAY FACILITIES

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1917, Page 5

HAWERA RAILWAY FACILITIES

DEPUTATION TO THE GENEIiAIMANAGER. LARGE IMPROVEMENTS 'PROMISED. Yesterday, reports the Star, a deputation from the Haw-era Chamber of Commerce. comprising the Mayor (Mr. E. Di.-'on), Messrs 31. J. Lynskey (president), E, C. Hayton, and I?.* S. Sago (secretary) wafted-upon Mr. E. IT. Hiley, general manager of tho Ncfw Zealand Railways, with reference to Hie neeessity for the carrying out of various improvements at tho- Hawera station. The Mayor said that if Mr. lliley were to turn up the files in (ho Deportment lie would find that (he (own had been askinjr for certain improvements for the Inst ten years. He first wished to refer (o the eattle yards; these may have been all right 2(1 years ago, but as the population in the neighborhood had grown with the -building on the consequent cutting up of (he vacant land, the yards had become a nuisance, and it was time they were removed, lie understood that the cleaning depot had now been removed to Wharejroa. and it was hoped that the depot would not be brought back to Haw-era. At any rate if this did occur, it was hoped that the Department would provide better facilities for the cleaning of the trucks, which apparently came from all the stations in Taranaki. Another matter was the growth of the goods traffic, the goods shed being quite inadequate to cope with it. The refreshment room had been a standing disgrace to the Department, and it should be replaced by a building more in keeping with the. place. He trusted that these matters would be carried out as soon as possible after, the war. He thought it was in Mr. Seddon's time that the Department, proposed working i to a scheme costing approximately £(10.. 000, but very little of that amount had i been spent up to the present time. Mr. Lynskey mentioned the frequent delays which had occurred in the arrival of consignments which had been transhipped at New Plymouth, to be sent to Hawera. Mr. Hiley: That is a, new point to me. Mr. Lynskey: My fellow citizens wil\ bear me out in what I have said, Mr. Hiley, in reply said lie was fully : acquainted with the other matters men- . lioned by the deputation although he , did not agree with the Mayor's strong remarks as to the cattle yards. He fully recognised, however," that from J the town's point of view, and from the point of view of the Department that it was necessary that the cuttle yards should be removed. It was the intention of the Department to remove them, . but there were one or two other urgent 1 matters which had yet to-.be attended ' to before this could be (lone. He could not make any promises when the yards would he removed, because he could not foresee what the financial conditions would be next year. He had great hopes that the work would be proceeded with even before the war was finished. Tt was not a matter of merely shifting ' the yaj'ds; but it involved tho rearrangement of the station yards, and the vegrading of tho main line. It was a matter costing between £7OOO and £BOOO. and as it was regarded by tho Department as really urgent, work it would be proceeded with as soon as possible. Improvements to the goods shed and to the refreshment rooms formed part, of the scheme proposed to be put in hand. The Mayor: We are very glad to hear ' that. i Mr. Hiley: it is a matter merely ol money and men. It is no use startini an ,£P(HM) scheme unless you can finish it. If we can see our way to proceed with it and go right through with it we will start the work. We fully recognise the imnerlp.ncs of it. The Mayor thanVcd Mr. Hiley for the courteous manner in which he had received the deputation