HAVELOCK

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1886, 22 June 1886, Page 3

HAVELOCK

[FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT]. The railway petition via Polorus is rapidly tilling with names, and when joined by signatures obtained in B'enheim, ibe Sounds, and Picton, there will be about 1000 attached, so under advice from our member, K. T. Conolly, Esq, the Or-ramiitee will send it to Wellington on Tuesday evening for him 10 pre-out to the House, and a supplcuuut with all the oihor names we can collect will go forwajd later on. The limited time at the Committee’s disposal has been well utilised, and j think the member of the Omaka Road Board who ho feeling y alluded to the Pelorus being left out in the cold without atretching forth a helping hand, will yet find they have friends in this cause whose name is legion. According to the late census returns just published for the various districts, Picton has 3495, Wairau 6081, Nelson 7275, Waimea 5956, and Motueka 5299, which all told represents a - population of 28,105, and about five-sixths are in favor of Blenheim being connected by railway with Nelson via Havelock in preference to Tophouso, and there is no doubt nearly all the i population of Cheviot (another 6110) will give our line their support, as all the people down <o Kaikoura must bavo a voice, and this would m an over 30,000 instead of the number 15,000, which the Committee named in the petition as interested. The Wakapuaka Road Board, City Council and Chamber of Commerce in Nelson, and the ratepayers even at Motupiko, which is far beyond, are all endorsing the action of the Pelorus Road Board iu language thcro is no mistaking, and I venture to say the utterances attributed to Ministers by a member at the Omaka Road Board meeting were not diluted but rather the reverse, and we have more faith in the present Government than to believe such an autocratic tone was ever used, and such a sweeping condemnation given before they were asked to judgo a memorial not yet presented. All wo ask is, what fairly constitutional and good authorities have long since declared, that the grand point to attain in good government is to combine their efforts with tbo energies of the people, so that both cun be earnestly directed to fostering and creating new sources of wealth, pieans of industrial progress, and thus develope a national prosperity. Now, all the many thousands of acres of grand timber land opened up by this railway would yield the Government in tithes alone between L2 and L 3 per acre, and afterwards realise three times the figure it could be sold for now ; and in the face of the overwhelming advantages to be gained it would be unreasonable to think of constructing a lino to Tophouse. Horae people say it would be more direct from the West Coast to Blenheim. True, but everybody is not always travelling from that part of the colony, What about all thoße who come from the North Island and have either business or pleasure iu Blenheim and Nelson before going to the Coast ? By going via Havelock will be less than 60 miles to Nelson; thence to Tophouse another 6Q, only 120 miles altogether; but to proceed to Nelson via Tophouse would be 120 and back to Tophouse again on their way to the West'Coast another 60, or 180 miles, to servo the same purpose; ••id laßt, but not least, in our anxiety ,> tap the Coast do not let us grasp the shadow and lose the substance we have nearer at hand, but study to make every mile of our national railways give a good account on the light side of the ledger. The public meeting held at Okaramio on Tuesday cyening was well attended. Mr John Hornby being voted to the chair, the memorial prepared by the Railway Peti* tion Committee, and furthered its object in a few well chosen remarks, contrasting the present stagnation throughout the district with the altered position when railway facilities were afforded.

Mr T. Erskine (in a capital rpeech) referred tp the wonderful progress railways had established in America; lines wero constructed in that country to induce settlement, and were always a commercial success. A great deal of land suitable for small dairy farm ß could still be taken up in the small valleys opening into the Kaituna and in the Hounds, if the Railway was made through the distriot. There was plenty of room for a large number, providing they could get a market fc their produce while hundreds of Spple could be located in the Pelorus, Rai, and adjoining valleys, with steady omp^°yt ne fif their own doors and the feeding traffic from the tarriago of sawn timber it would prove a direct source of income, there being a great centre of population {it each end of the line it must create a large passenger traffic. It would not only open out the district but add wealth to the country at large. He had great p'ensure in moving the first resolution (already telegraphed you) which was seconded amd carried unanimously. The Other . two resolutions were also proposed* seconded and carried iu the same spirit- - A yotp of tbenks to the Uhairpian closed the proceedings.