REEFTON RAILWAY LEAGUE.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1206, 11 December 1882, Page 2

REEFTON RAILWAY LEAGUE.

The weekly meejjng of the members of the League wai| held at the Council Chambers on Fridiy evening last, Mr Brennan, County * Chairman, being in the chair. There was * full ! attendance of members, andi 11* A. R. Guinness, Chairman, of thi Grey County, was present as a delegate from the Grey Railway League, The minutes $ the previous meeting, as also copies Of all inward and oulr ward- coireapbetlence received since the last meeting, were read and received; The secretary reported that he had received copies of the resolutions passed at a recent meeting in Greymouth, from which it appeared that the inhabitants there demurred to the resolutions passed at the late railway meeting in Keefton. The Chairman said that the Greymouth people appeared to labor tinder some misapprehension as to the real intent of the resolutions in question, and as Mr Guinness was present the meeting would be glad to learn from him the ground of such misapprehension. Mr Guinness said that the ground of the objection was, he thought, embodied in the resolutions passed at Greymouth. It had always been the impression in Greymouth that the whole scope of the railway agitation both in Canterbury and the West Coast was to endeavour to bring about the establishment of railway connection between Amberley , : and -Brunnerton, The people" ; thlre ididi not v think the West Coast was specially interested in the question of the relative advantages of the East Coast and Central trunk lines. The force of the agitation, as the Greymouth people viewed it, snould bej directed: towaitds the one object of connecting the East and West Coasts, leaving the advocates of the other two competing routes to fight out their own battles. But in the resolutions; . lately passed at Reefton the question of the advisability of connecting * mberley and Brunnerton was omitted altogether, and some stress appeared to be laid upon the Cannibal Gorge route as a Central trunk line, as Against theEaft Coastline, something being idded to show that Redfton could be connected with the central line in 29 miles. NottiftajSfrhowever, was said as to making the continuation from Reefton to Brunnerton, and the Greymouth League, in the absence of any information beyond the resolutions, were disposed to view this as in some degree a departure feom the previously understood drift of railway agitation on the West Coast, and hence the ground of the objection taken. He (Mr Guinness) had, however, learnt since his arrival in Keefton that the Greymouth League had been to some extent misled in the matter, and that what had been taken as the result of studied design in the wording of the Reefton resolutions was merely a matter of oversight This he had, at all events, been assured to be the case, and if it was really so^ the objection raised by the i Greyihojitb. League at once vanished, and the two Leagues could continue to battle on common ground. He should be glad to hear some definite expression of opinion from the members present on the point, as the sooner all cause of disagreement was effectually removed the better it would undoubtedly be, for the West Coast. Once there was a definite understanding established as to the real bent of the agitation, the way would be clear for mutial co-operation. The Chairman said he could assure Mr Guinness that the Greymouth League were quite mistaken in their conclusions, but he could not help admitting that the Reefton resolutions to some extent justified the misconception. The resolutions certainly did omit all mention of the necessily of connecting Amberley and Brurfhertoft, but this was purely an oversight. But against this he could say that it was generally understood in Reefton that the Government were already pledged to connect Reefton with Brunnerton. No doubt could possibly arise as to the practicability of doing so, and as an evidence that this was the intention of the Government £100,000 appeared on the schedule to the new Loan Bill for prosecuting the work. In the face of this fact, and the assurances already offered he thought the Greymouth League could at once banish the idea that the Reefton people merely desired to see the railway this far and no further. The one object of agitation in Reefton, as in Canterbury, was to see % railway, connecting the two sea-boards fia the Maruia and K'eefton, and he trusted that now this was clearly understood the two Leagues would redouble their efforts and never cease agitating until the end was accomplished. Maps were produced by the secretary showing the three different routes, namely the East Coast line, Central line, and Maruia line, and the principal features of each were fully pointed out. Mr Beeche said it was a great pity that the 'Greymouth League had arrived at such a hurried conclusion upon the resolutions, as the matter had been telegraphed through the Colony, and the opinion might have been created that there was a serious difference of opinion bfetwWnlthe two riilway leagues, whereas it was now,shbwn*that they were in complete harmony in the object they had in view. Mr Guinness said that as the matter had arisen through an evident misconception, it could be easily righted, and he t did not think that the force of the : agitation would be at all weakened by the action Uik^n. i j IM*' Wisii ■i'o'icrhi that in or ler to set j ull iloui-L ./oiiipl.jteiy ut \\.\ it would bti i V>ell ;<> havo ;:»! evvc*- nujjvu- on the

book of the League explaining the object of the agitation ; he therefore moved. " That the secretary inform the Greymouth League that the sole object of the Reefton League is to endeavor to bring about the establishment of railway communication between Amberley and Brun- \ nerton, via Maruia and Reefton " The resolution was seconded by Mr Joice and carried. After some further discussion and a vote of thanks to Mr Guinness for his attendance and explanation, the meeting adjourned;