The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: TUESDAY, JAN. 13, 1903. A VALUABLE ASSET.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXIX, Issue 1675, 13 January 1903, Page 2

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: TUESDAY, JAN. 13, 1903. A VALUABLE ASSET.

Tiik Christinas anil Now Year holidays have c-onie and gone and the usual complement of summer visitors have struggled up and down to Willsher Bay beach with their bundles and hags and bikes and babies, some in vehicles hired from condescending livery-s!able keepers, others at still greater inconvenience by train to Romahapa, and risking the chance of rirsing by hook or by crook a trap, or a lift in a trap, thanco to Port MolyiitniX, failing which there was nothing for it but to " shoulder arms [for arms read aforesaid bags and bundles] and icarch and march away " over hills and along rutty and muddy and footdeep sandy roads for a tridu of fivi* or ten miles according as their destination was—whether to Kaka Point, the far-famed Wt'klier Bay (to quote the 1 ndvt.), or the Nuggets. The wonder is that aft'-r their experience on the road the sanis families return each year fresh and enthusiastic to the fray, and of; en witn the party augmented by one or two specially selected, extra-favoured friends us guesU. The one and only explanation of their persistence is that once the b"ach is reached, the g'orious and entrancing view, more particularly from Kaka Point, for miles each way, from VVangaloa on the north to the Nuggets on the South, the expanse of wide and firm beach forming a natural esplanade with native bush, varying in ' shades of crecn from deepest emerald to palest Chartreuse for a i background, not to speak of the wonI derful ocean itself, make a man, and a 1 woman too (which is still harder), forget all his or her o f her troubles, What we wish to point out here and now is that Willsher Biy is an asset of the Clutha peop'e, and as such it should be utilised to the best advantage. That is to say, visitors should be encouraged in every way possible; and this can be done only by facilitating the means of transit thither. The low roul to the beach from Balelutha is simply impossible except in very favourable seasons, and should have b«en metalled or gravelled years ago, as now it is nothing hut a quagmire, whilst even if one goes by the high road there is still, from the brick house to the beach, a very bad bit which is quite beyond repiir, and must ere long be abandoned for a new road made across the rising ground from the corner I y the brick house and joining the main road near Kaka Point. Remains then the railway to Romahapa, and, in the first place, we must give vent to a ivo'nder that the railway authority s do n.v provide an early morning train on Monday's to suit business p-'-eple. who, having spent Sunday with tlnir futniii.s «> Port Molyneux orCut'ms River, wish to re urn to their wark as early as possible on Mo/iday. As Romahapa is the nearest point, to the beuuh by rail, and as it is out of the question to expect a branch line fiom the Government which has already too much unfinished railway on hand, there is, after all, something to be said for the suggestion put forward by Mr Quin in favour of a tmnnvay from Balelutha to the beach ; and, indeed, it is questionable whether the cost would be so very raocb greater than the metalling

of the road: Mr Quin's idea is that Dunedin city discarded tram rails, and cars might be utilised for the purpose. However that may be, " °asy means of ' getting there ' is the onlj want," as Mr Quin put? it, "and a tramway is the one desideratum. Electric power could be obtained from the Puerua river, where there is ample power for generating purposes. If electrici f y is too expensive, the cars could be worked by horse or steam power. The trade of Balclu'ha would be augmented very materially by such a scheme, and the whole of the Molyneux district would feel the benefit of cheap and rapid communication with the popular seaside resorts at Willsher Bay and the Nuggets." If the line were made and a train connected with the morning train 10 Dunedin on Mondays "the number of visitors to the bays would increase enormously. As beauty spots the bays to the south of Port Molyneux are unsurpassed,and it only requires enterprise on the part of Balclutha ar.d district, to tinke Willsher the Sumner of Otago." These are the ideas of a visi;or, and one who has no direct interest in thi; district. We see no reason #hy serious atten'ion should not be given to the matter, and a report from 1 competent authority obtained. That .'he time will come when there will be train or tram communication between this and the beach we have no doubt whatever, and when that time comes we see no reason why the money should not be rai«ed by special loan, assisted by Government grunt. We commend the whole matter to tho consideration of our local public and representative men. Mr David Syme, the well-known journalist, who is now travelling through New Zealand, gave it as his opinion the other day that there was not enough Australian in the New Zin'and papers. Strange that Mr Sfddon should have made the same complaint rc the Australian papers w'len lie was on tour in Australia, and he might also have added that what here in, is sometimes not even correct. For ins ane, and we have it under notice f>t this moment, in speaking of Prohibition, a writer in a loading weekly Australian journal mentions as -v fact that Newtown is a suburb of Dunedin ! He also quotes Mr Deegan (as if J. F. D. were infallible I) and says that the surprise results which have occurred in connection with the recent no-license elections are to he attributed to womanhood suffrage—the 00-operation of the women and the extremists. This statement may be true, and what if it be when we all know that women are the chief sufferers through Ihe indiscriminate sale of drink. He further goes on to quote that " many women voted for ar.tiprohibition candidates on the same d.-iy that they voted for the wholesale closing of hotels " ; a fact which goes to show that women are not quite the, fools Mr Dttegan would like to mak-j out —for they are ahle to discriminate between a man who would make a good representative and a man who would no'. For instance a man might be a good Prohibitionist and nothing else, while another might be weak in this respect and yet make an excellent memtier. There is absolutely no connection between the vote for member and the vote for license. This same writer trembles lest Mr Deegiin, who of course can do no wrong, should, because ho is a prominent spokesman of the trade, be held to be the victim of " unconscious bias." We do not think the " bias " is " unconscious" on his part any more than it is so on the part of tho woman who votes for prohibition because, when she and her family are wanting bread, the breadwinner of he family comes home minus his wages, and, probably scious,"