BLENHEIM-WAIPARA RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1028, 18 January 1911, Page 5

BLENHEIM-WAIPARA RAILWAY.

MINISTER'S REPLY TO A DEPUTATION. CANDID BUT INCONSISTENT. ■DEARTH OF GOOD FARMING LAND, (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Christchurch, January 17. A deputation waited on the Hon. E® M'lvenzie, Minister for Public .Works,; to-day, urging the early completion of the South Island Slain Trunk railway. .The Minister, in reply, said that the scheme had always been brought prominently befoio the notice of the Government. The . railway was recognised as one of tho important main trunk linea of the country; and tho Government were favourably disposed towards it, and' would hasten its completion as rapidly as possible. When the' Bealey, end of the Midland Railway was finished,, about next Christmas twelve months, mora : money would be available for the pushing on of the South Island Trunk, -rail* way. • Regarding the nature of the country mentioned by previous speakers, he had failed to find those large and extensive areas of land suitable for. settlement. Ho ? f°ll ow railway route through the Leda Valley, but from the information'he got he found that lands suitable for farms were not there. North of Koikoura there was really nothing at all. J.he hekerangu Estate was offered to the . Government some timo ago, and was then, reported on as unsuitable for close settlement. There were 20,000 acres of treehold and GO,OOO acres of Croivn land ,onthe ranges .at the back. The Govern-: ment. did not anticipate much revenue • from .the surrounding country, but as a j Main .Trunk the railway no doubt would j be. useful for passenger purposes, but' certainly not for carrying goods. Tha local traffic would also be very light. He did not admit-that Kaikoura at pre-, sent was cut off from the rest of the country. It. already had a tri-wceldy coach service north and south, and a nice little harbour with steamer .communication almost daily. As far as Kaikoura was concerned, tho weather was one of very small importance. The whola area of Kaikoura was. a matter ,of a few thousand acres of good land,, the rest being sheep-grazing country. The Government had already decided, as part of the railway construction policy, that the line should be pushed on, as' .fast as funds would permit, and as soon as the Bealey end of the Midland railway was finished, there would bo more ! funds available and more plant and material. The Bealey end would be finished shortly before Christmas twelve months, and the Government would be carrying passengers by that time. °