BULLER GORGE RAILWAY
. AGITATION FOR COMPLETION. By .Telegraph—Press Association., ■ 'Westport, June 12. A conference of the.Buller and; .Reefton Railway 'League, was "held at Westport to-day, When': strong exception, was 'taken to the delay in the .'completion of the construction of' the •'Broiler-' Gorge railway. . The Reefton members pointed out that timber and coal were \ being' taken out ofJth'e Inangahua and Duller Valleys and dragged up over the saddle to Keefton,' and thence to Greymoutli, whereas' they could,, if the railway were, completed, be much more easily ana cheaply brought, to' Westport, - the nat-. Ural outlet;. iis, there was a gradualdown grade, to'this port; It/was', further pointed'out that-the railway would enable freezing work's to be established, at Westport to handle the surplus stock which at present had to be taken over the Otira, to Christclmrch.
Members of the league blamed the Government for the present, shortage of coal, due in a large measure to the failure to complete the Buller -Gorge lino,, and enable its immenso coalfield there to be developed. It was suggested by a member of the league that if the.Government, insteaf of paying large sums of money in importing ooal, were to pro. vide .free passages for one .thousand married miners and their families in tho Old Country, and see that proper housing conditions were provided,, there would be no coal shortage in .New Zealand.' 1 - ■
: -The-'tombined 5 leagues resolved' tot send a circular letter to all members of Parliament, and also to send a deputation comprising the members of the' league and tho local bodies to Wellington to place the'facts concerning the Buller railway and the coalfields before Parliament; also, to ask the Government to arrange for a week-end Parliamentary trip to this district -so that members might gain first-hand information in regard to the need for an immediate construction of the railway so as to provide cheap coal for the people of New Zealand.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 222, 13 June 1919, Page 5
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318BULLER GORGE RAILWAY Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 222, 13 June 1919, Page 5
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