THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE CENTRAL RAILWAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1489, 29 May 1880, Page 12

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE CENTRAL RAILWAY.

A special meeting of the Committee was held on Tuesday afternoon, when there were present — Messrs E. B. Cargill (in the chair), Ashcrof fc, Turnbull, J. Roberts, R. Wilson, A. Burt, W. Guthrio, and J. T. Mackcmvi.

Tho following- report was submitted by tho subcommittee appointed to consider the Otago Central railway question : —

"That a memorial should bo sent to tho Hail way Commission in tho following 1 terms : — The Committeo of the Chamber of Commerce having- carefully considered the question of the Otajjo Central railway, avo of opinion — " 1. That this is the most important lino now projected in Otago, and its prosecution is a matter of very great importance both to the miiicis and settlers iA the interior, and to tho (ity of Dunedin. P "2. Thi-s railway is one that must eventually become the .mm artery of communication with an immense tract of country, extending- as far as the Wanaka and Ilawea Lakes, aud even to the West Coast, and including- the principal mining- centres of Otago and a large area of agricultural and pastoral land still in the hands of the Crown. Every section of it, as tho line advances, will bo of benefit to the country. "3. The engineering- difficulties, at first thought to be considerable, are now found, on unquestionable evidence, to be but very slight, and arc chiefly confined to tho sections now in course of construction.

"4. There is no other lino which could be made in tago that, from a Colonial as well as a local point of view, affords greater promise of benefits, both direct and indirect, inasmuch as it will encqurag-e both mining' and agriculture, and largely assist in increasing the population of the interior by' opening- for settlement land which could not possibly bo occupied profitably till connected with the coast by railway. The sale for cash of a portion of this land would provide a sum which would go far towards paying for the cost of the lino.

" 5. The annexed extracts, from evidence collected from official documents regarding' the practicability and the value of the line, and "the area of the land which it will open up, ought of ifoolf to satisfy tho Commission and the Government that the Otago Cential is a line which should be put in tho first rank of railways to be constructed as funds are available, and that the works in hand bhould be pushed on with all possible speed."

It was deckled, after discussion, to forward to the ■Railway Commission, the Government, and to the l)tat>o members of the Assembly, a memorial embodying the report.

A letter wns road from Mr Pyko, M.H.K., enclosinjr the resolutions of the Vincent and ManiotoLo County Councils' Conference re the Central railway, and inviting the co-operation ot the Chamber in the samedirection. Tho Committee resolved to write to Air Pyko, thanking him for his courtesy, and informing him that the Chamber wero forwarding a memorial oh, the subject to the Railway Commission and the Gq, yernmenti,