EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Te Puke Times, Volume II, Issue II, 23 December 1913, Page 3

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

■' "RO rORUA-PAENGAROA W • , CONNECTION. IT APPEAL TO PUBLIC BODIES IN AUCKLAND. .The United Bay of Plenty Railway League, to .which is affiliated practically all the local and public , bodies in the Southern Waikato, as- well as all those in.the Bay,of Plenty east of Tauranga; has: noc .allowed the matter of the linking ~ up of the East Coast railway with .'> the existing system via Rotorua „' and Paengaroa to drop. Representations have been made to the Minister for Public Works, informing him of the unanimity of ' • opinion in the districts concerned, and it is not assuming too much to suppose that the representa- | ;tions have had weight. The Hon. j W. H. Hemes has intimated to *%■ local bodies in various parts of iJr his constituency that with the 1 \ Prime Minister he intends paying ,• a visit to the ; Bay of Plenty, and it is understood that probably -. -other Ministers will also visit this province some time in January. The League Executive has decided that a strong deputation -should wait on Ministers, details of which will be arranged at a "' meeting of delegates from all . affiliated bodies, to be held in ' Rotorua prior to their visit. In the meantime, the League has taken steps in the direction of enlisting support in the City of Auckland, by placing the position before several public,bodies. The rollowing is a copy of a letter that has been sent (Mutatis mut- ' • andis) to the Auckland City Counfk ,cil, A. and P. Association, Far-. M mers ' Union, Political Reform W*-- League, Women's Political Re- \ ft : form League, and Chamber of X* Commerce ':-■■.' ' • "lam directed by the United ' Bay of Plenty, Reform League to , - bring under your notice the claims . of this body for the speedy construction of a line to connect the ,• East Coast railway with the existing system via. Rotorua and Paengaroa. The serious disadvantage under which the Bay of Plenty labours through the want of easy access to the City of *' Auckland • has been repeatedly <v , advocated in the Press, but,; un:A fortunately, in the advocacy of a ," route, the desires and requirements, of those most con--1 /cerned'have not been given that - .attention which is their due. The ■ -construction of railroads, whilst, ~. -%i course, ofrgreat benefit to the « confers far more direct 1 , ' advantages on the country poput?>- lation, and we. think the Council ' will therefore readily/agree that the settler is entitled to considers* i ation when routes are being de- ' y cided upon. The Bay of Plenty Railway League is an executive composed of delegates from varv ' ious local bodies and public J organisations, those affiliated in- . ■ eluding every local body in the '' Bay of Plenty east of Tauranga, . - and borough councils, county • councils, road boards, chambers » of commerce, agricultural socie- * ties, and farmers' unions in. the ' Waikato, as far north as Ngaruawahia and as far-south asTe Awamutu. Thus it will be seen • that it can fairly claim to be thor- " oughly representative of the set- ( tiers in a very wide area, and to ' authoritatively ■'. advance their I views. The settlers and residents generally in the Bay of Plenty are unanimous in advocating the Rotorua-Paengaroa railway as affording the best and most practicable connection with the East 'Coast railway for, briefly, the following reasons: There would 'be only' 33 miles of line to'be constructed between Rotorua'and v j 'Paengaroa; the cost would be -' only about half that of the WaihiTauranga line; the grade is easy, , ho engineering difficulties having " Jo-be overcome, .in.support of ,which contention is the statement of the Hon W. Fraserin the Public Works Statement of 1912 that a suitable 'route with an easy grade had been by the surveyors; the country is fertile, , „ suitable for either grazing or , ' , 'dairying ; the railway would provide not only easy and quick access to the City of Auckland, but to all parts of the province, and thus enable stock to be easily and cheaply moved from one district fo another; it would tap the jh - heart of the country instead oi I '", hugging the Coast for a considP ■ erable distance. }' / 'As*already mentioned, this r~ , League - represents largely_ the \ ' 'farming community, and it is, ' ! therefore with pleasure and grat . , . ification that we learn that th( ?'"people of Auckland have ex- ."- " pressed high appreciation, of the manner in which the'farmer! \'i acted in connection with the 1 strike, and that it is the desire oi ',1 ' < tlie city dwellers that, tangible ' / proof of that appreciation should

be forthcoming. We fed convinced that the expressions of your public men, foremost among them his Worship the Mayor, are sincere, and that you as a community are anxious to adopt a ourse most acceptable to your friends the farmers. May we be permitted to suggest that as the greater number of those who took part in the movement of opening •the port came from districts, in which all representative bodies have declared for the RotoruaPaengaroa railway, in preference to any other, it would be a graceful act if your Council threw its influence in the scale on their side and assisted in the.advocacy of a line that fully merits the title, "the farmers'railway."