The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1901. MOVE ON, NAPIER!

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9290, 18 July 1901, Page 4

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1901.

MOVE ON, NAPIER!

A few days ago we dealt with a question arising out of action taken in the House by Mr Hogg, the member for Masterton. He desired to Icaow whether the Government would cause a report to be made as to the prospects of a loop railway line from Masterton to Waipukurau. This is a subject in connection with which all who wish well to Napier might with advantage bestir themselves. Apart altogether from the boon to settlers in the wide and fertile district that would be traversed by the proposed line (a line, by the way, that would pass through four thousand square miles of land held by Crown tenants, according to Mr Hogg's testimony) Napier is specially interested in this matter. Such a line, for example,' would bring the wide and prosperous Weber district into railway communication with Waipukurau, and hence tend to the extension of Napier's trade. The committee appointed by the Chamber of Commerce to report upon the variations in the Customs revenue of the port might well look upon their mandate as justifying them in making some reference to this matter. In any case we hope that the Chamber of Commerce will in some way deal with it. If the members of that body really have at heart, as we believe they have, the commercial and general welfare of the district, they roust see the importance of the issues w:e raise. Will they prove that their ir.iteresi j s o f a sufficiently practical D tj 3et t,h eni working ? would have the hearty cooperation of a large number of settlers residing between Waipukurau and Masterton. This is not merely a fancy statement, but one that can be proved up to the" hilt. The proof consists in the fact that those settlers have already tried hard to bpnefit themselves in the direction indicated, and have freely spent their money in seeking to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. And we need not wonder at their attitude, when we remember that for almost nine months in the year the roads in the> Weber district are little better than lanes of mud, at their worst girth-deep, and at their beet a hindrance to intercourse and involving a heavy tax upon all the farmer raises for sale. Of course we would not have it thought that this matter interests only the Weber district. We hare referred to that to show how the question affects Napier and its trade. As a matter of fact, the agitation for the construction of the loop line was commenced by the Masterton people, who formed a company to construct a railway from that town to Weber, a distance of fifty-seven miles. The question was raised, however, as to whether the Government would permit the construction of the line by a private company, and it was decided to ask the Government to deal with the matter under the Loans to Local Bodies Act, advancing the money required to build the line upon the guarantee of the settlers, and rating the latter to make up any possible difference between the revenue of the line and the interest due upon the money advanced. The settlers also engaged an engineer, to report upon the route to be taken by the proposed line. As a result it was estimated that a hundred and fifty thousaud pounds would eon struct the line and fully equip it. Ultimately a deputation of the settlers waited upon the Minister for Public Works and asked hia assistance. They obtained his " sympathy." This brief narration of facts will serve, not only to explain why we find Mr Hogg pushing this matter in the House, but also to prove how very much in earnest the settlers between Weber and Masterton are in regard to.getting railway connection between the two places.

Napier's interest in the subject is, in the abstract, that justice should be done to a large area of the recently settled lands in the back blocks of this province, and practically (selfishly, if that word is preferred) in seeking to obtain the trade of thai portion of the district. With a line connecting Masterton and Waipnkurau, passing through the Weber and other districts, their trade would tend to Napier by way of Woburn. This trade should be ours by right. It must be ours if we get fair play. Fair play involves the construction of the line in connection with which the Masterton and Weber settlers have shown themselves so much in earnest. Will not Napier join them - ? Ought not our Chamber of Commerce, our Borough Council, and our prominent men in or out of local bodies, interest themselves in a vital matter snch as this ? To the Chamber of Commerce we specially appeal. That institution professedly exists to deal with issues such as those we have raised, both in ihis and in former articles. Its members know that the question of the line has been raised in the House by Mr Hogg on behalf of theMasterton people. They know that the member for the district, Mr Fraser, is at all times ready to do all in his power to assist in urging local interests. We suggest to the members of the Chamber that they should take action.