A BUSY DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 17

A BUSY DAY.

The Right Hon. the Premier was kept In. sy on Thursday forenoon receiving deputations from various pxxblic bodies and organisations.

THE LAWRENCE-ROXBURGH "RAILWAY. ""*"* The deputation of the Otago League's iLawrence-Roxburgh Special Committee, which waited on the Premier with reference to the extension of the Lawrence-Roxburgh

xailwa.y, was introduced by Mr J. A. ■Millar. M.H.R., and consisted of his Worship • the Mayor (Mr J. Braithwaite), Messrs G. JFenwick, P. Barr, J. C. Thomson, W. Hood, K. Gilkison, D. E. Theomin, L. Harris, T. R. Christie, R. M. Clark, W. Gow, G. li. Denniston, J. A. Johtitetone, M. Colien, C. T. Paterson, L. R. Wilson, and others. The Hon. W. M. Bolt, M.L.C., and Messrs H. D. Bedford and J. F. Arnold, M.H.R.'s, were also present. The Mayor, as chairman of the Otago League, said that, to his mind the league ■was. a sort of minature .provincial council, but was non-political. It consisted x>f men d all' shades of political opinions, who were banded together for the advancement of-the material interests ol Otago by <*Vf>ry legitimate method. He might say that the question of the Lawrence-Roxburgh railway xeceived the undoubted support of the people of Otago, and he emphasised the fact that .the committee represented the people of Otago, and not the people of Ihinedin. The object of the deputation was to put before the Premier the absolute need for the constructioir-of the LawrenceRoxburgh, railway line. Dunedin had in tihe past done, and still expected to do, a good deal of trade with the district to be opened up by that line, and he was glad to say that the Roxburgh people were equally desirous of sending their exports to Dunedin, and they emphasised the fact that Dunedin was their best market. Seeing that it was the will of the oeopja of Otago that this line should be constructed, the committee hoped- that the Government would give- it every encouragement. Mr M. Cohen referred to the capabilities

iof the Roxburgh district and the country through which the proposed railway would w pass, remarking- that it would tap a large region of Crown, lands, open up extensive agricultural areas, 'and aid the development of tho mining, pastoral, and fruit industries. The Crown lands thus made Available wete from 150,000 to 200,000 acres in extent. The deputation was not concerned with the battle of the routes. That was a matter -for the Government engineers to determine, 'and the league would be satisfied if in this respect the Government was guided by ite own officers. What the league wanted was that the people should 'be given a route that would be quick and payable. He also"~~made passing reference, to first-class land being destroyed and wasted away, for mining purposes," and suggested tho. advisibility of the Government faking that question into serious oon- - eideration. Mr W. Gow said he had been as-ked io say a word because to some extent he represented the commercial interests of the town. They felt very strongly that this was a matter of importance. When last year the railway was authorised they felt that the Government was probably doing as much as it was possible for it to do in the circumstances. They recognised that ie was difficult to divide the available funds

so as to satisfy everybody, but they felt that their cladma for railway extension were

being recognised, and that they might look forward to this railway being started at an ■early date. Then rame — there was no use 'hiding fact — then came the agitation from Southland to have a reconsideration of

the location of route, and the Otago committee naturally felt that if, _ in the circumstances, they remained quiet, it would be thought that they were consenting parties to the proposition. The matter wa 1 s far too serious to Dunedin people to allow them to become consenting parties. Dunedin at one time was in the fortunate position of drawing its trade from all parts of the colony, and if they did not get all they might expect they did not trouble themselves very much. But the trade of Dunedin was beco*ning more and more circumscribed every year. In the trade with which he himself was connected, for instance, they formerly drew the bulk of itheir business from the northern parts of the colony, but now it was found that (factories were growing up, and had grown ap in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, until they were circumscribed to their own district, until the time had really come when they must push and see that their own trade was cultivated for nil it was •north. The Roxburgh Valley naturally connected with Dunedin, and the line having " v een once authorised the league thought it

was not out of place to come and urge on the Premier that next year — they wers anxious there should be an early start — something should be set aside in tho appropriations to make a commencement with the construction of the Jine to Beaumont. - That was all they asked at present. They did not expect the line to be prosecuted to the end in a couple of years, but they did expect a start to be made with the construction in the direction of Beaumont from Lawrence.

