THE RAILWAY DEVIATION.

Kumara Times, Issue 884, 1 August 1879, Page 2

THE RAILWAY DEVIATION.

[to the editor.] Sir—The West Coast Times has at last spoken on the subject of Railway Deviation to Kninara and Goldsborongh; its words. are in the right direction and in unison with the opinions expressed by the general public. The case is so plain, so just, and so evidently popular, that the engineer must feel pretty well alone in the opposite camp. Dow he is to win against the whole population is a rude problem. A cart-load of his books, charts, - maps, documents, plans and papers of all kinds, would make no impression on the minds of the public at the present juncture. The more I think of the project of a railway along the beach, the more I see in it a deliberate robbery of the rights of the people of the West Coast,

But, Mr Editor, there is another feature in the railway case which has not been brought to light yet, and that is the assumption,, by Mr O’Connor that there will be a main trunk line right down south to Otago. I would like to know when such a trunk line was decreed, and ; where Mr O’Connor gets his information and his authority for acting on that supposition. If I am not mistaken, no trunk line has as yet been decided on by the Government for Westland. It is yet uncertain whether our connexion will be with Otago, or with Canterbury by one of the Tereinakau gorges. It is far more probable than lie* line across. £•*■;*> f.-.t

and then the southern white elephant will dis&ppeaU. Now, in (he event of our connexion with- the east being effected hy the T&ipOjit becomes very evident that tlie deVhifion to Kumara would be, no deviation at all,' hut a portion of the main line, which, comtng down the Teremakau/ would- natutally reach Kumara* and thence branch o(i‘ to Greymmitli and Hokitika : an event which would be of great impoitanco to Knrmita. I must leaVe to yon, Mr Editor, to throw more light oii this subject, and if I am correct in my assertion, it will be evident-to all that the Engineers pet scheme rests on an erroneous assumption. It seems a pity that the Grey Ministry, which has done so rmich for tlie Coast, should be desei'ted by two of the members.—Les ingrats ! YoUrs truly, J. Bladiek. Arahura, 29th July, 1879,