THE STRATFORD RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1920, Page 6

THE STRATFORD RAILWAY.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER. GOVERNMENT HELP PROMISED. (By Our Special Reporter.) Stratford, Last Night. Better progress with the StratfordOhakukura railway was urged on the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) by a deputation which waited on him at Stratford to-day. Mr. Kirkwood said that the StratfordOliakukura railway was a railway over which the people of Stratford and Taraliaki generally had shown a great deal of forbearance, and t« realise this it was necessary to understand the fact that the first sod was turned in 1901, and up to the present only 49 miles had Been constructed, an average of a little over two miles a year. He thought the Minister would agree that that rate of progress was too slow for any progressive coun"7. and he quite believed that the construction of railways in New Zealand was the slowest in the world. Mr. KirkWood pointed out to the Minister that the rates of pay were too small, as when men could easily get 14s or 16s a day elsewhere, it was futile to expect to get them at a lower wage. His opinion was that the co-operative system of wages was a practical failure, and he believed that a better system was the letting of contracts. He also urged that more up-to-date methods of construction should be used. At the present time he did not think any labor-saving machinery and appliances were yet used on tlie line. There was no prospect of the line being profitable unless the work was concentrated on this end. He urged the pushing on of the Tahora end. Mr. Kirkwood also asked that the route of the line should be surveyed right, through, so that they Would know where it was to go.

Air. J. B. Kioliards, chairman of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce, supported the request. He said the opening of the railway would (be of great advantage to the Waikaito as well as Tnranaki, and would lie in the interests of Ihe whole country. The speaker ni-n urged the need of improving the Ka.st Road between Stratford and Te Kuiti. Another matter lie wished to bring to the notice of the Minister was the TahnraTatu telephone, a distance of about 18 miles, and they had been trying for ten years to get a piece of wire through in order to "be able to do their business. The Minister said that to ask him if he could promise that the railway would bo through in five years was a question he could not answer, because he had not nil opportunity of going thoroughly into the matte)' yet. He regarded the railway as a necessary railway, as necessary as the two other main lines—the East Coast railway and the North Auckland railway. The deputation could rely upon him getting all the information possible in regard to the line, and he would communicate with them in due course. He believed that the connecting up of the trunk lines should be the country's fir»t

effort, and i„ was is iniention to haVL> sueli railways completed as toon as possible. As regards wage.;, a deputation representing ail Public Works employee, would meet him on May 10th, when' tlio whole question of wages would be discussed. He agreed w j t h Mr. Kirkwood • that the time had arrived for lettin" contracts, and if the deputation found tlie men lie was quite prepared to let the contracts. Ho would do anything at all to get on with the work. (Hear, hear.) Regarding the Oiuira coal, he would recommend to the Minister of Mines that a geological survey and report should be made as soon as possible. Tlie Minister said the Tahora-Tatu telephone did not seem ai) unreasonable request, and it would lie provided if at all possible, but tlie difficulty was that the Department, was desperately short of wire, and the shortage was holding the work up., A change had recently been the system, and it was proposed to do all that was possible to provide telephones for tiie settlers in the backblocks. If the settlers found the poles themselves, and did the work, tlie Department would provide supervision free and woud only charge for the telephones and the insulators.