OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY CONFERENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 34

OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY CONFERENCE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Permit me to correct one er two mistakes in your report of the meeting held last night. The bill to which I referred as having met the approval of leading men on both sides was introduced in 1889 — not 1879 — and its object was to make permanent provision for the rapid construction of the line to Eweburn by setting aside a fourth of the £60,000 a year the Government derives from certain land rents in Central Otago. On the security of this £15,000 a year as an interest fund it was understood that some £300,000 would be advanced by the Public Trust Office or other financial department under the control of the Government, thereby enabling the line to !•: c completed to the point indicated without delay. By this means the annual charge upon revenue which the yearly vote now entails would be only about a third of what it at present is, while the progress of the line would be independent of such daily considerations of ways and means as at present impede it. The necet sity for at once proceeding with the tunnel beyond Hyde was brought under the notice of Government some eight or nine months ago, and Ministers, after consultation with their engineers, then informed the league that instructions had been given to proceed rapidly with the work, but unfortunately nothing has yet been done to it As the meeting was only held for the purpose of bringing local representatives and members of the committee of the league together with the object of talking the matter over in an informal way, and endeavouring to arrive at some mutual understanding previous to the meeting of Parliament, any report of its proceedings would be difficult to make without some errors, but those I have here indicated are really all that are of any importance. — I am, &c, Juae 12. William Barron.