CATLINS RAILWAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13959, 19 July 1907, Page 5

CATLINS RAILWAY

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. ■

(l'"OU OC2 Owir COERZBPONBIKT.) WELLINGTON, July lg.. Mr Malcolm introduced a deputation to tho Prime Minister this afternoon with a, view to urging the) speedy prosecution of the..Catlins River rnilway. Mr R, Oiiisholm. (president of tho Catlins 1 Railway League) said l the league had been of the opinion that it had nothing to do' but to urgo the speedy prosecution of tho work, lmt subsequently it found that" tho Authorisation Bill of 1891 provided for only somo four miles of construction, and. it had now almost readied that limit. It would therefore Iks necessary for & further authorisation to bo made, othcrwiso the work would como to a standstill. Tho league hoped that £75,C00 would bo voted for tho lino this year. It was desirous of getting it finished! to Tahakopa within. three years.

Mr Malcolm said if the lino were carried to this point it would tap large Government timber reserves. He s adder! that Mr Millar ' was in hearty sympathy with the idea of completing tho lino to this point. Tlio ' work also had the support of liotli tho Duncdin newspapers, and he (Mr Malcolm) had reason to believe that Mr Hall-Jones contemplated putting' a-large sum. on tho Estimates for tile work this year. ... , ■ Mr Tlios. Mackenzie said the idea of the league was that half (ho total voto for' Otflno should !>e exoended on this line seeing that the Otago Central lino had got ' to a point beyond which there was nof now so much urgency in pushing it. The Catlins peoplo had stood back in tho past' in favour of , the Otago Csntral 'line, and now that tho latter had l)con carried so far •' they thought their own line should receive more attention. ■ ■

Messrs Arnold aud Barclay, who were present, were careful to point out that tllja was only the view of the Catlins League.. ' Sir Joseph Ward, in replv, told tho deputation. that there was no ground for tho assumption l Hint- the work would bn stopped because of the limitation impo3od ljy tho Authorisation Act. There would as usual l», an Authorisation Bill this year, .'and tne further prosecution of the work would lie provided for in that measure. In regard to the allocation of rnonev. ho could not possibly give them a definite statement at tins early stage of" tlio session, H all tlio Olago members woro united as to giving I ns lino the greater share of tJ-e vote, that would, of course, make a difference, bufc tlio whole matter would havo to bs considered.