OTAGO RAILWAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 26

OTAGO RAILWAYS.

.WHICH SHOULD BE SUPPORTED?

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DISCUSSION. :

At the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce on the 14th Mr J. W. Henton moved — "That this "chamber urges upon the Government the reasonable claims of the Otago provincial district, and mor« particularly the residents from Cromwell to Wanaka. and Hawea, for the speedy extension of the Otago Central railvrav, and that. the completion of the Northern Trunk railway should be followed by an adequate vote for the immediate prosecution of the work between Clyde- and Cromwell this year." He said he wae sure that if "he were well posted in all the ' details -he could expand the ■ few remarks he wa6 about to make to an inordinate • length. Such was not his intention. He had been struck with the extraordinary patience exhibited by the settlers ia, the districts affected, and also by the. people of Otago. This railway was authorised by act of Parliament in 1878, and its completion to Wanaka promised by the then Ministry of the day in 1884. Here they were in 1908, 24 years afterwards, and still it was not completed, nor seemingly likely to be unless continuous pressure was brought to bear on the Crovernment. There was no doubt that xhe completion of the line- would be of •great advantage to the Dominion as a whole, and more especially to the longCoffering settlers who took up the land under the distinct promise that the railway would be speedily built. He was present last year at the opening of the railway to Clyde, and had a vivid recollection of the strenuous deputations that ■waited on the Hon. Mr Hall-Jones urging the extension to Hawea. The gist of the reply • they got was : " Wait till the Northern Trunk line is finished, and then -we will see about tackling your trouble." They were all glad that this great work, if n.ox actually finished, was very nearly so, and every effort should be "made to induce- the Government to carry out the promises ifr bad made in conjunction -with former Ministries during the 24 weary, w?*ting years.- He asked the chairman to look at the enormous area of agricultural land that would be opened up in the Glut ha Valley and round Hawea— 4and, too, -that did not call for irrigation, but simply for facilities for getting the produce to a market. He wac informed thai the settlers were really worse-; off since the line was. opened to Alexandra Mid Clyde, inasmuch as they used to supply produce largely to thiwe centres before' the rail times." Now all

the supplies came from Dunedin way. He thought it was the duty of this chamber to do all in its power to help in this good work. He knew that the president was enthusiastic on the subject, and that he had visions of the line being finally extended to the West Coast, there linking up with the older lines. Might his vision come true ! Meantime, they would be content with what they were aiming at — the speedy extension of the Otago Central line to Hawea.

Mr P. R. Sargood seconded the motion. He had been in Central Otago, and knew something of its needs and possibilities, ctnd he had no hesitation in saying tha.t it was a country that was- crying for development. Mr Hall-Jones had said that they must wait on the completion of the Main Trunk line in the North Island. That railway was almost finished now, and it was time the Government was approached and asked to recognise trie claims of the Central Otago railway. He had been in California, and had seen something of the fruit-growing industry there. Compared with California, Otago Central was a much better country. In California he had travelled through miles and miles of fruit-growing country, where trees were flourishing and in splendid condition, and yet in that country there was no rain during eight months of the year. Dunedin people ehould take a great interest in Central Otago, for he was convinced that were the resources of that country properly exploited Dunedin would be enormously benefited. The motion was unanimously carried.

Mr R. Chisholm inquired whether the chamber was not at the same time going to bring under the notice of the Government the urgency of proceeding with the Catlins-Tahakopa railway.

The Chairman said the committee was not responsible for the motion that had been moved and carried. Mr Henton was acting purely on his own initiative. Mr Chisholm was quite at liberty to move regarding the other railway if he so desired.

