ROXBURGH RAILWAY OPENED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3867, 24 April 1928, Page 16

ROXBURGH RAILWAY OPENED.

CROWDS ATTEND FUNCTIONS.

THE CEREMONIAL INAUGURATION.

A PROJECT REALISED. LONG YEARS OF EFFORf. “ That a line of railway be surveyed and made from Lawrence to Clyde, and that this resolution be forwarded to the General Government,” was the wording of a motion moved by Mr T. L. Shepherd (Dunstan), and seconded by Mr Horace Bastings (Tuapeka) at a sitting of the Otago Provincial Council as far back as June 14, 1871. It formed the first official suggestion of a railway line between Lawrence and Roxburgh. The single word “ negatived,” which followed the record of the motion in the proceedings of the council showed how little consideration the proposal received at that time. But there the matter was not allowed to rest, and little more than a year later efforts to se ure the construction of the line were renewed. On July 10, 1873, Mr James Hazlett (The Lakes) moved the following motion, which was carried—“ That a Select Committee consisting of Messrs Bastings, Davie, Hallenstein, Ireland, M'Kellar, J. C. Brown, and the mover be appointed to report as to the advisability of, with the least possible delay, extending ihe railway from Tuapeka or Tapanui to Roxburgh, Alexandra, Clyde, and Cromwell, the committee to have power to call for persons and papers.” Ten days later Mr Hazlett, as chairman of the committee, presented his report. According to the census of 1871, the report stated, the population of the districts more or less directly interested in the exte«ssoYi was 12,386, or, if Tuapeka were included, 16,670. The quantity of goods which went beyond Lawrence was 12,000 tons, and 3000 tons came to Dunedin from the districts which would be linked together by the railway. The three main sources of revenue would be as follows:—

VISITORS FROM ALL PARTS

Photographs in This Issue.

12,000 tons say at £3 per ton (present average rate, £5) £36,006 3000 tons say at £3 per ton (present average rate, £5) .. £9OOO 30 passengers per day at £1 10s each—return £3, 312 days (present average rate, £3 10s) £28,080 Total £73,080 The road from Lawrence to Cromwell is in a great measure impassable. For female passengers it is totally impracticable,” the report stated. “ The time occupied by passengers in travelling from Cromwell to Dunedin, or vice versa, even in the summer season, cannot be estimated at less than three days. In view of the circumstances connected with the proposed extension of/the Tuapeka railway as brought under the notice of your committee by witnesses examined, and the personal knowledge of several members, your committee has to recommend very strongly the construction of a light line of railway from Tuapeka to Cromwell. Y’our committee :.t the same time desires very strongly to recommend that its extension as far as Roxburgh be proceeded with concurrently with the progress of the present contracts on the TokomairiroTuapeka line so as to save th< enormous expenditure which would be required to put the road for that distance in pass able condition for traffic.” The recommendations of the committee were agi'eed to, and it was decided that the proposed line should be known as the Otago Central railway. I Apart from an occasional question in the council nothing definite was heard of the line until a year later when the council decided that in the event of a loan being sanctioned the Government be given permission to call for tenders for the construction of the railway. That the members were in earnest in their desire to see the line constructed is shown by the fact that it was decided to ask that, if the loan wer e not sanctioned, private enterprises ” willing to risk their own capital ” be invited to proceed • with the undertaking. 1 •• It was decided in the House of Representatives by a margin of only one vote, however, not to undertake the: construction of the railway. Through the passing of the years the settlers of the district between Lawrence and Roxburgh remained hopeful of at length seeing their desires for- a railway consummated, but beyond a trial survey of the proposed route in 1886 by Mr James Marchbanlis no definite steps were taken. It was not until December 1, 1905—nearly 30 years after Parliament had failed to agree to the project—that the first sod was turned by the Prime Minister (Mr R. J. Seddon).on the construction of the Lawrence-Roxburgh line as far as Beaumont.

GATHERING AT STATION.

THE MINISTERIAL ADDRESS.

