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Hokitika Guardian, 20 February 1923, Page 2

Ae< oiioiNt: to one newspaper icport. Mr O’Brien. M.P., in his speech hi the House last week, hardly put matters in their right view when referrinog to a South Westland sawmill tramway. Mr O’Brien is reported to have condemned the action of the Government in allowing a private sawpnSll tramway in South Westland. Where the Government was at fault in this matter was in not proceeding with the Ross railway extension. Towards the close of the Ward Ministry, parliamentary authority was given in the Railways Authorisation Act of 1911 for Hie extension of the railway south and a vote placed on the appropriations. Reform then came into power, and though the survey was carried out by the Liberals; the Minister of Pulllie Works succeeding (Sir W. Fraser) refused to go on. The sawmilling in dustry began to move, and it was only after ascertaining directly from the Ministry that the railway conhl not be built, that private enterprise took up the project and built itsown line. The company could not he blamed for this spirited action. Indeed the company proved itself something of a public benefit for it placed it. bridge across the Mikonui river at tlu benefit of the local body, and lias offered to carry the settlers’ goods over its tram line at railway rates. The compilin' is thus providing all the means a Government concern would without cost to the country, but so far departmental sanction for freight transport ■ >vcr the line is withheld. There is no blame- attachable to the Company, for

while it has served itself industrially, and showed faith in a project which even a Government could not face, it has given the public generously the use or the benefit of the large expen dituie it has had to meet to provide several miles of what is virtually a railway. The condemnation which is due to the Government is in respect to its neglect of duty in ignoring an act of parliament and declining to spend money where it was authorised. Seeing that the railway still remains authorised in the acts of the country, Ah O’Brien might well turn his attention to tile task of having the work revived and a fresh vote provided for its prosecution so as to tap the rich pastoral country in southern West-land.

Acnoros of the proposal for a central dairy factory, a private letter has been placed at our disposal which appears to be of very great interest to the subject under consideration. The letter is from a southern resident who has been supplying one of the southern cheese factories and indicates that the time iripe in that quarter for the materialising of the Hokitika scheme, as most of the suppliers in the locality would be disposed to come into it. Some of them are making up their minds already to go i'll for home separation, and will be sending on their cream to Greymouth in the very near future. This indicates that legitimate produce from our own district will be sent out of the place. This fact alone .should spur up tin' people here to a sense of what is likely to happen if the present golden opportunity for a good start with the venture in mind is lust. The writer of the letter also points out that lie appreciates ike centralising idea for the reason that various farm products such as eggs, honey, etc., could be sent forward with the cream waggons and sent on to market with out the farmer losing time in finding an adjacent market and disposing of the commodities at any price to quit. The manager of the central factory could bo in touch with the last markets. and would always have Christchurch available by quick railway communication. These extra commodit'es would mean a good deal to the struggling farmer at the end of the yen;, and he would not begrudge a small

charge for handling the goods to ln< advantage. This phase of the matter i.s another reason why the subject should he taken up locally and with enthusiasm at this stage. We believe that if an organiser were to tour t.ho district and put the proposition before the farming community in the right light, the central factory would quickly materialise. The best apparently that can be done is for the various districts to seek out the local canvassers and give the project the best support they can. when something tangible in iv come to pass.