RAILWAY EXTENSION.

Evening Star, Issue 12743, 17 August 1907, Page 7

RAILWAY EXTENSION.

SOUTHLAND AND OTAGO. WHAT THE SOUTHERNERS SAY. [Fb,om Oub Own Cubbespqnj>ent. j INVERCARGILL, August 16. During a year or so the old spirit of Antagonism between Otago and in regard to the “which” and the u w “ ei '° , °f railway construct! n and tho lapwing of interior country has been Bcleop, or dozing, anyway. But Lhc coming of another session has wakened it, and it ‘has boon on tho move of laio. Your local leagues have been stirring, and there hen been a responsive motion hereabouts, home of tho criticisms of your townsman, ■Mr John MacGregor, have been roprodueed in the local Press, and gcnoiaily things have been cvuiimg to a herd in ■the Wonted way. (.V.-nsequrailly a public meeting, held in tho Council Chainbeiti to-night to discuss matters, was both “enthusiastic” and “well attend', d.” The Mayor (Mr Scandrelt). who presided, opened tho ball. A fter tho manner of his land, he dealt in retrospect. A eulogy* of Southland’s port wins followed by a panegyric on tho surrounding country. Ho referred to the Walk-aka Valley as tho only highway for tho produce of the Roxburgh district, and went on bo say that there was anuMier railway made some years ago from Wa.ina.hi to Tapamii and on to Ediovalo. That could be carried on to Roxburgh at probable £IO,OOO a mile. It would (r.n the Mi a Elat, and could reach Roxburgh at a probable expenditure of £200.0f A. On the other hand, the line from Lawrence would traveum a countiy that would siipplv liitlo carriage, and that could net be undertaken at bs*. than £20.000 a. mile. As they all knew, the (tore people had shown vroiuJari'iil public (spirit. sahrK'ribing something like £5.000 towards the <oruLrncti n of a railway from Gor© to Waikaka. Tiui railway Could bo extended, a.nd should be < xten.k .l, m the • linxtk’ii of Mourd- R.-uyor and Roxburgh. Indowndcnt nan sb aid Lo am’C'intecl ar> a, coauniask’i to go through the three dis(■ricte and re*'ori I- 11.0 Govf.rr.mcut which ••lire would bo Die b. at in i.ho intiu-fstii of ihe country. ■ • ■( A;ur-c*. 1 Mr J. W. Ikwnii-nd moved —“ In view Of the strong -or.m by a large r,..xii , 'n of id no community t > th? esnerdiHre **f furt.her moneys * lhe i.'wr-onco Roxburgh Railway, and th* r-dui n L.cld that a iimru better ran.! ■' is av.-iilaM- at g-catly Icss ocot, this mv-'.i’ig nek the Oovirnmori to appoint a ■ cmivii-i;i..n to ittjuoi t ,*». nd report as to the most suitable and ( kc.apcfit rente to < enmvt R-?xbiir>h with lhc main line." The nn v* r averred that f hi,; wan not ri.n nggresaive move, but rather ;:.n no■■ml tho LV vernivent to shi.v their hand in the ni:i , f cr of evncmling money in the dir;-, ti’it of Roxburgh. rendlog tl» decision of ex certs on the r-tative merits of tho rival routes. lie believed (hat tho decndi.n of a. mix v - ; i n would bo contentedly ncropfi-.l bv the c mmunity. Ife iwoffoid at Ihe idea of I *'■ ■i- -lin ;u - ClV’tO'- • tip-e, J f; I V’LIX--on 11; I i (,*. IMld said that this moiting would, not 'a;,-. | ; j.;n i. 11- ! I).It- foe the I--- ■■■( ag'-TCS'd Vo 'irv incuifesi (1 in Dunedin. Tlicy evidently leahro 1 ike seri• rawness of their p-.sitioa vd cn tiiev set a deputation to coen-e the (.biverr.mmit into spending JBIOO.ObO on a. railusy tiut did not warrant fifty revive being scent, on it. T!wv had read lim e\ id-ume of Mr John Mu.---Gregor. He w-.s a Dunedin man wli? ic'Ognised ids iesp< v -sk ility to the coh/iiy. ami he had tharacier sed i he I.awiv me- extension as one oi ihe worst j.o!.fi< ul jobs on tcoord. Thi.t :rom the nuuitii of :: Dimci'in man was a gntvc r ilactlon on i;-.o :u: lion oi the Dunedin ciri/ens. A S ,;:i;ku.: i l .cputtilion went to R-ix! t'rgh vm- ! .m ago, but were for-■ ;:■ ! * i bv Du a. .dm. E van to ho wondoicd sow .urn l. ld;.ig ra tp. nsib'.e p •fiiv.Pi.s cuM n-v.- n. n; > - • j> :trk» and exptexsed tin.’ "ik.do. a -dui, di'i > onccrring t;e mugnni n; it; ..ro at a i.iiiway fo Roxliuig 3 -. i;i a p-mlic pa>'m: of view. Tim sp-.Ml*.--r had n • over ihe route and let.nrmsi bv ; M-a, E.a.t reuie. E'oiii- miles tr- m ti-c railw.j i'ne.e was u/n----cultunil country equal to a mudc-si s./.ed Soutiihmd tann. 'i’hcy then traver.-s'-d ,i narrow, circuitous delile, and then, them was a rive? to be bridged, which would cost £40,000. Tiil they leani cd Kttrick it was sate to say that it would take live in-ms to (any ■> single steep. It Eat nilway v.ttc completed to-morrow, two.i.ty livo yc.-rs hence there would not he an oxt rv hun.be I people on the route. The ext urate fir tli; lino was over RaOLGdJ. !u would be cheaper to buy oui the interests of every man between Lawromo and Roxburgh tiia.i to build this railway. It w.,s their duty a.-: colonists to prevent even ih dr nci,i.i;ois from commandeering taxes to with-h they had to contribute. ” I would Eke,” he icmarked here, “to employ other terms, hut J (i.jres'iy tiie chairman would call mo to order.” He said, however, this: that li.e agitators from Dunedin secured, from li.e Live Prime Minister a vote of £IO.COD, and the first step of this political swindle was ] orpctrateJ. It was now tho duty of every man in Otago and Southland to do his utmost to prevent any muio public money being squandered on" rids line until thc.o " ;ia iibsoiuUi j'ruoi t■j aL- wvdi no otivr route ayailabie to tip Roxburgh and the surrounding country, din; lanv/av snuuld never have b.-en dm rted tiom licriot to wards K-.Jieva.e. iiwv .iiv..isk;n was Been led by a few in the ht, --r hi;,: net. Anv diveieion should have h.en to the wos; and i-ot to the e..sL Tier-.- '.uv josible routes—one irom the Goiv-VLuk dm, exteufcion. and tho other from the WuipriJ Ene between Hcriot and Edicvale. An emnnocr name the remark icuemiv in Jduncuiii Liiat there was a suitable- route branching ok

