HILLEND RAILWAY PROJECT.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLII, Issue 90, 19 May 1916, Page 5

HILLEND RAILWAY PROJECT.

TO THE EDITOR. I Sir, —T notice in a recent issue of your paper that a deputation from 'Clutha lias ' been taking part in a private conference ] with the members of the Otago Expan- ' sion League and several members of ■ Parliament at Dunedin, where one of | the principal subjects discussed was the j proposed Tuapeka Mouth railway. Now, i sir, 1 think this was q. very unfair I course in which to proceed, for not so very long ago a public meeting was i called in Clutha for the sole purpose of discussing this 'project, and at that meet- j ing most of the speakers were in favour j of leaving the matter over until after , the war. Now, just immediately after that meeting, to send a deputation to this private conference and act in such a manner should surely not appeal very well 'to the true Britisher, for everyone knows that where the meeting is not open to the Press the business is more ■openly discussed. I think that the people of 'Clutha, and also the Otago Expansion League, should take a wider view of the affair, for would it not be to . their advantage to throw in their lot j with the Hillend route and get the rail- | way constructed there, when there would be direct communication with Dunedin? • Of course, Clutha must put up a good tight for it, but why not get the Minister j in charge of the Tourist Department to ; come and inspect, the river J The people . might have a better ehanoe of gettiug ; the railway up the river valley, as the , Tourist Department would benefit there- \ by. Look what inducement it would be , for health seekers to pay a visit to this ■ favourite waterside! We must admit that Clutha lias an axe to grind by working hard for the railway. It was also mentioned in Clutha that the Law« 1 rence line was not paying the expenses incurred there. Perhaps 'those responsible for this statement did not know that on one occasion a certain farmer from Hillend received advice from the coal company that a truck of coal had been forwarded to him. 'He allowed suf- j | ficient time to elapse to enable it to ] ' arrive at the siding for him, but when I he went down with eight horses and a ! waggon for the coal the railway guard informed him that owing to the heavy traffic they could not bring his coal, though perhaps they might be able to i bring it in a day or two. Now this is only one instance, but many more could be pointed out. Docs this not satisfy everyone that the Lawrence line should be returning a satisfactory bonus? "With all due respect to the Hillend agitators it can be said that when the first survey was being made up 'the river valley they, like true Britishers, remained cool and did not interfere. After the survey was finished they petitioned the Minister for Public Works to have a survey made from Lovells Flat, which the surveyors are at present carrying out, and I think the Clutha people should remain quiet until this survey, is completed. It would ; appear that they must think their case a j hopeless one when they are making such J a fuss over it. Surely Clutha should not J be so selfish. It has got the freezing I' -works, and look at the amount of public money that has been spent on the traffic bridge. Look at the water tower business, which we might say is a complete failure. Is it not time the surrounding district was allowed to have a hand in thq railway business? It it not time

that the people of Hillend, Awamangu, I Greenfield, etc., called a public meeting [to be held either at Awamangu or Greenfield and*»ppoint an executive to deal with matters such as I have referred to, and to put the fear of death in the Clutha-ites? So Hillend, wake up, or you will miss the chance of your lives and when the railway project is over you will be able to say; we did our duty.— I am, etc., HILLEND.