THE HERIOT RAILWAY EXTENSION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12565, 20 January 1903, Page 7

THE HERIOT RAILWAY EXTENSION.

TO IDE EDITOR. Sin,—" Pairplay" in your Friday's issue tries to justify the action of the Govern- ' ment in their railway extension, Heriot to Edie's, by the statomcnt that somo few fruitgrowers will be saved 66 miles' travel when : they make three trips per week. | Now, what are the facts? These fruitgrowers require the railway for fruit purposes for a very short season of the year, and for the convenience of this muchfavoured and selected few the Government are, according to'" Fairplay," to bo justified in making a railway extension that will result in a loss to the country of £1000 per year at a very low estimate, and that without reducing the cost of the article produced to tho consumer. Instead of the Government being justified in their present extension," the whole thing appears so utterly absurd that it is hard to realise tho fact that the work is now well' in hand and fast nearing completion. Without doubt this is one of the greatest political jobs that has been put. 011 the country for a great many years for the number of people benefited therebj', and is unworthy of a Government who profess to Icgisla-to for the many. Even the settlers along the lino of route do not participate in the benefits ■to be derived by the extension. " Fairplay's" remarks about Messrs Gilkison and Quin are unworthy any comment, and' had lie been as near tho truth as they 110 did not need to have been ashamed to sign his name. —I am, etc., Thomas Sim, jun. ncriot, January 19.