THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 98, 15 June 1911, Page 5

THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.

O REPRESENTATIVE MEETING AT KAPUNI. PROVINCIAL PETITION TO BE PREPARED. • A conference of delegates from local bodies and others interested in the Opunake railway question was held at the Kapuni Hall yesterday afternoon, the meeting having been called by the Normanby Town Board, Kapuni being selected as the most central place for meeting. The following delegates wei e present:—Messrs. Bowman, Mudforcl, Buxton, Harcourt (Auroa Railway League), Scott, Stevenson (Kapuni 'Railway League), Wake (Eltham Borough Council), Davies, Free, Kemp, (Normanby Town Board), Lambic, ■ Campbell (Opunake Railway League), Conaglen (Pibama Dairy Factory), McKenna (Patea Borough Council), Masters, King (Stratford Borough Council), Swathing (Kaponga Dairy Factory), Quin (Eltham County Council), Wilcox, Young (Parihaka Road Board), Bridge (Waimato County Council), Barton (Hawera Borougn Council), Duirs (Hawera County Council), Western (Waimato County Council), Dudley, Maxwell (Opnnnke Town Board), Marchant (Stratford County Council), Grainger (Patea County Council), Johnson, Muir (Joll Dairy Factory). ~ _ Mr. Wake proposed that Mr. Dudley take the chair, he being the oldest member of the Railway League, and one who had always displayed the keenest interest in the matter. Mr. Dudley said it would only he an act of courtesy to put the chair- * man of the Normanby Town Board in the- chair. Mr. Davis declined the honour, and proposed that Mr. Lanibio take the chair. After some argument Mr. Dudley took the chair. He said the meeting had been called to consider the railway question, and lie was of opinion that at present they were a great deal near-er-finality than at any other time. As the Normanby Town Board had convened the- meeting, ho called on the cpairnlan of that body to explain the reason. 1 Mr. .Davis said the Normanby Town Board had a lot of roads to maintain, the chief, being one of the. arteries of the Plains. From one cause or another the Board’s roads had got into a bad state through extra traffic. At present the Board could not say bow they were going to keep their roads in order, and they urgently needed a railway. The Town Board’s proposal Was that the people of the whole province decide among themselves to sign a monster petition to Parliament. It was desired that delegates from all parts of the province should meet and decide on action, it being absolutely necessary than concerted action. should ho taken. The Minister for Public Works had said the Government had two millions of money lying idle. Why_ should that money not be spent on this good-paying railway ? Mr. Davis was proceeding to talk of the proposed tramway, when lie was called to order. As chairman of the Normanby Town Board Mr. Davis moved that a petition be circulated throughout the province in favour of the railway. i Mr. Wilcox seconded. " Mr. Masters said that while the towns were quarrelling about the route the Government were laughing. The host thing to do was to circulate a petition, and,when it was full, to send a strong deputation to support the claims of the province. Mr. McKenna.said he was entirely in sympathy with the movement ; but as one who ,had come some distance; he thought there was a good deal of time being wasted. Mr. Wake _ said he could not support the motion. He thought a petition was merely a waste of time. He thought a strong man in Wellington would do a great deal more good. Further,-. a great deal of good might he done by holding public meetings. If meetings were held in all centres dur°no woolc, and telegrams sent to the Government giving the decision come to bv each meeting, the Government would he forced to take some action.

