PUBLIC MEETING AT HENLEY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13207, 14 February 1905, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING AT HENLEY.

THE RAILWAY TIME-TABLE. '■ A woll-attcndcd unci thoroughly representative public meeting was held in the public hall at Henley'on Saturday evening for the purpose of ventilating tho grievances of the Upper Taicri district in regard to railway facilities. Mr Alexander Mitchell, manager of the Berkeley Estate, was voted to tho chair.

The sneakers made it evident that tho people oi the Otokia, Henley, Berwick, and Taicri Mouth had a strong prinia facie case for remedial treatment. Twenty-six years ago, when the railway system was in its infancy, Henley was better served in tho mutter of trains than it- is to-day, notwithstanding the large accession of population to tho intermediate andeurrounding-distNcts in •the interval, Vanncrs complain bitterly that if they have occasion to leave their homos on business they have either to get up at an unreasonably esrly hour of the morning, or be compelled to travel by a. later train, which necessitates an intermediate .stoppage to connect with the next day's train. Several speakers showed by personal experience that they were obliged to spend three days away from their homes under existing arrangements, when two would have sufficed, if they had been able to join tho express trains'at Henley. As to people in or around Henley ever seeing a first-class entertainment in Dunedin, or taking part in any important city function, the recollection of it appeared to have passed tho memory of the "oldest inhabitant. The meeting being largely composed of the fanning element, it was only natural that farmers' grievances should, find prompt and cogent expression, with the result that fully half a dozen of the speakers bad no difficulty in demonstrating that if Henley, Otokia, ;.nd Berwick were to remain cut off, as now, from the industrial and mercantile centres of Otago and Southland, the progress of the district would be very seriously retarded, From the standpoint of the tourist traffic, i! was stated that dyruig the past and present years there had been a distinct falling-off in the number of visitors to Taieri Month, nnd wen the Tourist Department, though it had included the river excursion in its published itinerary, hud found rha utmost difficulty in persuading visitors from the Old Land or from Australia to make the trip. The explanation was that persons who" wished to go to Taieri Mouth had to get un at an absurd hour in order to catch tho only outward train that stopped at Henley, and they were not able to return to town till after. 8 o'clock. It was. a never-ending complaint that the river trip, full of interest and enjoyable though it undoubtedly is, does not compensate for the wasted time. Much stress was laid on the fact that a resident of the city who was not clow to the railway station must necs=nri)y leave his home at 6 a.m. if ho wished to. secure a comfortable peat for the wife and bairns in the early train. In short, it is far too long a day for the average family man, and tlic attendant discomforts and inconveniences of present, railway arrangements have exercised a prejudicial effect on what should be one of the most , popular outings in Otago. Perfectly neutral testimony of the NAinsjtisfuctory character of present-dsy methods was furnished by a Temuka farmer, who attended Saturday's meeting. This gentluman is paying his second visit to Henley for health recuperation, but through enforced stays in Dundin both going to nnd returning from Henley will seek another sanitarium another: time: and bis <aperience is by no means sinijidar.

On the motion, of Mr Monaghan (Momona), seconded by Mr R, Robinson (Leo Greek), it was unanimously resolved—" That in Hie interests' of the farming and industrial population of the entire district, it is extremeiv desirable tlidt in future all express trains should! ston- at Henley." The motion was strongly supported by the i Chairman, Messrs Jl'Donald. John Shennan (Berwick), Jeffrey. (Taieri Mouth), Jamefi Methven (Henley), A. -F. Wallace, Amos M'Kegg, arid James Gibson (Otokia). It- was further resolved to take advantage of the prwenoe of Mini/fcrs in town next week to lay the grievance of the dintrict before the Government with the object of having them remedied before the ;new express time-table is finally passed. Messrs Mitchell, Monaghan, Gibson, Robinson, Shennan, M'Dpnaid, Jeffrey, Crane, and M'Kflßg (convener • and secretary) were appointed to wait on Sir Joseph Ward, and, failing him. on the Hon. Mr HaJl-.Tones. Mossra-D. Reid, James Allen, and T. Pratt, M.H.R.'s. have been invited to accompany the deputation, arid support the claims.of the district f or.a better, rail way service;,-.