RAILWAY SHOPS FOR HASTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1141, 31 May 1911, Page 8

RAILWAY SHOPS FOR HASTINGS.

PUBLIC MEETING HELD. (By Tclcrrai>h.— Special CorroErondent.l Hastings, May 30. A -public meeting convened l>y Hie ' Major (Mr. J. Garnott) was called on Monday ■evening to consider the question of' establishing railway workshops ■ m Hastings. About fifty persons vero present, and a feeling was unanimously expressed that the position of Hastings m.a.de it much more suitable for the. •location ,of railway repairing shops than any other site in Hawke's Bay.

The chief point'made was that every flood inundates the. site of the Napier ■ workshops, and, for some time after such flood, they. are. unfit to work in. It was also urged that the overflow of rivers between Hastings and Napier was liable •to cut off tbo terminus from communication with the south.' Apart from this, the increasing importance of Hastings as a railway centre made it desirable that u repairing plant should be on hand here. Bearing on this topic is a letter which has been published in the local papers, in which the employees at the railway workshops state that they are weary of the condition of the. present' workshops, and they ask the Napier Borough Council to take steps to drain the place. At Monday night's meeting it was mentioned that "Mr. H. Lan Simson had made a free offer to the Government of five acres of lnnd at Tomoana; two miles from town, for a workshops site. ■ After a lengthy discussion a" resolution was unanimously carried that the Minister for Railways be asked to have railway workshops erected at. Hastings, the request, to be made through tho member of tho district, Mr. A. Dillon.

A sub-committee was appointed to dravr up a statement in support of Hie resolution, and ■ Messrs. G. P. Donnelly, E. H. 'Williams, and'A. L. D. Fraser arc to bo asked to accompany Mr. Dillon in support of the petition. Yesterday morning Mr. A. L. D. Fraser received the following telegram from the Minister:—"ln reply to your telegram suggesting removal of railway workshops to [Hastings, there is no present intention of removing the sheds, but unless the Napier Borough Council takes steps to prevent the influx of flood-waters the matter will have to be considered."