THE SEDDON-WARD RAILWAY

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 22, Issue 30, 21 April 1911, Page 7

THE SEDDON-WARD RAILWAY

OFFICIAL OPENING A MINISTERIAL PREDICTION A ceremony of interest not only to Marlborough but to the dominion took place at Ward, the township of the Flaxbourne settlement, on Saturday last, when the Seddon-Ward section of the South Island Main Trunk railway, comprising fourteen miles forty-four chains, was declared open for traffic by the Minister for Public Works, the Hon. R. McKenzie. ''The day was fine after Friday’s rain, end there was a large attendance of the public. Settlers assembled In full force, and a train took out a big crowd from Blenheim end Eeddon. As the train steamed into the station and severed a ribbon the large gathering cheered enthusiastically. The Hon. R. McKenzie, addressing the people, said the section of the line from Seddon had cost £138,000, or nearly /xo.ooo per mile. He claimed that the money was spent on the Main Trunk line as quickly as Parliament granted it. Estates should be cut up before railways were made. He instanced the case of the North Island, where forty-two persons who wanted a line owned 630,00 b acres, valued at £3,000,000. The Government were not going to build railways for those forty-two persons. The more estates'there were cut up the better. The Government were as anxious as the settlers to get railways through, but they must build the most necessary lines first; The Midland line to Arthur's Pass would probably be completed in eighteen months, and if the same amount of money was voted then as at present a large allocation would be made for the Main Trunk line. He estimated that this line would be completed in ten years, at a cost of £IOO,OOO per annum. In conclusion, Mr McKenzie stated that thirty-five miles of railway bad been opened for traffic this week. After the line had been declared open the Ministerial party and a large number of settlers were entertained at lanohou by the Marlborough local bodies, headed by the Lat d and Railway League and the Chamber of Commerce. Flaxbourne looks in good heart, and compares more than favourably with Starborougb, which has suffered from drought, and as a result bears a parched appearance.