. Mr Seddon, in his address to a large assemblage, said that another step would be taken beyond Beaumont, and he had no doubt that Parliament would agree to the extension. The work .they were now starting would .be pushed on expeditiously, and the .appropriations passed bv Parliament would be expended sp that the people of Roxburgh and up the river would at last see daylight. He would.-advise these people: to go on ..their orchards and preparing their lands for what was coming, because tire altered condition of

things might really be considered an accomplished fact. When the slowly extending line from Lawrence had reached Beaumont it became evident that a pause was to be made in further construction. The advent of the motor lorry had brought the fruit area within reasonable distance of the railhead, and Parliament decided that road transport could easily cope with the remaining distances. For several years this state of affairs continued, and the lumbering, top-heavy fruit lorries were well known on the stretch of road from the Teviot to Beaumont bridge. But the fruitgrowers and the fruit purchasers were far from satisfied, as tne jojting of the heavy lorries over the rough country roads ruined the appearance of the fruit by the time it had reached the market, and the length of time required for road transport was a serious handicap. For these reasons the ■agitation began for an extension of the railway, and after strenuous efforts by the interested bodies, headed by the Roxburgh Railway Extension League, and later by the Otago Expansion League, who were ably supported by the members of Parliament for the * district, the Public Works Depart* ment began to extend the line yet a further span towards it s goal. The second stopping place was at Miller’s Flat, in the middle of the Teviot Valley. To numberous settlers it was a great im- , provement. It resulted in shorter road transit and less jolting. But still the hearts of the Roxburgh people were set on having the locomotive in their midst, and the same process of agitation which had brought the line nearer step by step through the passing years was reverted to Finally they gained the object for which they had striven. A MEMORABLE DAY.

Roxburgh was favoured with perfect weather for its gala day on Thursday, and as • a result many hundreds of visitors from all parts of Central Otago were present at the station to see the tape broken. The special train which left Dunedin at 7 • a.m. carried 250 passengers from the city, and before it left Beaumont its freight numbered 500. The Minister of Defence (Mr r. J. Rolleston). who performed the ceremony, had a Ministerial car on the train. On arrival at Roxburgh the official party was greeted by one of the largest crowds ever seen in that town. Railway yards, adjacent buildings, and engines on the siding were covered with multi-coloured bunting, and loud cheers greeted the appearance of the Minister who was met and formally welcomed to the town by Mr John Bennetts. The actual ceremony which took place occupied only a very few minutes. -X tape hehl across the line by Mrs F. Laloli and Mrs John Bennetts was snapped by the engine as it steamed past the new station whistling noisily and followed by the applause of the crowd. .in adjournment was then made to the goods shed, where the official ceremony was held. The day’s programme was not entirely composed of serious speech-making and ceremonial. The recreation ground during the da v presented a bizarre appearance, Being titled with the young people of Roxburgh clad in all sorts of fancy dress Lne picnic held in the grounds proved a gieat success and was attended by several hundred visitors. Not the least interest-. ing item of the day was the fancy-dress procession led b v the Roxburgh Silver Band which enlivened proceedings with periodical outbursts of music. Earlier in the day before the arrival of. the Dunedin train, Mr John Bennetts was honoured by his fellow settlers in a unique fashion. A tablet in commemoration of his tireless work and quenchless zeal in public life had been erected on the rock bank at the approach to the bridge over the Molyneux River on the road which bears his name. This monument to his public spiritedness wns unveiled before a large attendance •by Mr W. Cameron (chairman of the Tua.neka County Council).. In the evening at the social function held in the public hall, Mr Bennetts was again singled out for recognition. This time he was presented with a' valuable gold watch »nd chain by the Roxburgh Railway League, which body also recognised the services of its secretary by presenting him with a fountain pen.

