RAILWAY TO LIVINGSTONE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 757, 13 September 1878, Page 2

RAILWAY TO LIVINGSTONE.

The following is a copy of the petition read at yesterday's meeting of the County Council :

To the Chairman anil Members of the Wafllaki County Council. We, the undersigned ratepayers, resident in Kakanui Valley, hcrebj" petition your Council to take into consideration the recommendation of the Oamaru-Naseby Railway Committee in advising 1 the Government to construct the proposed extension of the Waiareka branch railway from Windsor to Livingstone. Your petitioners are of opinion that the route of a railway connecting Livingstone with the seaboard is by way of Kakanui Valley, inasmuch as the expense of construction would not, in our opinion, be greater than the route proposed, and that the area of land to be opened up by such railway is far in excess of the route by Windsor. Under these circumstances, your petitioners request that your Council will move the Government to delay any action therein until this route is reported on. V\"e believe that the Government will be guided to a great.extent by any recommendation from your Council, ami. trust that the wishes of your petitioners, in justice to the district, will be acceded to. [Here follow the signatures.] The Chairman remarked that he had seen the map of the proposed railway, as included in the Public Works Statement, and that the route there shown as following the Kakanui- Valley from Maheno, he thought was the proper route. Mr. Thomson moved the following resolution :. That in the opinion of this Council the Government be requested to withhold their sanction to the proposed extension of the "Waiareka branch railway to Livingstone, as recommended by the Oainaru-Naseby Railway Committee, uutil they have caused a survey and report to be made of a line up the Kakanui Valley from Maheno, as compared with that as proposed, for the following - reasons, viz.: — 1. That a Tine of "railway up Kakanui Valley will open up 40,000 acres more than the route as proposed, while the expense of construction will not be greater. 2. That the route up Kakanui Valley, connecting Livingstone with, the seaboard, was not taken into consideration by the Engineer, he having only reported on the extension of the Waiareka branch railway from Ngapara, Windsor, and Teaueraki. 3. That the line as proposed is objectionable, seeing that it runs for one third of the entire length at a short distance from the existing line. Mr. Morton seconded the motion.

Mr. Todd moved, as an amendment, that the Council should take no action in the matter. He thought that by raising one proposal against another both would probably be rendered abortive.

Mr. W. Sutherland seconded the amendment.

Some discussion then took place, during which Mr. Thomson said that he had no

intention to interfere with the proposed Waiareka extension, but thought that if only one line was to be constructed, the Kakanui Valley route should be surveyed and reported upon befoi'e any definite conclusion was arrived at".

. On the amendment being put, it was lost, Messrs. Todd, Johnston, and Sutherland voting for it, and Messrs. Thomson, Duncan, Murcott, and Morton against. The original motion was carried.