RAILWAY TO CATLINS.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 190, 1 March 1878, Page 5

RAILWAY TO CATLINS.

: ',-. "»;,■''. .-A- 1 * A meeting of the Catlins' Railway Committee was held iri' tlie East Clutha, schoolroom on Tuesday evening. There 'were upwards of thirty, present, and Mr «L H.,Jenkirison was called- to the chair. The Chairman explained that the meeting had been called for the purpose of considering, a resolution passed at a recerit meeting at Waitepeka to the effect that the proposed railway should leave the main line at luverteil, and be taken by Waitepeka to Puerua, thence as might be decided by the Surveyor. He oalled upon those present to express their , opinions upon the matter. . . Mr Somerville said he was not the leader of the movementat Waitepeka^but had been led into it,, as he generally took part in public matters. It was called a Catlins railway, but from what he understood the people there did not want it, as they had water carriage, and the railway would be of no use to them. He and a few others had examined thePuerua routej ahcb he believed it the best one. ' The Waitepeka people had been in the black books with the Government, but "he still believed they were in .the right. Had they got the main line hy Waitepeka .they would not now have asked for the, branch line to be taken their way, but they had a sort of promise of a branch line from the Government, and now they wished to bring the matter under their notice. His place was at present four miles from the railway, and some ;6f the -. settlers, in the district were eight .mi_esifram.it. > The Waitepeka people considered ' they -hadbeen; ignored by 1 the Committee,' ancl shoiild. 'tliey'','(th'e.._.Cpmm their original route, the Waitepelia -people, would go in far their, own interests andfight it out. * - . • - v.-! -: •..-■' _■-. ,•" Mr James Paterson took exception, to Mr Jowitt's statement at. 'the' 1 Waitepeka nieeting to the effect "that a' nieriiber of the Committee had no right to join others and endeavour* to get the line i by another route." •=■■' -: < ; -" •-•■'-<:• - :■-'.'■'-• -:•;• "■ -• : -- -'• Mr Jowitt said that when a s, man- was a member of a committee .appointed ifor a certain purpose,. he considfired ifc iwas'.dis-; graceful of bim,. to take action unknown, to -• the committee and,, contrary, to -what it was working for. . The deputation from the committee that ' waited upon ' the Government pointed .out Iriverteil as th.c proper, j unction , but left the matter bf route entirely to' be 'decided by. the Go'verrimerit. If the people no\v took the .matter up ' thetnselyesj' 'arid' tried eachto get the line to pass his -own ; door,' the j result would be that there would -beno" line to Catlins: He.'thonght the railway should.?, be- made .. by ..the; Government, • because;it would; enhance the price of land,,; and create a, large traffic^n* (timber. : ; ..y.^. ; . MryMelville, .at.,last meeting;, hadj'eri^ deavoured ,to show t.hat..the.interesfc to pay, for a railway would ; riecessitate a. tax exceeding the annual value of the.' properties.' He -vyas now morel convinced of this than ever. He criticised ' the various" routes,' arid preferred the orie from' the Four-mile Creek by PueriiaA ; " ' '. ' "'' ' . ; ."' ' * Mr Henderson' said there -were now two starting points named— Stirling and Inverteil, .The > resolution .the . Committee formerly agreed upon waa to: leave ,*the< route to the, decigion;of;.,the r -Government.: The Puerua route^iuight-be, an, advantage, ;to, ;settlers„as far as, jthe bridge,, but^beyond. that , the, country ,was .uninhabited, . :„ and , the line shovel .ba made! 'to acconmVqdaie ' the greatest' riuiiiber', '"A It "vyas .a' mistake" ;tb '' ' say that' ! pbople 'did 1 riot 'want" the 'railway; - ' Thb 4l lirie' : *w6iild' bperi up* a* large quantity of-'-larid/aridif' thepebple* iagreed 'amongst * themselves' -'he- had -rio jdoubt' the -Government wo'uld^set I apart! land, to form the iline,- -rHe stjll- thought) •the best way was .-to leave the;fixihg;ofitlie t ; route? to theAGoyernmentjrand^therefpje [would moye-rr'j That, the f o^erjes^l.titio^n) I of, . . } the _. Committee, . lesiyipg ; t Jie ( ( r oute . ,an , * Ibperitquestiori/be.adheredtb^'y-, ;..'' 'AAA 1 , Jilr jyi^Lay seconded the nv>tipn. ' r ..y [ ' "l^Br^dtJ^ fallowing [resoLviX itibri' -had' beVn'pab^ jhouse, Upper Owake^'^TJba^ffi^ ! '\k)uld ; I;ake !! ri^ 1 ( f dilation <;bf;- i the Tailway.iintil titf^offii ' j He;ard-A* the - ?; • | He'cbriterided^^^ f bf jipLrise^tb-ithevGatilh^ ,■ ! train. :^would ? remoye :i se^pri'^^odrioei^ A ,:IK'";:refem>^ my: AAy^yykm^m^o^»^mM^Mmm^