The Ministerial party was accommodated on the goods platform, and the various speakers addressed an audience in the roadway outside. Among those on the platform with the Minister were Sir James Allen. Sir George Fenwick, Mr J. Horn. M.P., Mr R. Scott, M.L.C.. Mr James Taylor, Mr H. P. West, Mr E. A. Rosevear, Mr G. Crow, Mr H. C. Campbell, Mr F. Moritzson. Mr J. S. Douglas, Mr F. Laloli, Mr A. H. Allan, Mr S. B. Macdonald. Mr John Bennetts occupied the chair. Apologies were received from the Prime Ministe (Mr J. G. Coates), Mr W. Downie Stewart (Minister, of Finance), Sir Qharles Statham, Messrs J. M. Dickson. M.P., T. K. Sidey, M.P., 11. L. Tapley, M.P.. John Edie, F. W. Furkert (Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department), W. B. Taverner (Mayor of Dunedin), P. R. Sargood (president of the Otago Expansion League), W. B. Steel

(secretary of the league), L. M. Potter (Mayor of Milton), C. M. Benzbni, and A. J. Manuel.

Mr’Rolleston, who was greeted with prolonged cheering, said that it was his first visit to Central Otago. It was, in fact, the first occasion on which he had left the main line to make a visit to any of the disriets served .By the various branch lines in Otago. It bad been a great pleasure for him to come',“however, and he had been greatly impressed by the country he had passed through, and he could assure them that he would' take away with him the happies* recollections of his visit. He was proud to be representing the’Goverument on such a‘n-important occasion. He understood that it was 50 years since the idea was first mooted, and 23 years since the line had commenced to creep west from'Lawrence. It had taken a long time, but he thought they could congratulate those who had done the work, and the engineers in particular, on their efforts. The master mind in this connection had been Mr C. P. Robinson, the engineer-in-eharge who had directed the completion. It was 23 long years—m 1905 to be precise—since the first sod had been turned. The extension to Big Hill was completed in 1910, and four years later the line reached Beaumont. Miller’s Flat had been linked up in 1925, and slowly, but surely, the work had been pushed on until how it had been finished. The progress li'nd been slow btft sure, but all things came to those who waited, and although it was. late in the day, the Government's promise had at last been redeemed. He would like to draw their attention for a moment to the question of cost. The Lawrence-Roxburgh railway had been constructed at a cost- of £550,000, of which sum £134.000 had been devoted to the Miller’s Fiat-Roxburgh seetor. These figures represented an initial cost of £15,000 per mile, so they could see that railways were not cheap things to construct, and he would like to add that they were far from cheap to run. Still, in its railway policy the Government had to concern itself with other considerations besides those of cost. It had to consider the convenience of the • people and the opening, up and. development of the country—objects which he was sure the Roxburgh railway would accomplish. They had only to look back 50 years to realise all that efficient and cheap transport meant to a district-. And'mention of those early days, said Mr Rolleston, recalled those men and women of stout hearts and

strong hands who were not deterred or disheartened by the fact that there were no cars or trains. They pushed out into all parts of the country to make themselves homes, determined to overcome all obstacles. One of these was their chairman (Mr John Bennetts),' who had worked so tirelessly and assiduously tor the railway. New Zealand owed a great debt of gratitude to those pioneers who had laid the foundations of the Dominion, and he was pleased to see many of them that day. Mr Rolleston went on to refer to the productivity of the district, which he understood was one of the best in Otago. In place of the rough country, once overrun by '.rabbits, it was now a smiling land, producing the best fruit in New Zealand, and with sheep and wool equal to any in the Dominion. He hoped that now that they had the railway they would use it - to transport all that produce to their markets; If they looked up the figures they would find that the line was costing ’ the New Zealand taxpayer £30,000 per year, and tne annual loss on the actual working expenses was about £7OOO. He appealed to his hearers to do their utmost to improve that state of affairs and reduce the public indebtedness in this respect. They could' do this by using the line for both goods-and passenger traffic, though it could not be expected that any great imfnediatc improvement would result. He pointed out that he was not complaining about the Lawrence section not paying, because other benefits that were derived compensated for the loss to some extent. Traffic and receipts on the line had been stationary of late. If the district’s production increased and the traffic figures remained stationary, it could only be assumed that the producers were not supporting the railways. With direct comtnuirtcation with the main line and their various markets, they would soon realise the value of the extension, and thatshould provide an urge for them loyally to stand by the railways and thus assist in the reduction of the public burden. ■ In conclusion, the Minister mentioned the recently-celebrated jubilee of Roxburgh High School. That had been an important.'occasion in the district,-- and now they were commemorating another. He suggested that they should mt both go down in history as important milestones iii. the ’ progress, of the, cplnmuiiity. The years hail brought prosperity to Roxburgh,' and; he sincerely hoped that the next 50 years would bring the same good

fortune that the past half-eentury had brought. He thanked them for the welcome they had given him to Roxbrugh, and formally declared the line open.— (Applause.)

