RAILWAY ROUTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15321, 17 September 1920, Page 6

RAILWAY ROUTES.

♦ — THE DEVIATION PROPOSAL. In response to a petition a meeting was called this siflornoon by the Mayor (Mr G. Wildish) to discuss the question of tlie proposou railway deviation as contained m a resolution recently passed at a meeting of the East Coast Railway and Development Lcaguu regarding tho East Coast railway from Waikohu, as the signatories tb the petition deemed it very inexpedient to asic the Government to make any deviation from the route as at present laid down. Considerable interest has been aroused m the matter, and as expected there was a large attendance at the meeting, including the -following: Messrs T. Holden, E. L. Lees, Warner, Coop, W. Findlay, Greig, Harding, Maddock, E. Grundy, Kenji, Warren, IV Stafford, G. J. Black, Graham, Mason, Williams, Kane, Morice, W. White, W. G.. Sherratt, Wheeler, S*Wth, Armstrong, Fenwick, Berry, Mitford, White, Smith, A. C. Steele, Parker, 11. Irvine, D. J. Barry,. J. .Peach, M. Foster, Machell, H. F. Forster, R. Murphy, C. Muir, G. Witters, Boweu, Matthews and others. Tho Mayor presided and read the petition (already published) of over 60 persons, and stated that m compliance with this he had decide*!^ fco call the meeting. To his mind ib appeared a retrograde step to m any way endeavor to alter the Government's policy and thereby cause delay. He limited each spca-kei* to five minutes*. Mr T. Corson said he felt, as one citizen who attended Saturday's meeting, thafc it devolved upon him to urge on the Mayor the necessity of calling a meeting of citizens of Gisborne to discuss the resolution carried there. Firstly he wished to propose the following resolution: "'That this meeting views with astonishment the action taken at the meeting of the East Coast' Railway and Development League on Saturday, 11th inst., when a motion was carried urging that a trial survey of two routes be. taken, one inland through Wharekop'ae to Napier and the other along the coast to connect with Waikokopu. (2) That this meeting emphatically objects to any attempt to interfere with the prosecution of work on the present authorised route of thp East Coast Main' Trunk railway from Gisbor/ie to Wairoa. (3) That this meeting emphasises that the present authorised rail--.vay now under construction via Ngatapa is of national importance, and consequently serves the interests of all East Coast residents. (4) We therefore urge the Government to prosecute' the work on the Ngatapa-Hangaroa- Wairoa section of the Easfc Coast Main .Trunk railway wit,h, the utmost rapidity." That, he said, was his motion. He >vuuld call the. r attention to the meeting which passed the resolution on Saturday. The East Coast Railway League had done a great deal to help on the development of the East Coast. This meeting, however, comprised a number of gentlemen who were not financial members of • the League. Furthermore, the business of the meeting was advertised as "general," and the motion was sprung on the local members as a surprise, and passed. It was ou tragi ous to suggest the stoppage of work on the present route, and thus delay the -final completion of .the railway ,to Napier. . (Hear, hear.) He thought that some of those nt the meeting had had Waikokopu In mind, and Gisborne had no call to foster the Waikokopu harbor, when It wanted ail its harbor dues to assist m the formation of the local harbor. IT the Government found that the local ciiizens were at sixes and sevens about the route, it would give it a chance io further delay the ■ completion. They had it oiv the. best; authority that the* Ngatapa rbute was practicable, and the public should rely on its engineers th matters which were beyond the laymen. They had had assertions that, the Waikohu route wis Impracticable, but the line had been put. through. Mr. Roddy McKeflz.e hail proposed King's road as a f junction on the Main East- Coast rouje to AucklauU •■Why," Mr. McKenzie had risked, "go round' two s'.des of an angle when you can reach your destination by going straight through?*' and he was right. The speaker, urged the meeting not to allow the urging of any deviation from the .Ngatapa route, as that would indefinitely delay the completion of the Gisborne-Napier railway. Mr T. Holden seconded the resolution, and said he had been to Napier several times, andifc was clearly laid down there m the league's objects that they should stick to the one route. Work was being done on the Napier end, and on the" Gisborne end towards Wairoa, The matter of a route should be left entirely to the Government. The understanding of the i league was that the main line only was to < be supported. The people m this district : did not want to interfere with the Wairoa people m the Waikokopu railway, but wanted lo get the Government to . push on with the main line at Napier, ' Wairoa, and Gisborne. The line was started m four places — on both sides of Wairoa, south from Gisborne and-"north '' from Napier. If suggestions of devia- , tion were made, to the Government ifc only meant banging up the works by the ' Government i6r several years. The isola- < tion-of the district., at the present time ' should bo sufficient to ensure and by continued pressure "securing some- ; thing." (Applnjuse.) He. had great plea- . sure m supporting the / motion, which he hoped would be carried. ' (Proceeding.)