tiom tho Waipahi lino, where ;i coup’o o: tunnels and a couple of viaducts would he icquired. .I.tie ftT nulcs to Roxburgh would cost not more than £2/d ; 00J. lii., 'route that the S, atlikmdors were advoc.ging was one tint could not L-o ligi.Uc j, ti *. aside by professional expcits. lt°cam.: to this; tiuu thero v.x.utd be r.otidng in tieway of revemio from the Htwrouco-fk-x. line, wln.c on tim other hum! thnval route promised veil. Tim railwav iiom tu llo'cburirii wuulj take ko. years to construct; therimo to Rex bin di from Lawrence, y.dciihLmg it at tho rate of acuievud eu the Ola-'o Central, would take about, nfty y<rars. J Rome four or five yearn ago Roxburgn people held tut their hands to feoerndaiid to help them nr railway matters, i>r.t vnii the apathy* so cCaramel ntic of ivon.ki .r,.,i.;m a enrjiv reception was giver, to too appeal, ro that they went to Duneurn and calmed tiiere the support of mere;i u.tand parlianicntar.ans. dhey chore vv'is-riv, and tho result was the agitation for the exiet.s.ou ar Lawrence. Had Ruutidand been local to the people who wanted to bo Icyai io tier, there would have been a railway’ through’io the Jienger, instead of one being now .started at the wrong end.—(Applause.) Timrc, was, of course, the question of ,shipm-; nm-. Le believed that in less than ten veais tlm .k’ldf would be an absolutely Lee jrirt. Un fire other hand, he did not hesitate to eav that with the way tho Dunedin 1 lari air Rortrd were now* act.ng, their charges would have increased by 50 per cent, d hat was a point lor Roxburghiies to consider. Ho wou.d conduce with a critical retrospect of Lie history of railways In Otago and Southland. Ice Otago North main line should ;ave traversed the North-east Valley, and not gone via. Tort Chalmers. The Central Uta.go proper should have been Utprod i y two hues— ...mt via the Shag Valley and tho other yw the Glut..* Valicy. Trie Otago tyiU-r.il, .ho Hiwieuco, and the Waipa.a tines siani.d have never I con construe;; d. ihe p., st, present, and futuro expenditure on tho Seaward Rush Gatlins line .was o. Iv justifiable uy th« lad ib.u it is nut prosumer! that its original dc-s.i ation is going to be altere.i, but tint ulitmalc.y it will bo a iroi gh lino Jf it mi ; n respect, tne uppr. pndm-n so !; , r OH ]jQ . half would have oeen cb.ahi.'d under fai&i pretences lac L.wrm, v Imo was one tfiat no Governme .t with am* derouev would ever nave allowed themsdvos to be coerced into undertaking. It was tortuous lii coiicoiiuon uml <!C)U:ulv* r tortiKtua in construction. Tno WhiiKifii lino's construction was fully jcr.tifkJ when the Wronco lino became an accomplished fact, i ho Otago Central v,-as a conspicuous and kistmg monua.ont to tho rapacity and inJlitonco of a coterie of Dti.m-dimtes, who jnado tho colony’s interests and tho active anil speedy development of Oeulrol Ohyjo

