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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3801, 20 September 1883, Page 2

In reference to the resolution of the Napier Chamber of Commerce concerning tho desirability of opening the railway to Matamau as soon as practicable, the following letter has been received from the Undersecretary for Public Works, addressed to the secretary of tho Chamber of Commerco : —"Wellington, September 15, 1883. Sir,— I am directed by the Minister for Public Works to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 3rd September, forwarding a resolution of tho Chamber relative to the openin"' of the lino to ifatamau, and in reply to state that tho Minister does not feel iuslified in incurring tho exponso ot opening UiiH section, whioh would necossitate considerable outlay for temporary builflin-M, &c It is (hercfore considered advisable to postpone the opening of this part of tho line until it is further completed. I have, &c, C. F. Bknsojh, Acting•Undersecretary for Public Works." The Government is all powerful, and takes very good care to let it bp known. Iho number of ..■entlemcn comprising our Chamber of Commerce have given their time to tho consideration of what is desirable for the public .service for nothing , . Not one of their recommendations that had any tendency to disturb existing , departmental ideas has had any weight with the Government. In tho matter of the Matamau section tho reasons offered for not opening tho line arc simply puerile. J The "outlay for temporary buildings" refers to the erection of an engine-house,

•which, however, need not he erected if the same plan bo adopted as was pursued when the railway waa opened to Kopua. There were no temporary buildings required there, and there need not be at Matamau. On the arrival of the train the engine could bo run back to Makatoku, as it used to be from Kopua to Takapau. The opening of the seven miles to Matamau would save travellers a distance of something like thirteen miles of coaching, and give them the advantage of decent hotel accommodation into the bargain. But the " Minister does not feel justified in incurring the expense, and so a pound will be lost for the sake of saving apenny. We rather fancy that if _ the Minister" were the director of a private railway company the shareholders would very soon get rid of him.