RAILWAY MEETING.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 288, 22 April 1879, Page 2

RAILWAY MEETING.

A meeting was held last evening in the Town Hall, Akaroa, to take }nto consideration the propriety of urging the ■Government to make a preliminary purvey of theline of raihvay round to Akaroa before ! finally deciding oh a site for the terminus. A very, considerable-number were S present, especially; considering ;the unfavourable state jjfJth© .weather. . His Worship the. Mayor, occupied the chair, and commenced * by. reading' the notice con- r vening the meeting, and ■■' bespeaking a patient hearing for the;various,speakers*-, , > Mr MoREYr rose to advocate the claims, of Akaroa b6ing made flic terminus.' He spoke at considerable length, urging tkat Akaroa was the proper, .place foj the terminus for the railway, "and that persistent agitation was necessary to secure their object. ! v • ■ Mr W. Barnett, of Lβ Bori'sßay, thought that the Bays > would have been better represented at the meeting. The Bay he represented was deeply interested in. this question. If the railway were made, to Akaroa, and a good road to Le Bon's Bay, all their produce would come to Akaroa. The neighboring Bays also were important centres, and would be shut out from benefiting by the railway unless it came to Akaroa. Mr X>..Wright spoke as a man with considerable marine experience. Akaroa was the finest harbor in New Zealand ; one of the three or" four finest in the world. They had; hef6; a i rocky/ bottQrni,; suitable for docks or, ejips. . ~,.,. The Mayor called 'upon Mr W. Penlingtpn to move the first resolution". Mr Penlington said, that as the subject had been so well ventilated; he would not detain them with a speech, but would, content himself with moving the resolution as follows:—"That this' meeting believes that no definite instructions have, up to the present time, been iesued to the-Go-vernment Engineers to investigate the claims *of Akaroa to have the Railway line continued to the township, and that as tar as the meeting is. aware the line is to end at French Farm or Barry's Bay Island. That a flying survey of the extra seven miles from the Island to Akaroa would involve only a small cost, and that the Government be asked to undertake the work." ~ „ ~_...■ The motion brought Mr Mobey to his feet again as its seconder. Mr G. J. Black thought the resolution was premature. They did not yet know that the railway "would come to the harbor at all. If it did the trade they would have would be with the Plains, and that would be most, conveniently carried on from French Farm or Barry's Bay. . . > The motion was carried. Mr Barwick moved the appointment of a deputation to wait on Mr Knowles, the Under Secretary for Public Works, who was expected to arrive in Akaroa on the following day. ■ The motion was carried. , ■ Mr C. W. Bridge moved that his Worship the Mayor, Mr Penlington, Mr Morey, and the mover be appointed the deputation in question. Seconded by Mr Bruce, and carried. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was passed, and the meeting dispersed.