NELSON'S WANIS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 July 1919, Page 2

NELSON'S WANIS.

INTERESTING s’TATMENTS by

MINISTERS,

WELLINGTON, July 11. A deputation representing the local bodies of the Nelson district, waited on Ministers to make a number of requests for works.

Sir James Alien, referring to the request for a- light railway, and for the extension of the standard line to Murchison and beyond, said these matters nould have to bo considered by the Government. Whatever Government was in office in tile next few years (would have huge problems to face in the matter of public works to be done. Railways would have to be constructed in accordance with their importance to the country generally, and in the next eight or ten years only urgent works could be dou e first. The Nelson railway would have to take its turn.

The Hon. W. 11. Herries, replying - to a statement that the new electoral ? boundaries were such as to leave little f community of interest among the people i of some areas, said the boundaries as 1 gazetted would have to stand for the ; next election. The Government next 2 in office would have to take these com- - plaints into consideration. Regarding a complaint concerning a dangerous level crossing, the Minister said it had been the intention of the Department * to put a hell alarm on that crossing, along with others, hut it had not been . possible to get the material from Home, The case for a new railway station was known to the Department. The station was not what it might he, hut this was true of many other stations. The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, speaking of the suggestion that the Government should prospect for coalhearing land adajaccnt to the Puponga mine, said the Mines Department had been doing a great deal of prospecting, and big supplies of coal had been located in the past three of four years. He had directed tho Department to obtain more drills in order that more prospecting might be done. He would be prepared to have prospecting made in the Puponga. area. However, the present difficulty was not coal, but miners. Tho future policy might he to assist small co-operative parties to mine coal rather than depend only on the big companies. Tho deputation asked if the Government would proergd as soon as possible with a. hydro-electric scheme to servo Nelson. Sir William Fraser said that as soon as he could spare an officer to make a survey, ho would send him to Nelson. Ho could not promise that the Nelson scheme would be among the first to he tackled, been’use the Government had first, to go on with the two big schemes for Wellington and Auckland. Th o Hon. T. M. Wilford expressed , opposition to the suggestion that the Government should obtain a sea-going dredge to ho hired to local bodies lor use in tho smaller harbours, hut the Government might undertake to negotiate for a local body for the hire of a. dredge. :