Mr W. Hood said that the Premier was no doubt aware there was a strong feeling in Otago that the resources of Central Otago were not being developed as well and rapidly es perhaps they might be. Mr Cohen had given an idea of the country the railway would traverse, and, of course, all workers were interested in the development " of such valuable country as that. They thought that the fact that the railway would open up such a large tract of country for closer settlement, and also help the mining industry, should carry sufficient weight in at all events inducing^ the Government to make a commencement with the prosecution of the railway. As workers, they perceived the important result in bringing the trade through Dunedin, which was so admirably adapted for being a great manufacturing centre. There was natural energy around Dunedin probably second to none in New Zealand for the assistance of manufactures, and with these advantages, and with, they hoped, in the near future a free port, they- ought to be in the best position to make the most out of the resources that came from anywhere. The Government had done justice in allocating money for railways, but they felt that Otago being such an important industrial centre, it ought to receive a. little more consideration than it had received, and the railways -prosecuted a little more vigorously if the Government could see its way to vote the money. This was not a capitalistic scheme, but one for the better development of the country in the interests of all. Mr R. Gilkison also advocated the prosecution of the line from Lawrence, and laid special stress on the difficulty experienced in maintaining the roads. Notwithstanding all the difficulties of export, Roxburgh fruit was favourably known as far away as Wellington, and if that were possible under the present conditions the trade would be greatly increased in volume with railway transit.

The Right Hon. Mr Seddon, in reply, said he was not surprised at the deputation being- before him. It took something as a rule to rouse the people of Dunedin, and they admitted that the agitation in the south had been the cause of wakening them up and interviewing him to ask for the extension of this line. It was probably an old story, but when going through Roxburgh when Minister of Public Works in 1892 this question of railway extension was then a burning question in that part of the country, and from 1892 to the present time this was the first time it had been brought under his notice in JDunedin. It showed that in Dunedin they had been concentrating their efforts on the Otago Central and allowing everything else to go by J f\e board. It struck him at that time, in 1892, and he said so, that, taking into consideration the roads (which were very bad) and what had evidently been the original intention of the Government, it was a matter that required to be carefully seen to ; and ultimately, \ as they knew, there had been an investigation and a report, and the session before last the matter came before the House in the form'of a Railways Authorisation' Bill. It was towards the end of the session, and pressure was so great that the matter was allowed to go. Amongst those who very strongly objected to that Authorisation Bill was the Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition generally. It was owing to the determined block that was threatened that the Government withdrew the bill. He pointed this out because if that bill had gone through the session before last the probabilities were that the work would now be going on. Ever since the present member for Tuapeka had been in the House this line had been his baby. He had continually pressed the importance of the line on the Government, and he was generally instrumental in inducing the Government to introduce the bill approving of this extension. Parliament had now given the authority, and he might tell them that he would never be a party to playing with the people. — ("Hear, hear.") The Authorising Act was passed with the intention of constructing the line. The next thing that would follow would be the appropriation neoeasary for something to be dene. The deputation, however, could not expect him to anticipate the Works Statement to-day. He was going through the district, and if he were to now promise an appropriation it would teke away some of the pleasure of the trip ; moreover, if there was to be any pleasure of that sort, he should like the member for the district (Mr Bennet) to share it, as the reward of steady and honest labour in the interests

of his constituents. He would take note of what had been said, and inquire for himself on the spot. There were other circumstances, too, oonnected with this matter. It was well known that a syndicate had bought Moa. Plat Estate, and they would understand that money spent in a^ given direction would improve that investment. Ho had been asked to visit and inspect, and it had been pointed out that money spent on this railway would tend to close settlement, and, they might have added, put an increased value on the estate they had bought. Ho did not think he was inclined in that direction. He believed in close settlement, and he had no doubt there was room for improvement in that respect in that part of the colony. The agitation from Southland was not unnatural, for they recognised that it would be a good thing for Invercargill if the trade from that part of Otago could bo diverted there. It was his desire generally to advance the interests of all parts of the colony, and it might be that something could be done that would help Southland without in any way taking away from Dunedin. He was not going to be made a shuttlecock between the contending parties, and by that means simply say that nothing should be done. He thought they would find that the Government was strong enough to do the right thing when necessary, and at the right time. The question of washing away firstclass land in dredging was one that must be considered. Where the land was being destroyed, and only wages received from it ? it was certainly a question whether the Government should not acquire that land and compensate the owners, and utilise the land for all time, because gold was not a recurring crop He would obtain a report from Government officers on the subject, and if the result of that report was as stated by Mr Cohen, he did say that that first-class land should be kept intact for the colony for ever. Reverting to railway matters, Mr Seddon expressed his disagreement with the proposal that the expenditure should be concentrated on a given railway, and finish that and then go on to another. He was not going to carry out that new-fangled policy. All parts of ihe colony should receive a fair amount of the expenditure. — ("Hear, hear.") . The Mayor thanked the Premier for hearing the deputation, and also for the assurances he had given them.