AWATUNA.

Opunake Times, Volume V, Issue 221, 16 October 1896, Page 2

AWATUNA.

(Our own Corresponded)

A meeting was held at Awatuna on Saturday evening, the 10th October, for the purpose of forming a branch of the Opunake and Eltham Railway League here in Awatuna to co-operate with the one at Opunake and the other at Eltham. There were about 30 people present. Mr John Morton, convener of the meeting, was voted to the chair, and he explained the object of the meeting, of what was done in Opunake, and which has appeared in the paper before. He also mentioned that Mr Blow the Government engineer, took a trip along the Eltham Road and took levels at different points along the road, and that his estimate was £SOOO per mile. As there are so many streams to cross it would cost all that to erect it. He read correspondence from the Opunake branch of the League, and mentioned that Mr Middleton was elected chairman for the Opunake branch, and then he asked the meeting to say what they thought of the object. In view of whether they wanted a railway or not. It was proposed by Mr Proudlock and seconded by Mr Ranby, that they take a list of names of those in the room who were in favor of joining together to form a branch of the League there, of which about 20 persons consented to be enrolled as members, and to canvas the district for more. Mr Proudlock moved that the subscription fee be 2s 6d to start, and if there were any more wanted later on another 2s 6d could be collected, as he thought they could get more to join them in the bush at 2s 6d than they would at os at first. He thought 2s Gd would carry out all that would be done for 12 months at the least. He also stated that it would be of as much interest to the Skeet Road settlers as the Eltham Road to help to forward the League all they could. Mr Morton then moved that they form a committee of seven to work with the other two committees at each end, and the following gentlemen were then appointed :—Messrs S. Parkes, G. Rose, J. G. Ranby, E. Green, A. Mortlemen, W. Watson, and A. Proudlock, the latter being afterwards eleoted chairman of the committee.