The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1879.

Kumara Times, Issue 870, 15 July 1879, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1879.

The question of the deviation of the Hokitika and Greymouth Railway so that it may embrace the chief centres of population en route is again prominently brought under our notice by the letter of a correspondent in another column. This subject—which has already been the medium of bringing to light the selfish motives that actuate a small portion of the community, the utter incapacity of official skill to surmount a slight engineering difficulty, and lastly, not least, the thorough disregard shown to the wishes and interests of the majority of the inhabitants of the district generally—is one of such paramount importance as to justify the adoption of the most energetic measures to ensure its receiving the attention of Parliament. It is a wellknown fact, and one that we doubt not even the strongest advocates of the teach line, with all their glowing expectations, will not dispute, that should the working expenses of the line depend solely on the traffic between the two ports, its average expenditure over receipts will form the largest item in its returns'. To shew the strange ami apparent indifference displayed in tlim matter, wo have only to refer to the late festive proceedings at Hokitika on the turning of the first soil (I) of thivery railway. On that occasion, although the, speeches were numerous

setting forth the advantages that would accrue from the construction, none of the speakers dilated on the suicidal policy of making the direct Beach line, while the deviation through the more populous district would tend to make it a self-supporting if not a remunerative one. Evidently believing that “sufficient for the day is the evil thereof,” the future prospects or benefits of the contemplated undertaking as affecting this district were in that instance unthought of, unrecognised and unsung. Our northern neighbours, however, are keenly alive to the fact that the deviation in the line would be beneficial, inasmuch as it would open up a large tract of country which, if auriferous, must necessarily tend to the interests of trade. As meetings have been convened to consider this question, for the present we refrain from anv further comment thereon, but would strongly depricato the attempts being made by a few interested individuals to strangle, as it were, the goose that would lay the golden eggs.