THE MANWATU GORGE RAILWAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 51, 29 January 1884, Page 2

THE MANWATU GORGE RAILWAY.

Deputation to -flue Government. '■" . : r; i .; / -ar^- Tl -, .... . T" " ■ ■'*'* ■■'■■ H ")j a (Post.) A deput»feiony consisting of Mr Lin■foh- '6f, :Palitiersfcon ' -Nx»3>/j , a)Cd Mr J Macarthur, .of jiEeildin^xiepr^enting the Manawata-Gounty Council, waited on the ! Preni»ie'r afid-MiifisjteP: :for Public Works on 'JJh^isrsday afternoon to urgs npcesity-of-placing a suitable siim on the P iblic Works Estimates of next [ 3e^siou | for tlie 1 .Railway through the ManawatU Gorges , } extending" from ■ WoodviJleto the Foxion-Taranaki line. l Thi^ i sho'rt ledlh of railway is not only v the connecting line between the east and 'vest coasts 'of tne* NoK l lv Islanfi, biio ailso, between the .east and nprth 1 of the islarict as wjb'Jl,; there beingno practicable eastern route'frhm Napier to Auckland ;It, will also Torm "pa»t of the shortest linebetween \V : ellington and Napier. The Manawatu Gorge • is, m fact, the *« Sugz GanaU” of the. Norih, .Island, being the ; only . practicable route beAvaen the eastjincf tlie west, tho sole ppiat.-^.whiclv mountain of Range, caii_be_ passed ''by traffic. Tho d epV.%| ion l«a^»xastly pressed upon the attentiou of thVj3r9\ernmen't : the desirableness of pushing on this mostumportant t >vQrk,as" speedily as possible. Ministers received the' proposal very favorably. The Minister for Public Works expressed hk.stppng. f conviction of the importance, of the'work, and fully recognised tlie necessity of the Gorge line .as an essential link m the trunk railj way system of'the' ■' North 1 T^la'n^. Mr Mitch elson'iiitimh ted -his opinion that the rail way ought to beconsti-ucted without yde'lfiji : saw promised • ' that a vote for. this puriiose : .*buld be placotl on the. Public Works ' Estimates for h^'xt session, an.d that En^ine.eyin -Chief should :be , :i innnediateiy; :4ns);yja^ed to put m hand; the needful surveys, «ftc., forthwith. The.. -Premier concurred. The deputation expressed the'ir_ satis-J-fii^tion with the ' Ministerial' assurances '.and withdrew. , ' " ]."-.'. : \