GISBORNE PROTEST

Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1930, Page 5

GISBORNE PROTEST

AT GOVERNMENT’S DECISION.

TO STOP RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

GISBORNE, December 23

The Chamber of Commerce despatched the following telegram last night to the Acting-Prime Minister:—“Gisborne Chamber o'f Commerce on behalf of Poverty Bay district, expressed astonishment and disgust at the breaking of Government’s promise that no action would be taken in the direction of stopping the railway to Gisborne until full opportunity had been given the Representatives of the district to place evidence beore the Parliamentary Committee. If financial troubles compelled temporary stoppage of all new railway construction your action might be justified but considering this district’s prior claim to the completing of the work started over thirty years ago to connect Poverty Bay with New Zealand’s railway system, and placed by successive Governments as first in importance to New Zealand, we cannot admit any other line can compare in possibilities with this work. Do you realise that only twenty miles o'f construction remain to be completed between Gisborne and Wtiiron. That tens of thousand pounds of valuable material are assembled nt road and tunnel points, that will take a year to remove and clean up. That less than a million and a quarter will finish the whole work from Gisborne south, and that this Chamber can show in its evidence a j’evenue from Gisborne ot £130,000 annually, enough to pay eleven per cent, on this outlay. Do you realise that Gisborne land district served by this line contains 4000 square miles of good ountry. That we have one seventh of the sheep c'f New Zealand here and that Gisborne and district population of 35,000 is shut off from New Zealand’s railway system by miles of dangerous roads. That thousands of potential railway passengers never leave or enter Gisborne for want of this safe means of access.

Apparently Government has heard one side of this question and lias not lived up to its definite promises, that delegates from the district would be allowed to give evidence before any decision was arrived at.

A public meeting will be convened after the holidays to make an emphatic protest against stopping this essential work. Meantime we trust you will not take any immediate step to disorganise operations, which mean even a temporary stoppage of the work.