PUBLIC MEETING AT OWAKA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11453, 19 June 1899, Page 8

PUBLIC MEETING AT OWAKA.

yTHE CATLINS RAILWAY.

y . (Bt Oufi'SrsGiAL Repohtee.) ', A" public meeting- was. held in Paterson's Hail, Owaka, on Saturday evening to urge the extension of ; the Catlins River railway, and to discuss other matters of local interest. Mr H. C Saunders* presided, and the attendance numbered about.lso. . .TieClioirfflffi-stateaftatas tho36 ve£j g nt were .aware; a deputation had waited on the Piemier recently in Dunedin, with reference n?ri^ c e l^ t"ISI. 011' of the Catlins River railway. tI,P rJ II- knew,of tne necessity for .having the lailway. pushed on into the forest. While •■ib was being-kept.back the destruction of the forest was going on. The great majority of the set ers had to^to the Government for work! Mad they the railway they would have a better tWw^P??.' 1?* themselves as they could then get their timber to market '•' ' Mr W. Carlton- (Ralanui) said that he had been-asked by various "settlers, farmers,-and sawmillersto move the first resolution in i*e- ™,„ ' w matt^ indicated by the chairman;.* "f .accordingly moved—"That this meeting of farmers, settlers, and sawmillers wislrto bring under the notice of the Gdvern-ment-the urgent necessity of .at once proceeding with, they Catlins , River' branch "railway, and, that we are--strongly in favour of the Government; ybringing down a * borrowing policy,- which; is the only practical means of securing the early, completion of this and other tailways necessar.yyto.. t-lfcs proper development of-.the. resources of the'colony, and that a copy af thisi resolution, be forwarded to the Right Premier, and'the member for the listoct, --(Applause.) Speaking "to thi S&/¥ mrn' Sal d that'they had been iZZZI five >'ears to have this ip extended-from Owaka right through to ; hasland's, All the intermediate districts jad.been praying:*till, theywere sick for the government to extend this railway to enable •hem to,make on their sections, and nake use of their valuable timber. These peti10ns had been put .on one side. They, had reITu jft"^ jTOr^~ tlje Petitions Committee, ,np:.had,been referred favourably to tKe Govrnn^nt;^ifc there _they stayed. Hehad been* S o *,e: dlst«et'and had found that the equest of the Catlins people was favoured by eople in other parts of the province. Timber •as ; imported .from; Australia and America* at" higner priperthan Catlins timber cost. He ad been down, to ; Dunedin recently, and on oing through, the timber yards was amazed t the; quantity of timber lying there, which as.used for purposes that their timber could f «?^or,".r• If-they had the railway extended % nf? f S Tw' PUt °A lt r<* d Pine at ,6s per £ S?fi ci lg r°"? owaka ™uld make it aout as 6d, while .the present price was 10s. he. public of Dunedin and: Otago generally ere .paying £2 per truck more than they ignt to pay because a number of mills had > shut down in the winter months. When *c 1 i-emier c.ame.'down four or five years aeo icy. had the line as far as Glenomaru. The ams. rap on two; days a week. The public : a* now advocating a daily service. Several : ills.had.to be shut down for five months in • c year because the-roads were impassable ' was all, very well to have metalled-roads, ' it-they would not stand heavy timber traffic, either .was it any use talking about light ' les with the.ht;avy engines now used.' The 1 dmary knid of line would be required.— pplause.) They had' men there strong and '" liing and ready, to work from daylight till , '■■ I hey had enterprising men who had l rested m*. sawmills and gone into the bush ping the; Government, would follow theni „ th the railway. Once the land was pro- n rly cleared, dairy-factories would spring up. c line had been started to Catlins River 25 T irs ago; it had never reached it yet. When t! met the Seaward Bush line it would be the ■ ;at-south-eastern railway of Otago. But S] the rate they were going* now a child, who t. jef n c brancll start from Balclutha, I uld be entitled to an old-age pension beorit was 'finished. The Premier had said 7 t.;.there was an understanding that the fl rtn Island trunk" line should get preference ir others. But if that was so it had not T--n„n^,rie? out- How was it, he asked, that £ >,000 ha^d.been- voted for the Seaward Bush fx 5?.-That was strictly a branch line? It de them ask if political colour had any- m rg. to do with the matter down that end. S° did not care a tinker's curse about that— «, tghfer)—their * claim was just as good— j iplaiise.) If ; th£- settlers wanted railways ras their duty, to take a practical view of ™ matter and tell the Government how it gC to .he done. * The resolution told them &S ;. Some members and representatives al- gr ed it to be accepted that public works i jld be ; continued out of the taxation of colony. This was manifestly unfair. These T he works were as much for the benefit of enty. ]\ow what the deuce had posterity nl c ior them ?-(Applause.) The money w Jd for the acquisition of native lands and -\r purchase of private estates were of a - ctly. reproductive character. The Gov nent were getting profit out of thefn. £• f could they call it borrowing Yet : .member got up in the House and abused £j Government for increasing the public th* r.Craig (Owaka) seconded tiie motion, and *X d attention to the: reports of the Land t 0 •ds meetings. Week after week they " d surrenders coming in. They were „w ed by the want of the railway. The ™ 3i S could not get their timber out. They £i no money to keep them going. Some of „?„ sections, formerly valued at 27s 6d per P had been reduced to 5s per acre This it^a loss to the colony, for instead of * '■' being the interest on 27s 6d, there was A * only the interest on ss. They had gone * on ie land anticipating the railway. They latl lever got it, The line should be gone on frol as soon as possible so as to keep those f™, ie land still on it,-(Applause.) p. M. Tea (Tahakopa) said that ihe unr rs had a great deal to put* up with. ™1 had not a .srreat deal of money when beii: went there. If the Government did not herl them employment, they would, in many toil, have to give up their homes. If the .Che: iy were extended 13 or 20 miles, numbers Fan im could utilise their timber by sawing >sts, sleepers, etc., and they would not dependent on the Government for aid. r= ylause) As_ they knew, there was a *o r ; r demand for timber. The price had risen " w last year between 2s and 3s per 100 ft. t. southland forests were getting worked to o tnat that was all the more reason why aj, ilway should be extended. He thought „, y inconsistent on the part of the Go- Co *ent to spend large sums annually in str ne forests, and vet at the same time I of

