Wellington-Manawatu Railway.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 10018, 8 December 1908, Page 1

Wellington-Manawatu Railway.

(Per Pbess Association.} Wellington, December 7. About 150 persons attended the banquet in the Town Hall this afternoon to celebrate the taking over of the Manawatu Hue. Mr J. Kirkcaldie, chairman of directors, presided. He stated that the Government had done well in the interests of the Dominion, and thanked the Premier for the patient and courteous manner in which the negotiations had been carried on. The value of the railway could only be appreciated by those who knew the conditions of affairs existing at the time the railway was first opened. The land of the Company had been sold at an average of 2s 6d per acre, and ;ill those who had entered into the purchase had done well by the transaction. During its years of active working the Company had carried in round figures seven millions of passengers and the gross earnings had been £2,400,000, of which £670,000 had been paid away in wages. He. expressed' appreciation of the generous support extended to the Company by the citizens of the country and merchants of the country. In conclusion, he wished the line the sue cess under the Government that it 'had achieved in the past. He also handed to the Premier a silver key of the Manawatu Railway in celebration of the transfer from the Company to the Government, a presentation that was greeted with cheers.

The Premier said the sale had been effected on term? satisfactory to both parties. It was practically the last of the private lines in the country. He believed the result would be beneficial to tile country as a whole. The traffic to tho Manawatu Railway contributed by the Government during the last ten years amounted to less than £642,792, an amount which gave many chances of friction had there been any desire to create it. On all sides there had been evidence of progress on the line, and in. this connection lie had a word of high praise to say about the General Manager (Mr W. 11. Hannay) and tile Engineer (Mr Marchbanks) for the work they had done. The work of both those gentlemen had been most valuable. Those gentlemen: were not joining the Government service, but as to those who were joining he felt sure they would, as in the past, do their duty faithfully and well. As to the purchase money, £25,000 was raised without difficulty on the most advantageous terms. The acquisition of the line would increase the travelling facilities of the public, and be the means of increasing the business and passenger traffic of the Dominion. He spoke in high terms of praise of the pioneers who promoted the line in the early days, remarking that the present occasion would be of more intense interest to those who inaugurated the valuable work in the early days. "The Originators and Promoters of the Company" was proposed by Mr H. D. Bell, who made fitting reference to the enterprise. Mr D. J. Xathan, in reply, stated that the idea of constructing a railway emanated from the local Chamber of Commerce, and the Wellington Harbor Board scheme was evolved at the same time. The originators of the railway never went into the work as a speculation, but in the interests of Wellington and the country as a whole in view of the demand for railways, lie questioned whether private enterprise should not be encouraged. "The City of Wellington." proposed by l Mr J. Dxithie, was Teplied to by the | Mavor.