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Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1930, Page 4

A public meeting is called to be held at Hokitika next Wednesday evening relative to urging the Government to extend the South Westland railway. This should arrest the attention of our Ross and southern friends, who could not do better than attend the meeting in force and show a practical Interest in the agitation. The pushing of the railway, south means a great deal for the country as a whole, It will be the only means of securing the economic value of the great forests of timber . u’ithin easy radius of the rail-head. Without the convenience of the railway, and with the lack of harbour facilities, there will not by the means of timber export, and that will result in a national loss. ,I’he State Forest Service will not be able to' reap the harvest trorn tne forest areas held in reservation, while standing timber on holdings will have to be destroyed ruthlessly if it is to be disposed of. Without the railway there can be no development of the sawmilling industry—which creates so much general employment, and-'assists to open the country up more rapidly for closer settlement. These are all cardinal reasons for providing the railway, the economic, value of which was appreciated by Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues in 1911 when the extension of the line was authorised as a beginning of the South Westland system and the route over the first stage to the south side of the Mikonui river was surveyed. The data, then prepared was no doubt pigeon-holed, and should be available readily now ff the Government can be induced to prosecute the line. The great vogue of the existing railway to ltoss suggests the extension will add considerably to the revenue-earning power of the line. It may not be known generally that--8,811 tickets were issued on the Ross line last year and upwards of six mil--11 ons of timber hauled. The passenger traffic was worth about £IOOO, and the goods traffic nearly £20,000 for outward freight only In view of the fact that the route for the first stage has been surveyed already, work would be available oil a productive railway straight away, and thus go some way towards meeting unemployment, for which there is a need for an outiet on reproductive works in new country, in preference of making work for the unemployed near large centres of population. Thb demand for the line appears to be,- justified on sound grounds, and in view of the fact that tne Prime Minister of to-day was at the bead of the Government which some nineteen years ago first recognised the potency of the undertaking, and provided for it bv statutory authority and financial grant, thfro should be no real difficulty in convincing the Government once again of the right course to take in the matter.