CATLIN'S RIVER RAILWAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2674, 14 June 1905, Page 13

CATLIN'S RIVER RAILWAY.

A deputation, consisting of Messrs J. C. Thomson, L. R. Wilson, G. Fenwick, D. M. Fea, J. B. Waters, M. Cohen, T. Mackenzie, and T, K. Sidey. M.H.R.'s, waited on the Premier yesterday afternoon, representing- the Catlin's River Railway League, and urging the claims of that railway. Mr Cohen said the league was very desirous that during the coming session a vote should be put on the Public Works Estimates sufficient to enable work on the line to be prosecuted as far as Houipapa. They ■were exceedingly anxious to see it carried on the next four miles, while quite recognising consideration received from the Government in the past. It was very desirable that, to avoid delay, plans and specifications for the bridge should be prepared and the contract let as soon ajs possible. He was justified in asking if this bridge work could not be undertaken in the oolonv-

Air T. Mackenzie emphasised that a progressive scheme of reading and settlement with a railway would be attended with most successful results in the Catlins distriot, which was a splendid poor man's country, and if the line was pushed on aoross the bridge it would be a great. help to the people there. There was room in the distriot for a large population to make a splendid living out of the timber on their land.

Mr_ Fea, speaking from a settler's point of view, said the Catlins district was_ a coming distriot, especially for the dairy industry and stock rearing, being 1 admirftbhr adapted for pasturage. At the present time it was blocked with timber, and settlers were greatly hampered by the large trees, many of them enfc down and lying tJi«re wasting. If that timber could be got to tho market settlers would be greatly benefited and the ground cleared. The great Trant in the district was the railway, and a railway as far as Tahakopa woU^d be a great boon to the settlers and should be «f good earning power for the Government. Mr inters emphasised that the Catlins

line had in the past made vory modest demands, for it was some 27 years since the line was started from Balclutha, and its extent was now about 23 miles, which meant lees than a mile a year on an average. The effect of this slow progress was that newly-formed roads connecting bush districts with the rail-head got cut up owing to the continual passage of heavy timber, and thus expenditure on the roads of the district was " considerably augmented; and in the winter months, even two or three milee from the rail-head, it was often impossible to get timber down. The line should be pushed on to really tap the heavy bush country, and the league therefore hoped that the bridge at the end of the present section would be put in hand next, for they were afraid that when format-on work reached Catlin's River there would be unavoidable delay over the bridge., vrhich meant the putting-off of the completion of the work, and the settlers were desperately in want of some means of clearing th« heavy timber from their sections. At »ie sent Dunedin itself was hampered in getting timber sometimes, and timber had to be got from Southland, when as good or better timber might be got from Catlins. The Premier said the position was nothing extraordinary or unknown. Petitions were constantly being made for extensions to lines, and against that there was the new policy of concentration, under which certain lines were to be selected on which the money was to be spent, and the requirements of the Catlins and other districts Tvere to stand over. In the selection of the special lines to be carried on, to ensure strict impartiality, three men from the North Island were to settle on the railways to be prosecuted in the South I I&la-nd, and three men from the South Island to settle on those for the North Island. If he were to suggest to them that the question of the extension of the Catlins line be left till these three North Island men came down to decide whether it should be included or not, he supposed they would not view the suggestion with any particular favour. For his part, he told them straight he was not a believer in that policy. — ("Hear, hear.") He was not going to starve one part of the oolony while other narts got extravagant expenditure on public works or anything else. Each paxt of the country should have its fair share_ of the Dublie expenditure, especially seeing that the amount spent last year on public works came out of revenue subscribed by every part of the colony, and it seemed to him an unreasonable proposal to extend railways in one district while in another settlers might starve. He was sorry that in many districts the settlers had destroyed timber that could never be brought back, to the colony's disadvantage, and to burn timber as it had been burned in the past was almost a crime. As for the Catlins district, a railway should be made to get that timber out, but he could not at that stage indicate what the Public Works Statement would be in respect to railways, except to speak in broad and general terms. When he was last in the district completion to a certain stage was asked for, and that had been done. That further extension should iake nlace was, in bis opinion, reasonable. The -deputation's representations would be submitted to the Minister of Public Works when expenditure for railways was discussed and fixed and what had been said would, he hoped, weigh with the Minister in forminsr his conclusion. This year the Government had decided to increase tho railway expenditure, and there was a pressing neoessitv for this. Another term might be applied to this decision, as he saw there was a ieering and a sneering going on, because they were this year going to increase I the amount for roads," bridges, and railways. I His reason for this increase was that at ' ihe end of last year they found the Public Works Fund made £890 000 available, as a-eainst £350 000 for the previous year. With more money available, it was only reasonable that there should be extended and roads expenditure. As a good deal of "this money came from revenue the (rovernment should adopt what he considered the more sensible policy of spreading that expenditure over as large a surface as would meet the more immediate requirements* of the different localities. That was the policy of the Government, and common sense told him people must live and settlement go on in all parts, and the settlers (such .is those in Catlins), who were not given a fair chance to clear their lands or given an outlet for their produce, having bad roads and ijo railways had a miserable existence. — ("Hear, hear.") Itwas wrong to put settlers down there and Veep them in that condition. Main Trunk railways were rerv good in their way, but the best thing he believed, as far as the colony wa.q concerned, was to promote -settlement and give settlers reasonable facilities. That was what he believed, and that was his reply to them.

Havine thanked the Premier, the deputation withdrew.