Mr Bennetts began by pointing out to his audience that they were celebrating a most auspicious occasion. They had looked forward to that day for many weary years. He, himself had been associated with the Roxburgh Railway League for 42 years this month. He had always looked upon, the project as a worthy one, and for that reason he had not expected to have to wait so long. But now their worrying and heartburning were over, all forgotten m this, the consummation of longfcherished hones. The speaker traced the chequered career of the league and its work from the earliest' times when Mr Janies Hazlett first mooted the idea in the Provincial Council in 1873. The move made then nrovexl unsuccessful, and since that time a great many disappointments had been cxnerienced, and many had thoucht that the Tiiit-nv had been far too long He was not one of the first to take up the cudgels ■>n behalf’ of the railway. Many of those earliest workers had not lived to see the completion of _ Ihe work, in spite of the ■ssu’-ance roroived from the late Mr B>-J. Sodden- in 1905 that, the work would : n hand - fhat statesman’s death following year, he felt sure, was responsible for n c-roat deal of their waiting. At the rime he. had told the deputation, which by the way. consisted of the late Mr H. Veale. the late Mr J Craig and Messrs \V Kinaston. J. H Weight, sen., and the speaker, .to ro home and plant their trees

nd bring in other settlers. They would get their ra’lwav. The trees were planted and others came on to the land. The nrospects were good, but the line did not copie. and many a settler watched his trees grow old with himself, and tb-vr friends give in to -disappointment . They were bard days then Growers had to cart -heir frir’t 40 Io 60 m : lcs to th- railhead, nild they d’d it for 25 years It was a ■edicn-s .and wearisome ionrnev of 14 hours ihat- had ( o be undertaken every now and ‘bon. They were more than glad to see 'hot <=orr of toil goino- by tpo 'boa”d But the most saddening part of the old thing w.is- that so many of fho=e who d’d the -...p; irovk eonld not. ’ivo to See success. Still-the voting people of to-diivWould reap „ p.v.ro-i’. I’o-1 .OV-T-“It was' no idle request we made to the Government.” said,Mr Bennetts. “Roxburgh deserves, -arid': always did deserve, ,•»

railw-’iiy'communication. It is the hub of Central Otago, with the most tre-

mendous potentialities, and the early battlers struggled hard to acquaint the Government with, and convince it of, the validity of Roxburgh’s claims. We have the produce of half a million acres to transport. Yields are good now, and will be a lot better yet. We have large agricultural and pastoral areas which are now closely settled, and these we have always used as a bait to tempt the Government to move. . There, is here a splendid irrigation project -which is increasing production manifold, and we grow fruit than which there is no better in New Zealand.”

Speaking of his early connection with the struggling little band of settlers who began the railway movement, Mr Bennetts referred to the Coal Creek School Committee of 1886, on which he had served. Its functions were not purely academic. From its deliberations was born the Roxburgh Railway League, and it was 10 years later that the first deputation went to Wellington. The personnel was the late Mr M. E. Manuel, the late Mr J. Tamblyn, Messrs Al. Tamblyn, A. Lorie, and himself. And deputations had followed in a steady stream ever since, the last being in 1925. Great disappointment was felt when the Roxburgh Railway Bill was rejected by the House of Representatives by. one vote, and it was then they turned their eyes towards Heriot, with the idea of getting a line put through Moa Flat estate to Roxburgh. Trial surveys were made of two routes—Moa Flat and Rae’s Junction—but little was done. True, the line was extended as far as Edievale, but their hopes were again dashed to the ground. Various routes were debated, but it took a Parliamentary Railway Committee to open their eyes to the fact that in pushing the Heriot route they.were butting their heads up against a brick wall.. It was then that they had decided to simply urge the Government to do something, leaving the departmental engineers to choose their own site. Still, he would like to remind those Edievale settlers present that they owed their railway to Roxburgh. No one connected with the movement, said tho speaker, would ever forget what was known at the time as “the battle of the routes.’’ Dunedin and Invercargill fought hard for the connection with Roxburgh. Personally, he was convinced that the deciding factor in the debate was the fighting speech made by the late Mr Mark Cohen. It was the finest thins he had ever heard, and there was no doubt that it swayed the meeting, which almost unanimottslv decided in favour of the route through Lawrence to Dunedin. That a -wise decision had been made was demonstrated that day. Difficulty was experienced again when the Big Hili tunnel was half pierced, but eventually in October, 1914. Beaumont was reached, and in July of 1921 a further start was made, but Miller’s Flat was not linked up until 1925, after a second authorisation had been passed bv Parliament.

