NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12653, 6 September 1904, Page 6

NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY.

COMPLAINT OF THE SETTLERS. Tub secretary (Mr. R. B. Hunt)' has •»- . ceived a -communication from the secret*,!? ' ' of the Muungaturoto branch of the Railway v i ; ; League, which states that at a znet.tinir «f I the: Maungaturoto branch of the Railway League he was-requested today before M?. ■ .Hunt the views' of those present in -regard . to the present position re ; railway 'extension m that direction. As participants in • tb» • scheme fox ; the settlement and development - ,j of the colony, initiated by Sir J. Voiksl u many years ago, the residents in thai Nor- [ tiiern peninsula had,'- the writer said, so far 00 ™, out badly. Northern settlement! could be said no longer to consist 1 of * niere fringe of holdings :'ib. - the imwediat* vicinity of the Kaipara,watar. In almost an unbroken line fron? east to west the laii'-* , •' ! ; was in occupation, taken up in all cases m ' the expectation of railway commucieatioß •; being available in the immediate future, and -- ; until this was; accomplished :no systematic , ' ■'* coiarso of farming operations could work out '■ satisfactorily. The heavy ccs'fcg -and i©. - , numerable risks inevitable in marketing produce under existing '■ conditions -'were 7 -' .more than sufficient to check any enterprise - •"• jin that direction. The situation, therefore, became more embarrassing and discouraging to the Northern pettier every year ■ The Northern settler loosed upon kVolaiai '" to equal opportunity ■' with his fellow oolcnists as being sufficiently obvious to ren- ■ der further representation under that head i unnecessary, and while fully <■ recognising' the difficulties there are Lto contend with in pushing on that wish, , he believed that as a measure of common justice the Govern--4 ment would not allow such -a large eectior. " - • , of the population to remain in comparative . isolation from the business centres and mar* ArJs kets of the colony. Speaking oh behali of the Residents north of the point arrived at . > in the working survey, the writer could not •- ' too strongly express the dissatisfaction: felt '' - at, the apparent cessation of all progress in \'Vi that important preliminary work. It was, of course,^recognised that under the moat favourable circumstances some considerable. .'. - time must elapse before the line could bo completed, say, even to that district, but',', why, he asked, should the 3urvey not b» • ■ pushed on as early as possible, thus enabling." ••' the public bodies and business people in the|llli several centres to in a measure -anticipate ; requirements as may bo, or secure rights and privileges for public- purposes to advantage IT : : .■;■'■"'"'..•■"."■.■■"■■'?■;■•..-.'■ The treasurer of the Auokland North Is- ' - land Main Truck Railway League (Mr, Graves Aickin) desires us to acknowledge the following subscriptions: Parker, Lamb and Co., £1 Is: Leyland and O'Brien, l : Limited, £1 Is; Kauri Timber Company, £2 • } -s; Brown, Barrett and Co., £1 Is; John ;; i Wilson and Co., £1 Is; Henry Brett, £2; B. J. M. Kemp, 10s 6d; J. J. Craig, ,' Limited, £3 3s; Wilson and Horton, £2 2s: ■' * , J total, £14 Is 6d. ' ' - : __ -: . ..'.•' ....