AN URGENT NEED.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1920, Page 4

AN URGENT NEED.

RAILWAY EXTENSION SOUTH. IMPORTANT PROPOSALS TO THE GOVERNMENT.

'Reference has been made in connection with the visit of the Canterbury delegation south to the hhpbrtaht statement made by Mr W. J. Butler on behalf of Stuart and Chapman Limited, at the meeting at Hari Hari Oil Friday bight last, when the matter of the South Westland railway, was being discussed. In connection with this very important district need, we are now privileged to publish tile folldwihg copy of the letter sent by Stuart and Chapman Ltd. to the Hon. Minister of Public Works on August 4th., which is a very fair statement of the whole position, and at once emphasises what it splendid opening for iEAOINSHR a splendid opening is given the Government to construct a line of railway which will lie a lucrative proposition from the outset .

Sir, —Attached hereto please find newspaper clippings dated 31st. July last having reference to a deputation which waited on you respecting an extension of the railway from Ross southwards. Having acquired some timber areas on the south side of the Waitaha River we would esteem it a favour if you could indicate a time when the proposed extension of the railway will reach a point south of the Waitaha River. » Our reasons for asking this are that we have purchased a sawmill site near the Ross raihvy station, and have constructed sidings and. a timber loading yard connected with the Government railway. We have an extensive mill laid out and some £B,OOO worth of plant on the ground and have done a considerable amount of construction work towards the erection of the said mill. We have also constructed between six and seven miles of railway reaching a point between the Mikonui and Waitaha Rivers. Tin's necessitated the construction of a bridge over the Mikonui River. A tramway right of way has been secured, partly through freehold lands, to connect the areas south of the Waitaha River with the mill site at Ross. We have a contract with The Broken Hill Proprietary Coy., for the supply of rails to complete the railway, and have already secured a considerable proportion of the material required for the construction of the railway bridge over the Waitaha river.

Although wo have gone so far to connect the mill at Ross with tho bush areas south of the Waitaha River, wo would if we can now he assured of the sendees of the Government Railway from a point anywhere south of the Waitaha within any reasonable time consider tho advisability- of abandoning thb construction of the remainder of the private railway, and in such case would erect the sawmill on the south side of Waitaha—always providing that we cn find means of delaying our operations south of the Waitaha -without prejudicing our rights. The- advantages that would be secured to the southern settlers by having the Government line extended only four miles would be inconsiderable. The bridging of the Mikonui river by the Government railway would not afford any: facilities for crossing that river that are not now provided; because the bridge constructed for the Company’s line was made, and is available for road traffic. It- was handed over by the Company to the County Council in consideration of the payment by the latter body of £1,600; which amount only covered the cost of the additions to the structure that were necessary to convert it from a bare railway bridge to a road traffic bridge. The Only other consideration, granted to the company wris the exclusive right to use the bridge for railway purposes—subject to regulation safeguarding ordinary traffic.

If there is any doubt about your Department extending the line for a distance of 12 to 20 miles and in the event of it- being therefore advisable for the company to complete its railway to a point south of tlie Waitaha, it is intended to extend the company’s line to near Lake lantlie, and in that ease it will be available to the public for the carriage of goods etc. between that point and Ross. In fact it is intended to erect facilities for the transhipment of goods at a point near tho Waitaha River as soon as the line reaches that point. The fact that there lias been no public traffic offering to tlie Company from any point on the six miles of line over which a locomotive is now daily running indicates the necessity of your Department constructing tlie line to at least south of the Waitaha River in order to be of any service. F.veu at that point and until it reaches a point south of Lake lantlie the chief source of traffic would for many years be timber from the Company’s holdings.

In reference to the statement reportled to {hare been' made ori the occasion of tlie deputation, we would like to point oiit this Company has no monopoly beyond that which is attached to every milling right. Every mining privilege is a monopoly. The whole machinery of the “Mining Act” is for the purpose of creating and protecting such monopolies. The right to acquire any such privilege may in tlie first place be exercised by any bolder of a miner’s right; but when any such privilege has been legitimately acquired it of course becomes a monopoly. E'vefv freehold—every private bolding of whatever nature—is a monopoly. This company has only acquired what anyone else might have acquired, but which others did not consider worth acquiring; and it is only by the expenditure of a very considerable sum of money that the timber areas so held can be utilized. The Company’s exclusive right to use the bridge over the Mikoiiui River for railway purposes is no more than would have been secured by the Company had if constructed the bridge, as it was 1-st designed solely for railway purposes; and not have granted to the public the ' use of it for ordinary traffic. In respect to any monopoly of license to construct a tramway, at the time of hearing of the application, by the warden touching a, monopoly wo offered to entirely abandon tlie route then applied for and to toko up another —thus leaving the present routo open to anyone else. This was not considered necessary, seeing that there are miles of Crown Lands on cither side of our

lino over which anyone may acquire tho right to construct a line. ■ In reference to the remarks reported to have been made by yourself: (a) (In respect to thb Cbhijiany’s line acting its a feedfer to the Government railway.) The efficiency of its operations from the railway revenue point of view may ho judged by the fact that it hag already been directly responsible for a freight account (with the Government) amounting to over £2,500 which otherwise would not have been earned by the Govcnirielit line. Last month’s Government railway freight account was £480; bblng on timber carried forward which had been brought bv the company’s lihe from two or three miles sdiitli of the Mlkoiiiti to tho Ross siding. It is hard to reconcile these facts with the statement of a member of the deputation that it was “defeating the object of getting more railway revenue.” (b) An extension of the railway would not have created “more competition for the hush” in thb way of securing a. better price for the Grown; because it would still have been dealt with under the Mining Regulations which provide for a. fixed vote of royalty. Further more, most of the areas now held by this company between the Mikonui and Waitaha Rivers have been held and worked for the last 18 years awaiting the railway.

In conclusion we beg t(j endorse the request of the South Westland settlers for an extension of the railway south wards; and wo shall he glad to consider suggestions for any modification of our railway plans, that might be of mutual benefit—having the above extensions in view. Enclosed please find litho with tho company’s mill sites, tramway and holdings marked thereon. Hoping to receive a reply at your earliest convenience. For Stuart and Chapman Ltd., W. J. BUTLER (Director.)

The foregoing letter emphasises very plainly that if the Government will not take up the project private enterprise will step in and do it. It is not possible to advance a stronger argument than this for the extension of the railway south.

Will not the people of Westland wake up and urge the Government to do its duty to the people of the southern district and the Dominion ns a whole by constructing lines of such utility and revenue earning power as the Ross-Wai-taha section will undoubtedly prove'.