Among those on the platform that day who had rendered valuable assistance to the movement were Sir James Allen. Sir George Fenwick. Mr R. Scott, M.L.C., and Mr J Horn, M.P. Other notable names in connection with the work were Messrs A. Birch, John and Joseph Tamblyn. M. E. Manuel, T. P. Michelle, R. Bennetts, W. Toms, J. Moody, J. -Harris, J. Inglis, J. H. Waigth. sen., R. Glendining, H. Dunne. S Matthews, and J. Craig. Prime Ministers concerned were Mr R. J. Seddon, Sir, Joseph Ward, Mr W. F. Massey, and Mr J. G. Coates. The Ministers of Public Works were Sir William Hall-Jones. Sir William Fraser, Air Roderick M'Kenzie. and Air, Coates. Parliamentary representatives were the late Mr James Bennetts, and Messrs R. Scott and J. Horn. The principal engineers engaged on the work had been Messrs A. Usher. F W. Furkerf.. and J. R. Marks. bodies that had helped were the Teviot Fruitgrowers* Association, the Co-operative Fruitgrowers’ of Otago, the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation. Tuapeka County Council. Otago Expansion League, and the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.

“ In conclusion.” said Air Bennetts, “ let me say that the Roxburgh Railway League now presents, the citizens of Roxburgh and the surrounding districts with this great public facility, and we trust that every settler will avail himself to the utmost of the service that the railway supplies. Those who have worked hardest for the extension feel now that a great burden has fallen from their shoulders after 42 years. For myself, the relief is very great, but what is greater is the thought that, after 42 years, the victory has been won, in snite of opposition and great difficulties. Personally, I will now die happy, having seen one of my greatest hopes realised—the Roxburgh railway completed.— (Applause.) MR J. HORN, AI.PP.

Air James Horn, M.P.„.for the district, said he was more than pleased to be able to be present and rejoice with the people of Roxburgh. It had been his good fortune to be associated with the work, so he knew something of the difficulties and obstacles the. Roxburgh settlers had had to surmount. In 1919, when - electioneering for the Wakatipu seat, he had pledged himself to work for the Roxburgh railway.'extension, and froom that till 1921 be put through hundreds of telegrams, letters,' and petitions to the Government. But- it was all in vain until, in 1921, he persuaded Air Coates to visit CentralOtago for the first time. Air Coates inspected the district for. himself, and acquainted himself with the position as he found it, realising what a boon the completion of the line would be to the district. It was about this, time that distressed workers and unemployment provided him" (the speaker) with his opportunity. He then suggested to the Prime Alinister that if the Government could see its way to raise any relief money for the alleviation of the workers it should be devoted to a fresh start on the line. Relief labour was put on, and a parliamentary authorisation followed during the next session, and since that time they had never looked back. The line to Aliller’s Flat was unique in that so much of the work was - carried out by relief labour. And now, seven years later, the Roxburgh ex tension • was being opened. The line, he considered, was one of the best and fastest built «n New Zealand, and it. was not nearly the dearest. The district owed its railway, to Mr Coates, because he had quickly realised the handicap they .were suffering and the tremendous potentialities of the district His far-seeing policy had given them what they had laboured for -years

