A RAILWAY WANTED

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1746, 23 August 1905, Page 56

A RAILWAY WANTED

MARLBOROUGH REQUEST. SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK LINE. A deputation representing the Marlborough Land and Railway League, the Blenheim Borough Council, the Picton Borough Council,. the Blenheim Chamber of Commerce, the Blenheim (Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Wairau Road Board, the Pelorus •Road Beard, the Spring Creek Road Board, the Omaka Road Board, and the Awatere Road Board interviewed the Premier and the Hon Mr Hall-Jones, Minister for Public Works, last Wednesday night, in regard to the extension from Seddon of the South Island Main Trunk line. The Hon Mr Mills introduced the deputation. Mr R. F. Coulter, on behalf of the Land and Railway League and the public bodies of Marlborough, thanked the Government for its progressive land policy in that district, the policy had been a great and decided success. _ He had never known the province in a more prosperous condition, and it was due to the Government’s policy of land settlement. Now that the Flaxbourne matter had been settled, the extension of the railway line to that place should be pushed on as soon as possible, and they had come to ask for a large vote to be placed on the Public Works Estimates for the purpose. Mr R. MoCallum argued that the work would be for the benefit of the whole colony. . The agitation for the line had been discontinued two years ago at the request of the Premier. The foresight which led Mr Seddon to make the request had been justified. They had waited faithfully, and now they came to speak again. The Flaxbourne settlers were amongst the finest bodies of men that the Government had placed upon the land. It would be good policy to push on the line. Be could assure the Minister for Public Works that there would be only one or two bridges required, and there was only one had cutting. Mr G. Edwards said the opening up of the Clarence Valley would he of great advantage to settlement. It would carry a great many more sheep than at present, and was a wonderful country for fruit-growing. Mr G. Gunn stated that as a resident of the Seddon district, he knew how difficult the present conditions were for the settlers of Flaxbourne. They looked for a line from Seddon to Flaxbourne at the earliest possible time. He thought two years should see the line at Flaxbourne, if vigour was shown in construction. Mr Giffen spoke of the bad state of the roads from Seddon to Flaxbourne, and said he was satisfied the Government would not have acquired Flaxbourne if it was not intended to remove disadvantages to the settlers. x Mr Rutherford, M.H.R., said no money had been expended on the Seddon section of the South Island Main Trunk line for the pasu two years, and it was time some was spent there. He knew the necessity for it. The time would come when they would have a through line. He pointed out the great possibilities of the fruit-growing industry in the Clarence Valley—the bulk of which was Crowp land. Mr Hall-Jones recognised the importance of what the deputation had advanced, but the Government was do- / jug a lot of work at Cheviot on the line, and he would be very foolish to say that work should be stopped there and more work gone on with at the other end. He suggested that those urging extension should follow the example of the Central Otago people, and ask for gradual extension. They should get the line to Flaxbourne first. The Government had been pushing forward the Main Trunk line step by step. He wanted to see the work go ahead Reasonably, this year, and at a quicker rate next year. It was all a question of finance, and it was going to cost over ' a million of money to make both ends of the line meet. That would have to be spread over a few years. To carry the line to Flaxbourne would cost something like £35,000. He hoped to have the work done with reasonable speed. The work had been started, and the number of men employed would '’'gradually be increased. He would be glad to see the line right through.

. Mr Seddon said there had always be-eu a good and kindly feeling between himself and representative men of Marlborough- Mr Mills was most persistent, and in connection with the present deputation had worried him considerably. He (Mr Seddon) recognised that the people of Marlborough had a claim upon the Government, seeing that they had stood by and allowed the Government to get Flaxbourne at a \ reasonable price. When a community had shown such a patriotic spirit it was the duty of the Government to help it with a needed ra’lway construction that had been voluntarily shelved for the Government’s benefit. When the allocation of money was in hand this year he would not look with disfavour upon any fair proposal made by

tho Minister for Public Works in connection with the deputation’s request. Recognition must be given to the fact that increasing population must be provided for. That part of the colony between Cheviot and Blenheim was country that could take a lot of settlement'—it had great possibilities. It would be good for fruit-growing, and the Government must do something in respect to stopping the importation of fruit to this country to a large extent. He did not want settlement to go ahead without roads in the future as it had done in the past. That had entailed great hardships upon the first settlers, and they had been penalised to a degree almost appalling.