STRATFORD-ONGARUE RAILWAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 104, 22 October 1908, Page 2

STRATFORD-ONGARUE RAILWAY.

TO THE EDITOR. • Sir,--In your issue of the 9th v inst., 1 notice the followinyg in an article Wi* the above railway:—"Moreover the | Government, after hearing the arguments on both sides, and obtaining the reports of its own engineers, has de- { cided for the deviation, and has provided for an early start at the Northern end. After making such decision, with a full knowledge of the whole of the circumstances, the authorities will certainly not again consider the question of Ongarue as a starting point."- Now, Sir, can you inform your readers when the Government deicded in favour of the deviation, or if any definite pronouncement has been made in the matter. When I read the report ©X the Public Works Minister, I thought we had no hope but upon looking over it again, I fail to see where he coaimits himself to any route. It appears to me now to be a bit of the "Fo*»l the People" policy of the present administration. The Minister asks for *n increased grant "in view of staining at the Northern end, etc., etc." when he knows full well that the gratlit will lapsed have when Parliament meets again, and that he cannot start any where but at Ongarue without passing an Authorisation Bill to enable him to do so. Does he intend to start at Ongarue, or is this increased amount only asked for to mislead the people? I have been informed that the Minister has since stated that there will be no deviation unless he has some better reason's shown than what he has at present. Whether this is true or not I do not know, and we will have all kinds of promises and statements made to us now to catch our Votes, but I think* it is getting stale. We want to know what they are going to do; if {there is to be a deviation let us know, then we will know our position. Meanwhile, I think it would be advisable for Te Kuiti to back us up for the line Jto Ongarue for all it is worth and then when that is started we will give our support for another branch through their back country. —»I am, etc., ERNEST SOWRY.

to the'editor. Sir, —Having read with considerable interest the articles in last week's Chronicle, in reference to the'StrafojcdMain Trunk .railway, one cwnot hejp noting the sudden change |th*vhgs ha,ve taken the last month or so. "When .first the survey of the new route asked for Te Kuiti anuMfoe -shrwhicl« werci loud in their condemnation of the movement that it wouldjhave no other effect on Parliament than to cause the line to be hung up for twenty years. The petitioners were asked publicly and privately to withdraw the request that the best and jnost fprofitabe Jroute, ha found before a start was made to „ .the Northern end. Of course we understand the reason for all this. What did Tc Kuiti care for the birthright of the Ohura that was being so ruthlessly torn from its people? lam sure that the Ohura's rights were not considered. If the line came through the Waitewhenua Valley, it must to a great extent cripple the township of Te Kuiti; thus we find the people of that place up in arms agaijist the deviation; ready to sacrifice our interests--our only hope of a railway—so we • would be doomed for all time to feed the business places, and contribute, 'by compulsion, to the glory of Te Kuiti and its people. Now when the survey has proved, what was known to the promoters all along—that the new route is the better one of th two — and that the authorities have announced their intention to use it, Te Kuiti is asking us to help to make that centre the junction. It is hardly likely that we will condemn ourselvlcs to a few more years of isolation so that that ami styled commercial centre ma;wjp*rewn its supreme position. In opinion of the people out here we can get amn'g very well without your comrrerJml centre, and we want the line tfnAed at once in the interests of the people who have supported the deviation the first and not to be [delayed people, already well served, about the junction,.—l am, etc., OUT BAOKfIH [The attitude of Te Kuiti to the duTM ation has evidently been Fomcwhiffl misinterpreted. In the first pli"'H anything which appeared in the odi" torial columns of the Chronicle should be entirely disassociated from Te Kuiti. The Chronicle is a district paper, and has consistently advocated the cause of the backblocker,j to a much greater degree than thajl of the townsman. Any opinion aJBjl vanced in the editorial based on what is thought to hcuflMF best interests of the whole apart from private or section ;|MBffi ing of any description. who differs from such opiniorßMS'f" perfect right to state a case sition, and we shall be the ffimp' acknowledge the strength of tlflpr' posing arguments and f'' V( 'Bij' publicity to them. What n"Jj»' has a right to do is to vatc or selfish motives to dual or community with public matters, upon wliic.l' fifff' grounds for opim><l« *' k-c-c-j i; ,l