to obtain. One of the greatest benefits the line would confer on the community was in respect to the carriage of fruit, and he hoped they would see that the new venture received every support. In connection with the consideration of the cost of the line, Mr Horn emphasised the fact that the Government had created an asset which was likely to bring in a substantial return in ’ the years to - come. Over 75 per cent, of the land between Beaumont and Roxburgh, he said, belonged to the Crown, and by constructing the railway the Government had increased its value considerably. ~ When the returns from inflated land values were set against the total cost it would be found that the Roxburgh railway had not been such an expensive undertaking. In conclusion he wished the Roxburgh district and the new railway every success, and ! thanked the chairman for the opportunity of speaking. He also referred to the work done by Mr Bennetts, and reminded the gathering of the great debt the community owed to him. AIAYOR OF ROXBURGH. The next speaker was Air F. Laloli (Mayor of Roxburgh), w-ho said they were that day -'celebrating'' the greatest event in the history of Roxburgh. The completion of the extension spelt progress for the town and the filling of a long-felt want in the district. For 23 years the community had waited and hoped for this day, and now that it had arrived they could thank Air Coates. His policy of completing 7 all the lines in hand to give them an opportunity to pay their way was largely responsible for the completion of the Miller’i Fiat-Roxburgh line. Others to whom thanks were due were Air J. Horn, the Otago Expansion League, the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and, lastly, the Railway League, ami particularly its chairman, Air Bennetts. Referring to the question of whether the line would pay, Air Laloli said it had a good chance, of doing so, and the people could make it pay if they wanted to. They should see that produce going out went by rail, and they should also make a point of purchasing only those goods brought in by rail. Roxburgh, he said, had now passed the transition stage, and was rapidly developing into a fertile and closely-settled region, with splendid yields of more than one class of produce, and the community was now in such a position that by co-opera-tion it could make the line pay. However, should it be unprofitable, they should not lose sight of a wider aspect than actual £ s. d. Its construction must inevitably tend to stimulate even closer settlement and higher production. Roxburgh, he felt sure, was destined to become the garden of Otago, and now that they had their railway the rest of Otago could watch it grow. SIR JAAIES ALLEN. Sir James Allen struck 'a note of exhortation when he stressed the fact that the district now owed it to the’Government, the railway itself, and all those who had worked for the extension, to concentrate on still closer ~ development and complete exploitation..of.the primary industries within its bounds. Let the secondary industries expand as they could, ; the thing Roxburgh and settlers generally had to concern themselves with was the fullest use of the resources of the district. He would conclude by wishing the railway every success. SIR GEORGE FENWICK. Sir George Fenwick, when called upon to speak, pleaded a badly, relaxed throat, which had not been improved by the chilly breezes off the hills. Still, he was glad to be able to say a few words, since from the beginning of the project he had always been heart and soul in it. It had been a pleasure to be .associated with their chairman in this work, as he had been. As an - active member of the Railway League and the Expansion League he had done all lie could to- assist the energydisplayed by Air Bennetts. Roxburgh owed it all to him, since for 42 years it' had been one of the main objects of hislife to bring the railway to Roxburgh. No man in New Zealand was more deserving of the hearty thanks of the people ■ than Air Bennetts. He felt he must. make some reference to his very esteemed friend, the late Air Alark Cohen, and his fighting speech, which Air Bennetts had described as the finest he had ever heard. It had certainly been a great effort, and they were indebted in 'no small degree to Air Cohen for the realisation of their hopes. He concluded by-.expressing his pleasure at being present, and being once more associated with Air Bennetts in celebrating the fruition of his efforts. AIR J. S. DOUGLAS. The Dunedin City Council was represented by All- J. S. Douglas (Deputy Alayor), who anologised for the absence of the Alayor (Air W. B. Taverner). On behalf of the city he congratulated Roxburgh, and also Air Bennetts, on what he had -.accomplished. He said he would like,,to assure his hearers;that there was a very real sympathy in the city for the primary producers, and he could assure them that Dunedin was as gnxious for the success of Jhe railway as they were themselves. . OTAGO EXPANSION LEAGUE.

