The Otago Central Railway. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 88

The Otago Central Railway. TO THE EDITOR.

Sik, — It is probably due to my friends of the Upper Clutha that r-should briefly reply to their regret at the opinion I have expressed with respect to the further prosecution of the Otaso Central railway. The criticism of my views on this subject, as expressed by your Cromwell correspondent in this morning's ■'issue of the Times, are, I think, founded on an entire misconception of my opinion. I desire as earnestly as anyone to see the line continued to its authorised terminal point, and I believe tho far-away residents of die Wanaka and Hawea districts will yet come to acknowledge that I have taken a sound view, in company with many other undoubted eupportecs of the line, as to the best means of accomplishing that end. I have never ceased to take an active interest in the railway and the district it is yet to traverse, as well as that through which it has so far passed, for, as your correspondent justly say?, the firm of which I was then a partner was tho founder of the local newspaper in. Cromwell nearly 37 years since, and the whole of the country in the neighbourhood of that town and the valley of the Upper Clutha to Wana&a became familiar to me, and the disabilities from which its residents suffer still evoke an earnest desire on my part for their removal. While this is so, the fact has not prevented me taking a share in the effort the Catlin's River League has for some j r ea.rs made to press on the notice of the Government the urgent claims of the Catlins settlers for railway communication. There is a comparatively short piece of line to make, and communication will then reach a point which will erive relief to struggling settlers, and open up a great area of splendid forest for industrial purI poses. My- opinion is that, so far as rail- ! way works in this provincial district are concerned, the Catlins line must have first I consideration, aud that simultaneously an \ adequate expenditure must take place on the Lawrence-Roxburgh line if the trade of tho great fruit-growing and agricultural lands of that district is to be preserved to its natural outlet. ' Wnat I understand to be the. fear of | the Cromwell-Wanaka-Hawea residents is that if a temporary stoppage of the Otago Central line takes place it is quite impos- j sible to say when work will be again resumed. I do not believe there is any J fear of a long stoppage of work on the , Otago Central line. The Minister of Publio j Works has definitely and expressly said that the stoppage a-t Clyde is purely temporary. This was in reply to a question put to him by one of the members for i the city. The position, shortly, appears in { my judgment to be that there is every probability of a vote being obtained for the Catlins line that will take it to Taliakopa Valley in two veais' time. That point being gained it will be the druty of every Otago member of Parliament and of every citizen of Dunedin and every resident of the centra! part of the province to work strenuously for a large vote for the continuance of the Otago Central line. The result should not be in the lea^t in doubt, and, so far as the construction of the lir.e even as far a* Cromwell is concerned, there should be no greater dc!av than if a small vote were obtained for it for the next two or three years, with the unhappy result that the Catlins and Lawrence-Rox-burgh lines would ha\e to be content with small allocations and miserably slow propress, ruinous to a further batch of Strug- , glinsr settlers in the Catlins district and a po c sible diversion of the Teviot traffic from its natural outlet. T am not shaken in the least in my belief that tlio corrse of action I have taken is j as -.uroly fn the interests of the Otago Central line as it is in that "of the other lines I ha\p referred to. — I am, etcJune 19. Geoege Fen~WICK.

A letter addressed "Chapman. Esquire, Magistrate, New Zo.iland," has been, delivered to Mr Justice Chapman. It bears the postmark of the Federated Malay States. The letter is wholly in some native language of Southern Asia, and is apparently writtpn in Arabic characters. The judge will be very i*lad to hear of someone "who can translate it. and to thi^ end has left it at ihc AuckUnd Herald | Office for a few liajs.

The polioe in Sydney have adopted the , expedient of stationing constables autsid« • the doors of premises where gembling is' supposed to be carried en, the 'officers ' having instructions to take the names of all persons entering. It is hoped by these means to prevent the places proving such . a strong attraction ; but the scheme is not * devoid of difficulties. A majority of the ' names supplied are those of pugilists of more or less prominence, the name of one coloured exponent of the " noble art " having been given in over a score of instances. On a recent night, according to the list secured at one place, several members of the Federal Cabinet were inside , the building.