subservient to their own personal ends. Truly a colossal waste of public money and a sad case of misdirected energy. Tho Oil train line was one of the mysteries of railway construction in Otago, 'The Southland main Dunedin lino being a main line, should have proceeded via Dacro, a route saving .several miles in distance and one of the moat expensive cuttings in undertaking and upkeep between Dunedin and Invercargill. A branch line to Kdend.ilo and Wyndham would have served the district well, hut the extension to Glcnharn was a costly and turner-essay work. The Seaward Mush line should never have branched oil at Clyde street, but at Woodlands or Morton Mains, and should have proceeded direct to Ecrtnvo. The extension now under way to Tokonui was a blunder that battled explanation. The \.airio line, instead of skirling tiia Do ngw ood, should have traversed tho Waimattlku Stream, and terminated to tho north of lleddon bush, and Oteutau and Waiau should have born served by a lino branching olf from Calcium. The Waikaia lino wee actually started twenty yours •'.-o, and rails laid, but the Government of the the want of justilication o; its existence, declined to supply 1 1 1 a robing stock. A succeeding Government removed the rails, and decided that the lino was unnecessary. l.oerd agitation had secured its reestablishment, but its construction was only excusable on the ground that, as the pubiic money cheat w.is being generally pillaged, i licro was no reason why this locality should not give a helping hand. 1 This was probably the mod, forceful speech of tho evening, am! ccrteinlv the longest, Jir if. .1. Gdmour fo] lowed, seconding Dio motion. 110 dcjuerati.d Lhc show of any provincial feeling and the casting of re 11 actions on any people who were aAiiiting for wiiat they btlicvnl to 1 o in tliciiuoiedts oi then- own pi,no. Ir-’oulhland’s ]>ositron would be, it DunuHn's demands were granted. lliat some' proportion of i.mnry contributed by Llr_• di-hrict would bo used t<> construct rail wavs that would be of no value to it. i.cailrn * meiiibor- of tin? Government lu id the (.pin ion tint all minor lines should be dropped tin lil the main trunk lima were completed, but the pci icy still cankd on was that. <acli separate lino Lo carried a little fnriiuT on from year to year, in proportion to the amount of taxation levied upon tho distiict in which it. war located ; and w> it. was f.-ir teat the vol.s should bear som-.i pro--rLi-m to llie contributions of each district. (Itego was asking for an <*x*cv.dve vote. ;u:d Mtey in Rout blind v .vrc entitled to raise a protest and remind the Govern merit that there wets- older claims which required cc-nabbr;.lion, air Iriiiiguctfi opmion was that Roxburgii people tuemsclvos wire confident that the Lawrence route was (lie wro;;.<one. Mr ,L E. Watson compared fkmthbmlV apathy in tho matter of railway agitation in the pot with Dunedin's activity in the fi.-otie regard. li was simply a question o: finding the best route, and thev wire rhalLriging Dunedin to abide bv 'ihe <l, cisinii of experts. ile moved that’ copies of Ihe resolution bo forwarded to the Governin'ut -and the members for (ha district,. Roth motions were carried applausive)'.*, .uni af.er short discussion of minor matters tho meeting ended.