Mr Chisholm said he would follow Mr Henton's good example. He proceeded to urge the great claim the Catlins district had upon the province for the exten sion of the Catlins-Tahakopa railway. There was no other district requiring a railway which was more fertile or more suitable for settlement. Everyone knew of the great resources that awaited development there. There was the timber industry^ for instance. The sources of limber supply were becoming fewer, but in this district, with a railway, there would be an almost unlimited supply of excellent timber. If the chamber were to pass a resolution dealing with railways, why could it not pass one embracing the claims of all the Otago railways — nofc Otago Central alone? As president of

the Catlins-Tahakopa League he keenly desired that the claims of that railway should be recognised, for he knew the country, and its great possibilities. No one who had seen the exhibit from the district at the late agricultural show could possibly underrate the potentialities of the country between Catlins and Waikawa. He would move — "That the attention of the Government be drawn to the necessity of prosecuting with vigour the Catlins-Tahakopa railway." He would, however, very much prefer one resolution embracing the two railways.

The Chairman did not really think that that was necessary. The first resolution did not emanate from the committee, and any member might move one.

Mr Rattray had very much pleasure in seconding the motion. He thought the Catlins railway was just as much entitled to the support and sympathy of the mercantile community as was the Otago Central line, and the resolution should be carried. ' And if they were to deal with the railways of Otago they might just as well include the Lawrence-Roxburgh line, for it would be a pity to pass resolutions dealing with only two railways. Mr Chisholm suggested that Mr Henton's motion be altered to read " the Otago railways" instead of " the Central Otago railway." Mr Henton : I am quite willing that that should be done.

Mr Sargood said that he was not favourable to the proposal. If they were to refer generally to tw_o railways or more :t: t would give the Government an opportunity of making a small grant here and another small one there, and no reasonably big grant would be made at all. It would Be more advisable to support one railway and try and get a substantial grant towards its prosecution. The Chairman said he thought that it would be best to leave Mr Henton's resolution as passed, and pass Mr Chisholm's resolution.

Mr Chisholm insisted on his proposal, and said that, to test the feeling of the meeting, he would move that " Otago railways" be substituted in the resolution passed for "Otago Central railway." The Chairman said that that resolution referred to had already been passed, and he saw no sufficient reason for its alteration.

The Hon. Thomas Fergus said that Mr Chieholm was right. He thought, however, that the Otago Central railway was an easy first so far as a claim for further extension was concerned, for the reason that it was first authorised. That was 30 years ago, and it had been on the floor of the House all that time and been provided for by successive Governments. There was no doubt that the settlers in Central Otago were entitled to coasidera-

tion first of all. He held that the line oouid be constructed from Clyde to Cromwell through the gorge for from £80,000 to £100,000 instead of £200,000 as stated in some quarters. Thence onward there were no great engineering difficulties, for there were flats and river beds available. To carry the railway on to its right terminus need not involve -the Dominion in any unnecessary borrowing. There was no doubt, too, that the settlers on the route of the Catlins-Tahakopa railway were entitled to consideration. He 'knew the difficulties under which they laboured to make a living, and there was no doubt tliat they were a God-forsaken lot of settlers down there. Their roads were of the worst kind, for they could not obtain road metal, and a railway would provide the best and cheapest means of communication they could have. It seemed they were left down there in the buj»h and cared for by nobody. Then the settlers on the proposed LawrenceRoxburgh route were equally entitled to consideration. If they put all three railways together they would find that the total cost was a mere fleubite when compared with the amount of money that had been spent on railway construction in the North Island. — ("'Hear, hear.") Those three put all together did jiot make one-tenth of the money being spent on other railways in other "parts of the Dominion. It was a gross "injustice to those settlers who had been promised railways that faith had not been kept with them. He would be glad if fhe motion could be co altered as to urtge the necessity of all three railways being prosecuted, for it would let members of the Ministry and gentlemen proposing to offer their services to the electors know exactly what Otago wanted. The Chairman : Our little difference of opinion had a good effect, for it has brought Mr Fergus to his feet with, some good suggestions.

Mr Loudon said he believed a general resolution would meet the case better, and Mr Henton then agreed to alter his motion to read — " That this chamber urges upon the Government the reasonable' claims of the Ota go,, provincial district for the speedy extension of the Otago Central, Catlins-Tahakopa, and LawrenceRoxburgh railways, and that the completion of the Northern Trunk railway should be followed by an adequate vote for the prosecution of these works." This was seconded by Mr Chisholm, and carried unanimously.

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