_air Barton disagreed with Mr Wakes suggestion, It would plaina. preconcerted plan on tlio part or the settlers. Hawera had a little scheme-of its own. The railway would not help the Hawera South roads, hut Hawera would extend its support to tile railway movement. petition was the best idea. Mr. King said that when he first saw the invation ■ lie was suspicious, thinking the questipn of route would be gone into, but, of course, they had since.heard that route woidd not bo dealt with. The agitation for the railway had been going on for some time; ho had attended meetings at Opunake and elsewhere, and had been on deputations to Wellington, though nothing had so far been done. But he felt that the construction of the railway was near at hand. It ivas necessary for settlers to display a united front. The Minister of Public ‘Works apparently recognised the necessity of making the railway. Personally, he did not care where the railway went, so long as it was 1 constructed. ■ Mr Marchant said ho could not support the motion if it meant that a delegate could not urge the claims of r, his particular district. , Mr Swadling thought the question of route should bo left entirely to the Government. ‘ Mr Scott was of opinion that delegates should not reserve the right to put forward the claims of their districts, Delegates might sign the petition to allow tii? Government In dlidose its route, and later uu make representations regarding their own centres. It seemed to him that those in the centres were endeavouring to get the lino for the good of their own _ tin-pot interests, without considering the interests of the settlers who put their heads to the cow’s side before dawn and after dark. Kapuni merely desired that a railway ho made, to take the traffic of other people off their roads. Mr Masters said so far as ho was concerned, ho was merely desirous of having the railway put through. Mr Marchant said there were e groat many roads in tlio Stratford County, and they suffered in just the same way as the roads Mr Scott spoke of. Ho desired - to have the right to urge the claims of his roads when the Government was settling the route. Mr Dudley said that four years ago a monster petition was got up by the Opunake and Elthnm people, but beyond the petition being laid on the, table of the House he had seen nothing further about it. He could 'see very littlo good in the petition. He was sure the Government recognised the necessity of the railway. Previously no Minister of the Crown had admitted this much, hut now it was recognised by Sir Joseph Ward ami the Hons. Tl. McKenzie, T. Mackenzie and Buddo. He thought much good might bo done by sending a strong resolution from that day’s meeting. ' If it was also stated what bodies wore represented that would carry much weight. He desired to ho protected from his friends. On nil, occasions there were those who

came forward to help too movement who later on developed signs of having an axe of their own to grind. Mr Barton said county settlors did not seem to recognise that the interests of the county were the interests of the towns. Hawera was a Inend of the movement, and ho denied the suggestion of Mr Dudley. 'Jo his mind the railway was trotted out just before an election merely lor political purposes. Mr .Stephenson said so far as ho could make out the whole of the talk had been about route. Wherever the railway want somebody would bo offended. * He moved, as an amendment, tlmt no petition he sent, hut that a strong resolution he forwarded from the meeting. He could not sec that anything could be gained by sending a petition. Mr (Jilin said his idea was to have a spiral route—running round everybody’s hack door. That was the only. thing to satisfy the delegates. Doing anything else was merely wasting time. it was finally decided to circulate the petition. Mr Swadling asked who would pay the cost of getting up the petition. It, would ho a fairly expensive work. Mr Dudley said it had been suggested that* each person signing should contribute sixpence. Mr Harcourt said the Auroa branch of the Railway League were prepared to work their own district. Mr Dudley suggested that each local body should bo asked to work its own district. Mr Barton made it clear to delegates that he had not been given power to bind the Hawera Borough Council. . Mr Scott said the suggestion lor canvassing would fall hard on the Kapuni Railway League, because so far as lie coulcl see there was only one man- in the League. Mr Dudley moved: “That this meeting, consisting of representatives of all local bodies and dairy factories in South Taranaki, send a resolution to the Government again pointing out the urgent necessity ol constructing a railway from Opunake to the main line/’ This was ( carried. Several delegates spoke in favour of tlie petition being presented in one piece, but Mr Marchant favoured the petition being presented in four pidees by the four different Parliamentary 'representatives, each petition to bear the names of those in the several electorates. Mr McKenna moved that the question of fixing who should present the petition should bo left to Mr Dudlev. *>'■■■' Dudley declined the honour. Mr King moved that the four members (Messrs Hinc, Dive, Pearce, and Okey)! ho asked to jointly present the petition. The motion was earned. Mr Dudley moved a vote of thanks to the Normanby Town Board for the trouble they had taken in calling the meeting. . •' The motion was carried unanimously, and votes of thanks wore also passed to the chairman and to the Kapuni Railway League for providing refreshments, which were par taxon before the meeting started.