ASHBURTON FORKS RAILWAY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 985, 3 July 1883, Page 2

ASHBURTON FORKS RAILWAY.

Meeting at South Rakaia, Yesterday a meeting of- ratepayers who object to bo rated for the Rakaia and Ashburton Forks Railway, constructed under the District Railways Act, 1876, was held at Howell’s Hotel. Owing to the Supreme Court being held in Christchurch, a number who would have been present were absent, and the meeting was not largely attended. Mr J. C. Wason took the chair, and read the minutes of the last meeting held at Methven. He then called the attention of the meeting to the statements made by Mr Hart (the Chairman of the Railway Company), in his annual report to the shareholders last week, and he then went en to say that his property derived no benefit from the line, and yet he was rated in the highest class for some of his land. The Company’s proposal was now to strike a rate on the rateable value of lands instead of an acreage rate, which he considered most unfair to many if not all. He then read a petition which he had drafted, and he hoped that some gentleman present would propose its being circulated and sent to Wellington without delay. To the Honorable the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives in Parliament now assembled, the huirble petition of the undersigned ratepayers of that portion of the Ashburton County, situate in the district proposed to be assessed by the Rakaia and Ashburton Forks Railway Company. That the said Company having, in various ways, evaded and broken the District Railways Act, 1876, purpose petitioning for legislation to cover such evasion and breaches of the said Act. That the Company are not entitled to any relief from the Legislature, which would prejudice the rights of your petitioners in a Court of law, as the following facts clearly show : That township lands were excluded from the district as being liable for any rates, and yet included for the purpose of voting in order to secure to the Company a majority in number of the ratepayers. That the district was classified by acreage, improved and unimproved, good, bad, and indifferent lands all jumbled together for the purpose of securing to the Company a majority of value. That the votes of the ratepayers of the Alford Forest district were procured by the most unjustifiable means. That the Company issued their own voting papers, and procured signatures in a manner contrary to both letter and spirit of the Act. That the present rates proposed to be levied by the Company are entirely out of accord with those which were gazetted as being the rates payable in respect to the railway. For instance, in addition to various stores, warehouses, etc., in the district, there are four large hotels, each worth, ’ say, Lsoo a year. To secure the votes of such of the hotels as were then open, the Company gazetted a rate of pd per acre, or say 2s fid per annum full rates, f t the four hotels. The Company now purpose to levy a rate of is 1 upon the value, that is to say, an annual charge of Lll2 10s for property upon which they gazetted a rate of, say, 2s fid, and the same injustice would be done in respect of the various stores, etc., in the district Before assenting to any fresh legislation, your petitioners respectfully suggest to your Honorable House the appointment of a commission to enquire into the truth of said allegations. And your petitioners will ever pray, etc. nir McFatiarie proposed, and Mr Allan, on behalf of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, seconded—“ That the petition be taken round lor signature, and forwarded to the House without delay.”—Carried. Considerable discussion then took place in connection with the manner in which the Company had been started at first, and the manner in which the District Railways’ Act had been broken by the Company. Messrs Mann, Mackie, McFarlane, and Allan were the principal speakers. Mr Mackie then moved the following resolution—“ That in the opinion of this meeting it is expedient that a petition be prepared and circulated for aignature in this railway district, and respectfully praying the Government to take into consideration the question of taking over the Rakaia and Ashburton Forks railway, and that the member for the district be asked to present it during the present session of Parliament.”

This v.as seconded by Mr Minn and carried unanimously.

It was decided that Mr Mackie should have the petition prepared at once, and sent round the district to all those interested for signature. The meeting then adjourned.