carriage, -Mid expressed* his belief that th©same would be'the' 'of 'a? %ilway to Gatlinsi •*-. They did hotA want- ithe' "r^iwh^ uril ess .- it vweren made ...by • th&tspyerfli»erib_ P_ or did : nob;ents*il af,;taxy,o.f : mo^.than Bix*^. *:- penqe an acre.; i: .-., X:s-y.yy-.-y..-.J. R iAXiu''''"rj;A ! '] ; Mr -Morton- said it' seemed absnr.cl^jto^A call it a Catlins lino when the. people tliete*^ 'did.; not- want it.', .fA'^oice : \Ye ,havfi only Mr. Bradfield's word^ foi* tliatl]' """'. A... r . ' t Mr Henderson, considered ( _\t*^._3r^-, ';?. field's 'remarks' 'premature..' The. Provincial;* Council was in favour of ' the line, 'arid v? now the Government' believed yit'- would' pay, md intended" to^make- it "a loop lih» : A ten. Edendale. There was no feaa % " whatever c of it causingtaxatiori. ' - - r ? A- : * ':■ sAX'\a ': Mi*;£i*adleld said.Mr L'arnaahtold-*tW'A 'Inch Clutha deputation ;the. GoYernmehfe-h would ■ not- make ;'the. ! line, and he cori* tended- there was fear of taxation.,; r : .-. J( -..;•} <■- ; Mr Jowitt ; expressed surpi-ise that tha-. Waitepeka ./ people ;. did not? go. "in r for -, a ,--; branch -.line- for... themselves, /They were., entitled to some consideration, and .if..,. 'they combined to, get "a branch ilino.they i might succeed. ' <Vi .- - . y, - t!j , n . . ; Slr t , Somerville said a.Wnch Uu^ *^> • Waijtepeka^b)io.,Wf>uld noVpayjVbntilh^J;.-- f wanted the, line ' to go . , by ; s ?^itepek'e_; ari<i 'A , Puerua, - f ap,d pn,, to .^dendale., ,. .Il^the Committee 'opposed, Anis independen., action 'on. tlieir' own. account. ."*] ' Cap|ain [ iri t the "course^of j j_a' ; 'speech; of °so*rae length^ pointed, 'to' tliVjy 'fact' that" Mr 'ikrna^h' had inf drifted' the 1 ' Clutha that the 5 " J 'Government could not make the- 4ine" for* > three or four years> aiid i that' if'larid' were now , reserved H'foi-Atlie purpose, it^would.^ have to he.-. confirmed by ithe Assembly*!.-? He considered that by sending^ different.*;-, deputations to .thejGpvernment-, a_noV every one, .trying, to ,get ( .the . l^ne , ~tp,pa/3s j his jow^ door, they had only made foods' \of ; ; 'ijheni-;^ . selves .in the eyes of tbe public, '' ttJwaa • plain that their ,y hole action in the , matter ( wa's 'proAiped'by/pui'e Vfeinsliriess, ' ' : Tliey "• should n'4ye w a public ! meetingyiE-nd ast'tlio' - ' 1 Government to make the' railway^'''Partie8 a lin different distriots riiight'agitatW for the route that„vwould::best suit themselves;* but he. had .np doiibt ; the , rpu.te.the merit wpul'd, ultimately, select WQuld. jae. l.y-> 0 Puerua, Upper Qwak^arid^on-tp .Eden-,, dale; .The freight^frc^/Catlm^ ''Bayer 'to,". Dunedin iio w was J 15a, jiand Hvheri? the ,'im~J " pro vemerits ' of ]' 'tlio ' ' harbour " 'shall' ' nave 4 * been . effected ■ [ ii " wbuld r ndt ; be more thaiT12s, so that rio railway could compete "to"' Dunedin, only to the 'anterior*; He had " no doubt whatever that in consequence "•' of. the scramble by -every one -to 'have tlie railway l to his own door-- no railway, would ; be made. The ; settlers in .Catlins river : were not in a position to take advantage,; of the District .Hallways Act. , Those who ' had spoken that night evidently did nol; ; , want a, railway thae : Ayoukl touch ' their" own pockets. , Nothing' could ba done to,, get the Government to make tKe line till -,;. the Assembly met, and the ;whole settlers ! should then ~ petition to' liave 'a 'suitable line made/by the GWerhrheht'. : ; " ' ' "r '.'*.. Mr Henderson deprecated 'delay: ■ What "-' was to be done should be done'at once. It would be too late to get' up a petition* during the • .Assembly . ■ .He 1 would regret' y. exceedingly .if divisions amongst-, themselves should preyeiit.the Hne.boing.made, T thus injuring their own distriot, and the r ! whole : Colony ,, ri , „ „ ,■..,.. ./„.. ..,. '; ; . Mr Bradfield moyed as. an, amendment : r " That this meeting thanks 'the meiiibera ' ■ . of Committee fpr ; the trpubie thjey ''"liave X . taken in' tlie matter of the* r^ilwa'y, mit requests that rio"'further v actiß_i be' taken'* till next session of Assembly, wheri a' ! petition slibuld- be : sent askirig the Goverriment to set apart-Uand to make a line* by Puerua to Edendale." • . : - = - - • ,' • " ; .Mr Lees secorided. the amendment.- . a. Mr Jowitt objected to the amendment' upon t>yo, ground,?. First, because it-asked--the pouimittee.to.suspend.their, efforts to get a railway, to , Catlins ;' and \ secondly, because it committed' them to a particular ' ■ route.. He would continue to urge the,'* construction 'of the' liiaeupbn two ground^; -^first, because it would increase the pnce" of -the unsold land ■; arid secondly,' beca'lise ' of the traffic •"___■'' timber, ; &c. ,' it ! Woiil'd-J cause. ■ ; "' : '. : ■>'■■■-<< 'AA ,:•./.'..-: A.. .s\-.,ry. After^' some •' further" ' discussion- -the * amendment was piit to the; meeting-, when', only four hands .were .held upl for it.- The; ;* I motion .was. carried by a; yery. large] ma«I j° rit y- JsyXs--., y-..Ajy .-,.,■:■• J -..<. „A,.vote. of thajiks to.the fDhairm^n. concluded.the.proceedings. ' ; .,.,. '. .'".'.. • , ..,,