OPUNAKE—TE ROTI RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1921, Page 6

OPUNAKE—TE ROTI RAILWAY.

LETTER FROM PRIME MINISTER. REPLY TO EGMONT COUNTY PROPOSAL. At the January meeting of the Egmont County Council a resolution was passed urging on the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works the necessity of completing the Opunake-Te Roti railway. The present difficulty of maintaining the roads with the loads now being carted was emphasised with the necessity of putting the traffic on rails by completing this line at the earliest possible date. It was also suggested that failing the Government proceeding speedily with this work, they grant the council sufficient money to lay down the formation work to Opunake. It was also decided to enter an emphatic protest against the action of the Government in diverting the line to Manaia, which was considered to be a work of very little importan?e compared with relieving the almost unbearable financial pressure on the Egmont County. . At yesterday’s meeting of the council a letter was received from Mr. W. F. Massey stating that the Minister of Public Works advised him that it was contrary to the present policy to hand incomplete railway works to a lo&l body. He added that the council was in error in supposing that the line was being diverted to Manaia, as the section to which it referred formed part of the Kaponga-Manaia railway and not a portion of the Te Roti-Opunake railway. Councillors expressed surprise at the remarks regarding the Kaponga-Manaia railway. . Cr. Ferguson stated that this was evidently a new scheme. He likened it to drawing a red herring across the scent and this,-he remarked, would not go down. Later Cit Ferguson characterised the letter as an insult to their intelligence in saying that they had confused the railway to Opunake with the Manaia-Kaponga railway. He favored the council entering a protest against the letter, but members oh the council considered nothing would be gained thereby, and the matter dropped.