Air S. B. Alacdonald offered felicitations on behalf of the Otago Expansion League. He referred in glowing terms to the work done'.by Mr Bennetts, and.suggested that the finest reward they could offer him for his.services was to make full use of the railway. It had been said that the line would not pay for axle grease, but he felt sure that a patriotic community like'Roxburgh would see to it that the line was not run at a loss. He referred briefly to the other two railway construction schemes for which the league wae working in the South Island—the CromwellLuggate extension and the Blenheim-Bluu Alain Trunk. When these were accomplished facts the prosperity of this island would be assured. He urged them to give what support they could to the Expansion League, and the local members of Parliament in their efforts in this direction. CHAMBER OF COAIAIERCE.

Air James Taylor,, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and the business community of Dunedin, said he would like to add his congratulations to the people of Roxburgh and district on the official opening of the railway. The people of Dunedin rejoiced with them in the completion of this long-cherished project. They

had come up in numbeis to tell them so. There was a feeling current in the country that townspeople were not interested in the welfare of the country, and he woulu like to give that an emphatic denial In town they were deeply interested in the country welfare, if only for motives of self-interest. A bountiful harvest in the country was shared in the town. Now that they had got the railway to Roxburgh it was up to them to make the railway pay—the more produce they could rail -down to Dunedin the more foods the Dunedin merchants and manaacturers could rail up to them. This would keep the railway busy and so prevent. critics of this section of the railway saying it would never pay. The Government, he said, was doing all in its power to help the man on the land—with fruit experts, dairy experts, and farm experts. D-e hoped that, yields in fruit and farm and dairy produce would keep on increasing year by year. By paying more attention to the quality of their stcck, and by manuring and top-dressing their lands, Y? 1 ? bound to increase their yields, and this would mean more business for w . a^'r,^'’ er - v man, woman, and child m the Dominion was a shareholder in New Zealand. Railways, Limited,” and all must do their utmost to make the railways pay Nature had been very bountiful to Roxburgh. She had given it a climate second to none in New Zealand—a record for sunshine that was hard to beat, a bountiful supply of water at their very doors, and a fairly mild winter with just sufficient frost to rest their j lout ,4 oln £ them any harm. In addition to this, they were within 100 o* , . e A ° f One tr of ? he . fines t cities in the {southern Hemisphere—Dunedin—their natural market and outport. All they needed to do now was to attract more ents and tourists to the district to make it the gem of Central Otago.

AIR R. SCOTT, M.L.C. Air R. Scott, after congratulating Air Bennetts and the district, referred to th e doubts expressed as to the line paying it! outlet Ilo ngfit it would do so from the dnr/*' f T le had attained a stanproLb'eS?™ ll, ~U“ m '“ t MR H. P. WEST.

P- West (secretary of the Dunlber ° f Conu “® rce . and late dison rdf bc manager) spoke at some length ™ tha j h ® cu J tles the Railways Department had to face. 110 put in a plea for Is » a tn l | JniStr fT lOn r whicil he sa ‘d did not, as a rule suffer from a surfeit of appreciation. They would find if they railways a fair trial that they cluld ge? every bit .as square a deal from the department as any offering by the opposiVOTE OF THANKS. ,Cfi a * rinan then proposed a hearty bote of thanks to the Minister, the Public Works and Railways’ staffs and the tH^ k frn’ m al n ai u- tho ? e who had made the bration Dunedin to assist in the ceieOFFICIAL LUNCHEON. GATHERING AT COMMERCIAL HOTEL. After the ceremony at the railway station the visitors and officials adjourned to Blanchards Commercial Hotel, where the official luncheon was held„ about 100 guests attending. Mr John Bennetts again presided. The toast list was headed by the loval toast, proposed by the chairman. This was followed by the Parliament of New Zealand, proposed by Air J. g. Douglas who, in the course of a short speech, made eulogistic reference to the services rendered in the House of Representatives byMr Rolleston and Sir James Allen. Mr Rolleston. in reply, said Parliament was a much maligned and criticised institution, ■but ,nevertheless the country did not seem to be able to do without it. He appealed to/his hearers to extend a little encouragement .and sympathy to all those engaged in public life. He could assure them it was .always appreciated. Air Horn also responded. Mr Rolleston, in' proposing the toast of ■the Roxburgh railway, said the success of the lino depended upon two things—the production of the ,'district and fhe support .settlers were prepared to afford the railways. Some speakers in the morning had been optimistic enough to say that there would be no loss oii.the new line.’ Though he hoped so, he was forced to admit that things did not look hopeful. Last season .’4089 tons of fruit iv’ere carried on the railways from this district. The total to dam this year was 4244“t0n5, a very slight in■vrease in his opinion, when the improved season was taken jnto account. He urged his hearers to give, the railways a chance to prove their value, and to work off some of the debits that had accrued as a result of unprofitable running. The future of the line rested entifelv upon the producers. The Railways Department could give the best of service at a cheap rate and it was up to the settlers to see that in a few years- the annual loss should have disappeared altogether. Sir James AllenJ. in responding tb the toast, said that there could be no one in New Zealand, interested in the country's welfare, who would not wish the railway every, success. Sir George Fenwick also, in reply, spoke reminiscently of conditions in the districi many years ago when he first came to it. Speaking of the possibility of the railway paying its way, he said he could not agree that it would do so, as one speaker had stated, from the outset, but he had sufficient confidence in the Roxburgh district, which was one of the finest in New Zea land, to know that it would make the rail way pay in the years to come. He concluded by wishing the Roxburgh railw--every success. Air Moritzson, tn responding, mentioned the work done for the railway by the late Air Alark Cohen, and moved that the meeting express its regret at his death and sympathy with his family. Those present stood as a mark of respect to the decensed.

