CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 18, 4 January 1912, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

[lt must be distinctly understood that , we are not to be identified " ith the j opinions expressed by correspondents I in our columns. ]

TO THE EDITOR. Sir.--Ke Ea-t <a< Railway in j its relation t<> the fitttirf* <,f Hawke s| Bay. This is a matter of thro greatest. iu>p< rtam-<* to the people of I Hawke's Bay. Me have in our ; midst two towns of no mean ord< r, Napier and Hastings, striving, in measure, blindly to secure the benefits to be derived from the const i ion of this railway. We find m both towns certain sections taking a prominent but parochial part in t!ie conflict, when the best interests of both towns demands that the mat ter should be viewed from th” bread point of view in a manner calculated to serve the l>< ;ri'.< :< -ts of the district as a whole. A brief view of the true pcsition would be of advantage to the dis.rict at the present juncture. W e are on the eve of great developments in Ha wke s Bay and at a point where our actions will either make or mar Hawke's Bay s future. Both Xapier and Ha-tmus possess natural advantages which should be conserved so as to secure a true measure of development along sound . lines ; development which will be i mutually beneficial instead of hi I c fitct conflict ing. , Xapier is a port through which ; .n‘l the import and expui't trade must pass. It is 12 miles lurther . -th than Hasting.- and is the out- i let for all the country to the north , us. It should therefore be the terminus of the East Coast Rail- ■ way. Hastings, on the other hand. >s so situated as to be m (.c-" touch with tiie central and southern parts of Hawke's Bay. li is a distributing centre <-*; no diwan order and has proved itself of great venience to a iarg* h< <>y <.t <.ur settlers. Its geographical position secures to it that growth atiti imp • tance which nothing can .-top. any it will become m ire fiu e.rc t its- terminus of the district railways which will eventually open up the camtry towards Maraek;;kal..>. Hampden, Kereru anti on * r > Ptir -ka on. . ne one hand, and on the c-tiier KuM; the country south beyond the' Tukituki in the Mt. l.i n direcirm.. ! These are the It g'timate dnims ot ■ Hastings, but the pro sent t. East Coast terminus is the legitimate ; claim • f Xapier. . , ! The people beyond Xapier. bothi the present and future settk's -. . t’.v a right to be considered, is it reas-. onable to expect that the people from the Wairoa side should pas'Xapier to Hastings in oidtr to g.-. back io Xapier. an additional distance of 21 miles : The suggestion v> my mind is cut or the question. _ > The reasonable and p-iclicnl po-i--ticn for both towns to take up wc-ukl : he to combine fur the purpose c-f i securing that a commission i - .- pointed to confer with the 1 Mr.;,- > meat engineer as to the best route to ■ adopt, and to secure that uLatf'e. , is done will be in the best interests ! of the district a.- a wht.ie. ; Will regard to the prcp<»al t-< take . the railway along the t'nr.m B ui. as advocated by Ur. J- V iger B»-cwn i

1 would like to point out v.'h’it ■ menace that would be to the rant;. ; development of N.'ptt r, A rniiwiyi along the beach would retard j sible future dev el .pim-nt cr.tG'l Inner Harbour. Tt f 't H ' ■■>- "i ■ Inner Harbour v.:ti in'.kt N.upnr, one of the chief cit'es of tie Damn'.-1 ion. Its~ geogtaphu -.1 io-... u ■.v'.. enable it to tap large .rot- of the j North Island, its Imic ■ H:.rb ; ■ with its large endowments will make I it one of the cheapest harbours, m j the Dominion, and will lend itoif to | the development of ".eat industrial < enterprises. especially with such enor i meus power alongside as ran be pro-1 vided from VCaikaremoana. As. Napier grows into a city it will rquire every aci'c of the I’t ■ 1 •beach for residences for the ui.U.> i trial inhabitants. It will be <...<■ < the healthiest spets in the ..... n_ These residences w.d! requae inf . services of the electric ivani. but di ! Ne deprived cf Mich, a service if th*'‘ train goes that way. The tram ‘ would run right through t.> Pt t.i::'. whereas the tram would stop cv“y [ 100 or 200 yards and =■•-> moc; iw! house. Such a tram service '•*- o-.ild . make Petanc hills a valv.nblr j dent-ial quarter, move so than wool, a train s< i.r *. Briefly put. the triin along Prt-i’ie beach would deprive Napier «>!■ <■:<>■ ■ . f her he< feeders for ii.-r i-o-n . • V'Mii. n lire. ” that ;■ c.r. I .’ 1 | afford to neglect i> her trnuwii ~ a’'.' , to pay. The I’.ri'.’ -i; >tlM '!.• push- I cd inland if p tolflc. *•> b:i.t, a-’ does not undulv b-nsthen the j<» i r- . ney between V.-iire-t, and N An inland railway wiii u. 1 i-1 ncss for the town and that is « * ■ of the eh:.’’ fun< t’on. ( f a radwa,., I hone the matt* r of the route! will not he i:nv.i;iia Peced on. . cor t * < > idenee t from >d! -o.ih a I frame tlit ir < 'vn ~,n. :i (Inly b' tr a. wn 'd the o, r interests • the j district is a whe’e be served.- I am., i etc.. J DAVID WHYTE, i Hastings. Jan. "ii. I'M 2. i