PROPOSED RAILWAY DIVERSION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15317, 13 September 1920, Page 3

PROPOSED RAILWAY DIVERSION

MAYOR REQUESTED TO CALL INDIGNATION MEETING. *' Strong exception is being taken, to the action of Saturday's meeting, held under the auspices of the East Coast Railway and Development League' m advocating the stoppage of the railway work beyond Ngatapa, oending the investigation ol the suggested inland route via Wharekopae. ..-'-.'.■ y, '•• t .; As the outcome of a deputation, beaded by Mr. T. Corson, chairman of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce, which waited upon the ' Mayor (Mr. Geo. Wildish) ihis morning, a petition was being drawn up this afternoon, requesting his Worship to caU.a, public indignation meeting to dismiss the suggested interference with the railway, and 1 to make representations to the Government on the subject. Dasoussing the subject with a Herald representative to-day- Mr. Corson said his reason for taking this action was that Saturday's meeting was not representative of the district or of Gisborne m particular. There were only four or five (at the most) representing Gisborne m any way, whilst the bulk of those present were country settlers,— Jh. fact it looked more like' a meeting of the .Wharekopae ''branch of the Farmers' Union. The* . East Coast Railway and Development League comprised delegates of the various local bodies of the East Coast, and of those present he believed only Mr. T. Holden and himself were actually members t of-. the League. The meeting" had evidently been called as a public meeting to enable these settlers, who; were not members or subscribers to the League, to attend. The carrying of the resolution on Saturday, coming as. it did tinder the . auspices of the League, Mr. Corson contends would probably give the Minister of Public Works a reason to stay his hand on the construction of the Gisborhe section .of the railway-rthe building of which, os everyone knew, had been carried on at a snail's pace for years. Mr. Corson contends thfat had the meeting, beent of a representative nature the result would have been different, and he considered that under the circumstances the chairman at the League had not been justified m casing the meeting to be used m .such 'a manner. Furthermore, the business had been stated as/ general, whereas it was only this specific business dealing with the deviation of the route that bad been brought up. gad the specific business been stated openly people would have known the move that, was intended. Another member, of the deputation (Mr. D. Whyte) pointed out that it raised a v/'tal question of public policy affectina the East Coast district, which, he contended; had been trifled with by a small section of the community through a meeting called without disclosine. the real business and intention of such meeting. This surprise resolution directly upset the whole principle on which the East Coast Railway and Development League was founded, and instead of the resolution assisting development it was like striking an axe at the root of a tree, and would give the Minister, a pretence to divert the expenditure- of public moneys to other districts.