Air R. Glendinning also spoke. Air S. B. Alacdonald proposed the toast of the local bodies in the district and in Otago. Replies were supplied by Messrs F. Laloli (Mayor of Roxburgh), W. Cameron (chairman of the Tuapeka County Council). J. George (chairman of the Tevior Power Board). The toast of the ladies was proposed by Mr J. Inglis Wright and replied to by Air T. Felling. Air J. H. Weight,

sen., proposed the press, which was responded to by Sir George Fenwick. “QUOTH THE RAVEN.” A'OICE OF THE PESSIMIST. “ And the Raven, never flitting, Still is sitting, still is sitting.” The inevitable pessimist was, of course, to be heard lifting his voice in dire prophecy of trouble ahead. There were several of this unhappy ilk with much to say, relevant and otherwise. One settler of fully 80 summers, whose name is more than locally known, and whose broad acres cover mountainous sheep land, as well as cultivated orchard, was very insistent.

“It is the irony of fate,” he said to Alinister (Air J. G. Coates). Air W. our representative, “ that this work should be completed so long after the railway’s most formidable competitor has secured such a strong foothold. Believe me, motor transport will dispute every inch of the way here, as it has done all over New Zealand. All things' being equal, the railway might win out, but here they are not equal. The motor lorry has too big a start on the railway, and’the going will be very, very hard.” A suggestion by the reporter that the railway authorities must surely be aliye to the importance of alert and enterprising administration if thev are to develop fully the potential traffic that awaits them, was scouted offhand by the speaker, who quoted at length the prices and figures relating to despatch in delivery that were intended to demonstrate the enormous handicap the new project had to concede to its rival at the outset. “ Behind scratch, behind scratch, that’s what it is,” he muttered, as he moved away. . , The existing Alilton-Aliller’s Fiat timetable. or. rather, the apparent ignoring of scheduled times, was commented upon by several people. Criticism of the line already in commission from the passengers’ point of view was very severe. It was suggested by a Dunedin man, with substantial interests in both Lawrence and Roxburgh, who travels frequently to and fro. that the department would renn nothing better than the most mediocre returns, because the final issue of success nr failure hung on the conveniences of travel offered to the public. The carriage of goods, he said, was not the only consideration on the Roxburgh line, nor was it the most important. Passenger traffic should come first, and judgment and vision could make a great deal of the golden onnortnnity nffnrded by the completion of the line tn Roxburgh. “ But.” he conc’nded. with an eloquent shrug of his shoiflders. “ . . . . You came upon the train yourself this morning.”

There were others also, all more or loss volubly asserting their doubts and fears of a project which the majority of their follows were convinced was destined to produce results more abundant even than general prediction.