the S£ ( ,ff 8' m a P. lacc where so much ire If c'. ld. timber was being wasted for want £ d P r^ Clt, Ulf-. to get il t0 ""Act- He consila dered that it was a crying shame and a dis- ■- Lf nf aS ? nG °f J those owners who tbok ■ the bU C TJI a, ud k started to knock down inrl- ZIZ ■ _? S 1? ad' however, come to the on suclfS that f,™ a siH t0 knock d°wn v- E? oh timber, and he was not goinsr to be a he mI MM°" Ser-' The sawmilrs were c fnent h3 th? "T^ -Sorae °f them had . hP? r lldl eds, °, f Pounds in putting down woulHPlant'' and. £° hoped that the railway ate b- thP^iV 0 at they might be benefited ■1- railS,v hlV"l"t y adVanCe"- The P™^sß of at tbl ad been very slow- but judging by to Sre^iuTr 111 - f, the meeti^ he hop'dlhat »rk from thSSon? T* Practical °UtCome 7<r ™ The Cllairraan saici that he noticed a -ze.tlenl §£ ST W-° had ad™cated a h™. IV 8 "'^y 30 years previously. Per- . a, haps he would give his-opinion. ' c- withi 0i n MNeU ' B/ lclutha) presumed he. ud °^ M *"** -V' and expressed his' ng mefc,n Pn^ eg 9of addressing a, - ut tTe Z"f owa^ a- g- Wh? n h« fi«t ™°ted ■ laughed a ? C trUCtmg the V*™* he ™* >c- on th! P^ • • e l v^ s representing the district ad was toldTh^b 1 ?° Uncil at the time, and he r, „~ • J he hne wou'd not. pay for the ' I frahT W *,* l^^ the £4 £ he he present«V "^ th? £ c retu,?« from.the ne present railway showed that he was rieht in re he Wl^ t- h°^ht " one of '- tt v., i TgtVS*mS hnes in the province Had .f J'' r? .opportunity-of preiing the claims .d furth^S % liUe W°U^ ' *£XS ": -v iur_ner along. It was a wrong thine-to havi - 1 .^e Seaward Bush line &st° In A the market was m the north. Had th* railway been constructed at this end the tim- ■■ Thr P , C P OUId have„ been g°t °ut much eh™. U £*! "as* h^ly any timber ' from . Cook lo Strait to Catlins Bush. Southland Bu°h • id. held plenty of sawn timber, which waf ho : doubt valuable, but Catlins could su PP "y •' 3- fencing as well. Had he been Minister for ■ o Lands in the place of John M'Een Z ie* he : •bush d Hn irthi iavV old one acre "f"o^ „-.- Dusn until the railway was there. The time ber on the line would have paid for it and paid the men themselves. One of the molt '" Sv b f c f Setsi hVolony had wJbdng W^' .- tonly destroyed. If he was in Parliament he n would oppose the borrowing. of noneV for " 'had^^-^^o^^ 6 Purposes B^t he had no hesitation in saying that if he were c?t fhed toT rrOWWlnd he intendLl to oh! . _ IS Bf ragf S -at ,the nexfc eleetion-*-he Lr t strongljr m f avour of ■ borrowing "■ sP^vTn"d°ri he/T trUCtioll of such a*n^ sary and reproductive purpose as the one they E were discussing. Mr &'N e ill referred to thi - r Saf f°r com Plet^ the Waik^elso , (LSe^' had T ant Mr [ r^iTH l poke bri, efl J' to the motion, and • remarked that,, regarding borrowing, hebe- : dr^th?mSg and Chas: Birdals°:ad-:;, \ v ?Z e G^ man then put the motion, which was carried unanimously •--' iJIL'T'^H i?^^) .moved-" That in the i ' be -S f° f" the dlffct the traffic manager : \r id' to run a daily train." ti, aig Beconded the motion, and said wa'i cc %"*? Piously a deputation had " matter^ 6 trafif h manager regarding this .* matter He gave them to understand that »fJ°!lldrv WWai t on dumber of those interested in Owaka .If they could get.a dafly * tram it would be very much to their interest, as there was a likelihood of the. Taieri and ' renmsula Company coming in to take away 'fc T^A^t C-° uld not be d°™ utiles^ ! there was a daily train. ! ... The motion was carried unanimously ; .Mr Craig; moved-"That a deputation cbri- - * sisting of Messrs W. Carlton, W e i r ,. IS, ' }L ¥ y%' T- Latta, and the mover wait on ; the traihc manager when he came down tc trdn . UrSe the neoessity of adailj !■ Mr T. Latta seconded the motion; which \ was also earned. . . -' At this stage^Mr Carlton read a telegram IIT Z IT J- Wii Thomson, M.H.R., ;s S. , •«™ m was called away to Tapanui,''and * ' could not attend, . The message intimated " that the sender was in favour of the extension - ot the line to Ratanui. Some diseusflon foHowed on the railway charges for carrying timber from Owaka" to Dunedin It was eventually decided to leave the matter in the hands of the deputation appointed to interview the traffic manager""."'* Ihere was no: further business, * and the meeting teymmated with-a vote of thanks to Itne chair.