TUAPEKA MOUTH RAILWAY

Otago Witness, Issue 3195, 9 June 1915, Page 8

TUAPEKA MOUTH RAILWAY

DEPUTATION TO THE HON. MR

FRASER

For many year.' past the residents of Tuapeka Mourn and tno neighbouring districts nave felt the increasing need lor a railway service, and alter placing their v.iews betore prominent legislators irom time to time, have been placated by promises that the work would be undertaken. Matters have even advanced furtner tiian that, and surveys have been made and money placed on the Estimates. However, the question or alternative routes nas entered into tno matter, and on the Ist instant a largo and influential deputation, comprising residents of Tuapeka Mouth, Clydevale, Greenfield, and Blackburn waited on the Hon. Mr Fraser (Minister of Public Works) and urged that the promises of the past should be redeemed and tne. line put under construction at once. 'lhe deputation, which had the moral support of Messrs R. fecott and A. S. Malcolm, M.P.’s, was both emphatic and enthusiastic, and was sympathetically received by } the _ Mm.stcr. Mr Scott, in introducing the deputation, expressed regret at the absence of the Hon. James Allen, in whose district the line of railway would bo constructed. As the Minister was doubtless aware, this league had been in existence for a good number of years, and a certain amount of money had been placed on the Estimates. -Those present that afternoon desired to interview the Minister on certain matters connected with the prosecution of that lino. —(Applause.) Personally* he thought the request was a very reasonable one, and he would ask the Minister favourably to consider it. —(Applause.) The Minister stated at this stage that he was very pleased to meet those present, as ho always was to meet groups of country settlers. . What he wanted was intormatjon regarding the beet route, and he hoped they would give him that. —(Applause.) Tne first speaker was Mr P. MTuerney (chairman of the Tuapeka Mouth Railway League), who stated that he had occupied tnat position for the past 10 years, during the whole of which time there had been an agitation for a railway service to their district. A good number of years ago the Prime Minister of the country on the occasion of a visit to Balclutha had promised that" the line would be built. Mr Alien had said the same thing, and if the speaker .was not mistaken Mr Fraser himself had confirmed those promises. Now he would like to state that these promises would not be redeemed until the Minister had turned the first sod and set the work going.—(Loud applause.) The line should not be deviated from the present rou|p between Balclutha and Tuapeka Mouth, which was the cheapest and most convenient, and had already been surveyed. The Minister: It has been surveyed for only a few miles. In conclusion Mr MTuerney reiterated that he hoped the Minister would redeem the promise of his colleagues and sot the line going.—(Applause.) Mr J. Keenan stated that in connection with this railway a flying survey had been made by the Government engineer over three different routes, and on the one specified the Government had authorised and allocated an expenditure of £IO,OOO. They wanted to impress upon the Minister that that monev would have to-be spent on the railway between Balclutha and Tuapeka Mouth, on the north side of the river. —(Applause.) The 40 or 50 gentlemen there that afternoon had come a long way at great inconvenience, and they desired from the Minister a personal statement l>y way of redeeming the promises of the past, and indicating that he would shortly turn the first sod. —(Applause.) They would be very much disappointed in him if they did not get a decided answer, as they had been given to understand for too long that they w-ould get this railway. If the Minister received one or two petitions from people not particularly interested in the line, but who wanted to secure the increased trade or traffic that would accrue from the proposed extension, he would not be liscning to what was right and just if he were influenced by these. The districts represented by the deputation had a just grievance in the delay that had occurred, and he trusted that this grievance would not be allowed to continue.— (Applause.) Mr Overton stated that the longer the railway was delayed the more serious matters became for the settlers up the river,. Many, if not all of these were totally dependent on the boat service, and ■qne of the boats was at the bottom of the river, while the other had struck a rock, and traffic had been delayed for about a week. He believed it would be impossible for- the River Board to construct another boat.

Messrs Cameron, Hartetoull, Hyslop, and Skinner spoke in support of 'the request, and referred to ihe disabilities under which Jhe settlers a i j'-esent were labouring.

Several of those stated that there was a natural route for the railway along the Clutha Valley from Bald nth a to luapcka Mouth, and added that tips had been surveyed by the Government engineers, and promises had been made to build it along that route. The last-mentioned speaker stated that doubtless counter petitions would be presented to the Minister. Those present were not concerned with this, but only with constructing the railway along the route that had been authorised.

Mr D. T. Fleming, of Balclutha, stated that those who were most keenly interested in the lino were all in favour of the Balclutha-Tuapeka route on the north side of the river.— (Applause.) Mr Malcolm also spoke in support of the request of the deputation, and expressed regret that the matter had been _ delayed so long. Ho would not enter into Sthe question of the route, but lie thought the proper starting point was undoubtedly Balclutha. He hoped nothing would deter the Minister from prosecuting what-the speaker believed had been his intention before Parliament rose last year —namely, to. push forward the line as soon as possible. —(Applause.) The Minister, on rising to reply, was greeted with loud applause, which he stemmed by remarking that it might, be a. little premature.—(Laughter.) Continuing-, he stated that the members of the deputation had not treated him quite fairly, as speaker after speaker had assumed that he had delayed the line because, he had information from certain people that they would prefer the line to go from Crichton or somewhere else. Ho had received no such information at all, and the reports of surveys, etc., that had boon mentioned that afternoon were not the reports of his engineers. Some months ago the department’s engineers had reported on the different routes but, so far, he had nothing before him to show whether one route was better than another. So far, however, he had had no expression of opinion from the settlers of the districts concerned. The deputation had satisfied him that they wished the line to be carried out along what they believed to bo the original plan or route. — —(Applause.) They asked him at the same time to make an express statement, but it was no use doing that. All he could toll them was that on his return to Wellington he would go into the matter with Mr Allen at once, and talk it over thoroughly with him. When the railway was constructed it was intended to build a similar lino to that between Clyde and Cromwell, and one on which the rate of travelling would bo about 15 miles an hour. He intended to build more railways of that class in the future. Voices; “That will do us.”

In conclusion, _ tho Minister expressed his pleasure at having conferred with the deputation, and promised to take a full note of their wishes as to the route to be followed and tho putting of the matter in hand. —(Applause.) He could not promise, however, that he would be able to start the line himself, as it was scarcely likely that he would be able to spare the time. On behalf of the deputation Mr Scott thanked the Minister for his courtesy and’ attention to the speakers, and for what they might regard as a very satisfactory reply. —(Applause.)