GISBORNE-OPOTIKI RAILWAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 928, 29 June 1903, Page 3

GISBORNE-OPOTIKI RAILWAY.

SPEECH BY MR HERRIES.

At tho annual conference between members of tho Chamber of Coinmerco and the Auckland city and provincial members of Parliament tbo question of railway construction was discussed. Mr F. Bodlo said that it was intolerable that Auckland should not resist such an unfair allocation as £IOO,OOO for the Otago Central railway, and £15,000 or £20,000 for tho North Auckland railway. The members for the Auckland district should be united, and let the Government feel that Auckland was united on tiie subject.

'They did not aMt for tin- construe > f railways that won d not pay. Iho Pa- r a 1 Waltn railway and lilo North Auckland j railway would must certainly pay, and so j would tiie Gisborne-Rotorua railway, lie ; urged tho Auckland memuers to bo united on tho railway question, even to the point of voting against, the Govei unient if iin\ did not giro justice to Auckland. Mr R. L tlunl said the Premier had been twice invited to take a trip North an see tho land, but had not accepted the invitation. Ho (.Mr Hunt maintained there was not an aero of bad land in the North. The worst of it would grow fruit. It was sometimes said that they had magnificent rivers in the North, but rivers eouul never compete with laiiwuys. Ho was secretary of the Waiaato Steam Navi gallon Company, and when ihu Waikato rai way came along it kn »cked them ituo a * cocked hut. Mr Heines, Hay of Plenty, raid he w.,-

non quito in uccord with -M r 1-. u j in subject of railways. Ho (Mr Hurries) had got a ruilwiiy (luughtui) winch was ui as much importance to tiio province of Auck laud mid tiio city itself as the noitli of Auckland lino. Ho referred to tho East railway, and turn, from l'aorou to Wailii. Hu was quite prepared to assist his fellow members iu gutting the line in the North pushed througn on the condition—wuieh ho tliougiit was only a fair one that they should assist him in lcgaid to obtaining railway commuicalion Iroiu Gisborne and Napier to liotorua, and from toero to L’aeroa. (Applause.) The people of Auckland were too prono to neglect the East Coast of their province. Hitherto the residents of the East Coast had not bestirred themselves in respect to obtaining roads, but they were now waking up, >r d it was to tho interest of the Auckland ioui'chants not to let tho East Coast go xlu believed that tho East Coast produced' as much, if not more than tho north of Auckland, and, therefore, its interests should bo treated as being of equal importance. They did not want any mcney iust now for the East Coast railway. They needed first of all to got the work authorised, and to get the money voted for it nftewards. He believed that thia lino would be of advantage to Auckland and the colony generally. As to the Main Trunk railway line, he had always held that that was tho foremost one in the colony. (Hear, hear.) If tho Premier would consent to unlock the money from tho loan which was locked up in native lands they would have enough money to finish tho line without borrowing from the Old Country.