THE NEEDS OF CENTRAL OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 17

THE NEEDS OF CENTRAL OTAGO.

Mr A. Moritzson has forwarded us the following extract from a letter he has received from Mr J. E. Men/ies, engineer for Vincent County Council, Clyde:— "There can be no doubt whatever* that if the railway were put through to Hawea — of even to Queensberry or Luggate—the area now under cultivation would be greatly increased, because then it would be profitable to cultivate poorer land than at present. (This was dealt with by Mr P. M'Carthy at Hawea Flat). Also, as a matter of course, closer settlement would follow the railway, and closer settlement is what is needed most in Central Otago, but this can only he brought about by a vigorous prosecution of the railway, combined with irrigation. "Before we can have any great increase in our population a comprehensive irrigation schomo must be in full working order. Irrigation in my opinion is the first question to be settled, or perhaps it would be better to say that railway progression and the carrying out of an irrigation scheme or schemes should proceed simultaneously so that when the railway was through to Cromwell, or Pisa for example, tho orchards or irrigated areas would be in full bearing, and tho railway would get a maximum freight when first opened. But as you are aware, railway construction in thia country is so slow and expensive, that I am afraid 1 that people will not settle on the land further up until thev see tho line completed, or practically so. They cannot be induced to take u/p land on promises again.

My own opinion is that fcho rich flats—suoh ait Hawea, Tarras, Luggato, Pisa, Cromwell, Dunstan, Earnscl-eught, and Galloway—are capable of producing per aero (if Irrb gated) just as much as any other portion of the Dominion can do. The hill country is fit for sheep alone, and can never be iiif.de suitable for anything else. " Regarding- the Lawrence-Roxburgh line, I hold that the wrong route was taken, but that is only a matter of opinion, and, since the work has been commenced', the only romedy is to carry the line to a paying point without delay. Railways are always a great factor in assisting to open up any country, and I do not consider _ that their main object should be to pay interest on. the cost of construction. This interest is paid indirectly in several ways even if the revenue of the line does not do so at once."