THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1912. MASTERTON-WAIPUKURAU RAILWAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10685, 12 July 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1912. MASTERTON-WAIPUKURAU RAILWAY.

A deputation! from the Pongaroa ■branch of the Mayterton-Waipukurau iitfaihvay League was in Masterton yesterday, and had a.n interview with the officials of the Masterton Chamber of Commerce. The deputation made it clear that the settlers of the J baokblocks are unanimous in their dei sire to secure communication with J the.Maste.rtan, Wellington a.r.d NapI ier markets. 1 The • only conceivable' ■method of doing tuis is to construct a line raining south from Waipukurau, and touching Weber, Pongaroa and the .southern portions of the district. Feeder -lines would, m their opinion, be useless until the main line is formed. The opposition of Pahiatua and Dannevirke to a large'.national undertaking which would open up the whole <tf the East Coast district is purely parochial. The fact that the settlero most concerned—those who are straggling in .the baeklMocks—have no sympathy with the feeder -line project, at o.nce puts that scheme out of court. In any case, it matters very little what Pahiatua and Dannevirke may do in the matter. There townships are quite entitled to conserve their dwn interests as far as possible. But •in doing what they conceive to be the right -tilling for themselves, they have no 1 justification whatever for endeavouring ifco Mock a project which iy of a national!' character, and which must j inevitably appeal to the .powers that I be. 'Mastertan has no desire to haim'.per /Pahiatua or Dannevirke. Nior i has Ptongaroai or Waipukurau, for that matter. Lot our friends in the northhern, townships fire away. If they can show that a feeder line to Pongaroa would be a payable proposition, Masterton would place no obstacle in the way of their securing that line. But what Masterton, says, and what Wellington, (Napier and the intervening townships imus-t say, is that neither Pahiatua' ndr Dannevirke jha'll stand in the way of a national scheme which is of pressing and immediate■; limptortance. It is satisfactory to know : thiat a meeting is to be held in j Masterton, at the end of the present

month to form a League to act in unison with the Pongaroa and Waipukurau, League. At this meeting it as draped that representatives '(from -the Uower Valsoy, as well as from Eketaluina and the surrounding districibs will be present. Tiro time •has arrived wlisn the iran, must he struck. The sympathy of Napier and Wellington most bo enlisted, and pressure lnu'st be brought to bear •upon the Government to.do jurjticc by ■Hie vast exjpauso of countiry which is fceing cjpened up awd is waiting to (feed tlu cities and tov.mc. If PabiaAua ii'.:d ; iDaiinevirkc will not join in. •this project, is.o muc'li the. worse for them, iforr the longer will the period elapse bclforc they wiill be alble to secure feeder I'-niGS' to the main East Cbasb lino. This matter .is not or..e affecting Masterton alone. It affects the .whole- of the Uominton. It is a project of the first national importance. For years past it lias .been reloognised as such, and it has only been iihe demands upon the Treasury far tho Main Trunk and similar lines .that has delayed .expenditaire upon it. Th'e tim'o has now arrived for concerted action by those interested, and justice tiannlot 'be denied tlhose who ror so many years have been peeking it in vain..