The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1928. AFTER TWENTY-TWO YEARS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 February 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1928. AFTER TWENTY-TWO YEARS.

Patience, we are told, is a virtue. The art of waiting, or rather knowing how to wait, must develop many optimists. We are moved to these thoughts tecuuse the Minister in charge of State Forests has promised a light railway for South Westland in 1933—that is live years hence. When we speculate that it was in 1911 the Railways Authorisation Act authorised the extension of the railway south of Ross, we find that nearly a quarter of a century will come to pass before the promise is fulfilled. Twenty-two years is the exact term, but Ministers aro prone to procrastinate about railways, and unless the people keep the matter steadily before the Government, the Minister might do no more than other Ministers before him, Keep the railway steadily in view! The genesis I of file South Westland railway ex-1

tension was in 1911 when the Authorisation Act of that year authorised the first section over a distance of four miles to the south side of the Mikoltui river. The party in power at that

time was quite sincere about the undertaking. and £SOOO tvas voted and the survey and preparation of plans and spccitieation.s were put in hand. When a change of Government was brought about, work on the line ceased and tile parliamentary vote was never spent, though the line has been surieyed Lhrough to the Wtiitaha. The lea.sons which prompted the authorisation of the work in former times, Still exist, and though Mr liawken sees only timber as the potential item of revenue, there must be other substantial returns to accrue from the improvement to settlement, which "ill i-“suit. The fact that it is now pussiole to rail stock to the Kast Coast markets, has Increased greatly the export of stock, and judging by prices received lor stock and wool, the export of those commodities must be an increasing quantity from the south. Westland is largely a Crown province, and the railway would not be a betterment tor privately owned lands merely, but in the main increase the value of the. public estate. The past iral value of the country to be served has been well established, and with the goad prices achieved for the extra quality the country can turn out, the pursuits of the settlors in regard to pastoral and dairying ventures will increase More settlement is possible, and there is the plain encouragement tor it to go ahead in the prices obtainable. The convenience of the railway would be a great aid to that increase The further south the line is pushed, the more the railway will he used, involving less handling, otherwise with the stock and freight, so that in point of fact the extension will I become practical feeder to the general railway system. The scenic attractions oi South Westland have within the last two or three months received the host advertisement they ever had. On that account passenger traflic must grow steadily, anu the more people to visit the South the wider will be the knowledge of the remarkable beauty there to attract and interest visitors. As regards the timber areas they are inexhaustible in tlie life ol the present generation. The shi rt line to lioss has demonstrated what natural wealth in timber can bo brought out of a belt of country about twelve miles wide. The economic result by tapping Unit timber belt in natural wealth produced, in industrial expansion, and in railway freights has fully justified the building of the line. So with the railway as it is flushed south, where similar eountrv will he passed through, all of which may be tapped and npcrnled |>v branch crojitjiicr ii)tlu>iiy niiti producin'? natural wealth, all ol great national advantage. It is well to state these general views of the matter to show how well justiliod the Minister of Agriculture is in his determination to proceed within a. comparatively short time with the extension ol the railwnv into South Westland.