STRATFORD-OKAHUKURA. RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1920, Page 6

STRATFORD-OKAHUKURA. RAILWAY.

XEED FOR REACHING COALFIELDS. At the meeting of the Provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union at Hawera on Thursday, letters were read from Messrs 0. J. Hawken, R. Masters and S. Smith, M.'sP., concerning their efforts to urge the Government to speed up the Stratford railway. Mr. Hawken said there were 2J miles of tunnelling to be done before the line could reach the coalfields. He was trying to get the Minister to have a geological survey made of the country this side of tha gorge, but this could not be done for some some time owing to shortage of experts. The Hon. J. #. Coates, in a letter, stated that the construction of the line to Ohura was being pushed on as speedily, as possible, and the work would be continued in that direction. Beyond Ohura, unfortunately, the country was very rough and broken, and even under the moat favorable conditions it would be some time before the line could be linked up c? the Taungarakau side, but he was fully alive to the importance of the work and the great assistance it would be in developing the coal measures in the Ohura district. He was fully apprised of the difficulties in connection with the coal shortage, but unfortunately the trouble was not confined to one district, and was a national one. The matter would continue to receive the at tention from him its importance deserved.

Mr. Dunn said lie had just received a letter from the Stratford Progressive League asking' for support to a proposal that the line should be pushed on a little further than the coalfields. It would be quite consistent with their past action to support the Stratford League'B proposal. On the motion of the president it was decided that the secretary again point out to the Minister that what they were urging was the pushing on of the line from Tahora to Taungarakau, a distance of five or six miles only, to open up the coalfield. Mr, Maxwell pointtd out that they

were all aware that the strings were being pulled at Aiicllcand and Wellington with the object of expediting construction from the Auckland end.—Star.