THE LOANS FOR RAILWAYS.

Kumara Times, Issue 2993, 7 June 1886, Page 2

THE LOANS FOR RAILWAYS.

PROPOSED LOOP-LINE FOR KUMARA AND DISTRICTS. PUBLIC MEETING AT THE TOWN HALL. A public meeting, convened by his Worship the Mayor by resolution of the Borough Council, was held in the Town Hall on Friday evening, for the purpose of considering the advisability of urging on the Government the necessity of connecting Kumara and districts by a loop-line with the HokitikaGrey mouth and East and West Coast Railways. There was a good attendance of the public. The Chairman stated that the meeting had been convened by a resolution of the Borongh Council to urge upon the Government the necessity of connecting Kumara and other centres of population in this district with the East and West Coast and GreyraouthHokitika railways. The reasons for this agitation were manifold, but he would confine himself to mentioning but one or two. First of all, the Colonial Treasurer had foreshadowed a scheme of borrowing which would extend over a number of years, at the rate of a million and a half yearly, exclusively for railway purposes. Bat ia the schedule of works to be constructed by those loans there was no mention of any part of this district • being included in the scheme. Now, although some people in Hokitika had said that the time has not arrived to agitate for this connection, and were disposed to quietly wait till the Grey-mouth-Hokitika lino is finished, we would get a connection by-aud-by, be considered that the time for agitation had fully oine, He believed there was hardly a person in Westland but knew that this proposed junction with the East and West Coast Railway at Rocky Point would be of more importance to Kumara than its connection with the Greymonth-Hokitika line. For some childish reason some persons say that agitating for this line might have the effect of stopping the East and West Coast line. Even one of our representatives in the Couuty Council, Mr M'Whirter, said publicly at a meeting of the County Council when this same question was brought on by Mr Seddon before he went to Wel’ington, that although he (Mr M‘Whirter) personally believed the Greymonth-Hokitika line would not pay for grease on the wheels, still, ho would not support the agitation for this line, because, he childishly said, it may j •-■top the Last and West Coast line. He j thought this was a foolish argument. Some years ago such an argument might have been very goodj but now it.

would not hold water. Here is the Greymouth-Hokitika line under construction and now actually partly made. A.s for the East and West Coast line, he Syndicate would he only too glad if there were many other loop linns agitated for. He considered we should not he doing mir duty t<> ourselves and children if we did not t.y for* a share of those loans for which we and they will have to hear a proportionate share of taxation. [Applause], He might state that he had communicated wdth Mr Seddon on the subject, and he (the Ohaii man) thought that there was every probability of their being successful ; and he was only sorry that the County Council did not strengthen their member’s hands before he left for Wellington. Mr P. Dnngan begged to move the following resolution— That this meeting is of opinion that in view of the construction of the East and West Coast and Hokitika and Greymouth railways it would greatly enhance the value of those undertakings by connecting the said line by a branch or loop lines via Stafford, Waimea, and Kumara, and would respectfully urge upon the Government to have the required surveys and necessary data taken in hand as early as possible, and that the work be one of Government recognition in liavinw its construction considered in the allocation of the coming loan.—The branch line referred to would traverse the entire valley of the Teremakau which contains vast mineral resources besides timber and a large quantity of good agricultural land. Addressing the Mayor and gentlemen, Mr Dnngan remarked that it waa necessary to convene the meeting regarding the railway question * it was right and proper that it should be done,°aa the wishes of the people ought to’ be consulted in the matter. It waa not the first time he had proposed a resolution of this kind, and, in doing so, he believed that the people of this district were entitled to a voice on the subject, when the large ques'ion of Railway Construction was in the hands of the Government. There was no use in speaking of what had taken place in the past, as most of them were conversant with it; but he desired to point out that the scope of the resolution was of a two-fold character. In the first place reference was made to the East and West Coast and the Greymonth and Hokitika railways, and it was well known that the former had been provided for, as a Syndicate would have the consti action of it. As foreshadowed in the Governor’s speech on opening Parliament and in the Colonial Treasurer’s Financial Statement, to piomote the construction of railways to open the country and aid the progress of settlement, it is intended to i aise moie loans for railwav purposes throughout the colony. Under these circumstances it was desirable, that the people of this district should impress upon the Government the desirability and impoi tance of making provision for a branch or loop-line to connect the centres of population in this district with the main line of railway. He thought if this work were carried out, it won d prove in the end both a beneficial and valuable one. Of coarse it was a well-known theme that the re sources of the country were of an; inexhaustible character, and the Government were now trying to further the best means of opening up and settling the inland dstricts,° and thus mote fully developing the great and . ich resources which the West Coast of this island unquestionably possessed. Our West Coast goldfields (the speaker continued) are chiefly the life of everything. He trusted the manifold and important in'crests involved in goldfields communication would receive that attention from the Government which they deserved, and which the present Ministry had not been slow to recognise.—[Applause.] Mr Ziegler seconded the resolution, which was put and carried unanimously. Mr W. Morris said he had a resolution to propose which was a very simple affair. It was— That copies of the foregoing resolution be forwarded to the Hon. the Premier, the member for the district, to J. Bevan, Esq , and the Hon. J. A. Bonar M.L.O. ’ In the first place the fact of the Grey-mouth-Hokitika Railway not tonchin® at the centres of population but travel ing the beach was almost ridiculous. He believed in connecting Kumara, Goldsborough and Stafford with the East and West Coast Railway. There was no telling at the present time, bub he believed that this railwav would shortly be expended a good way south. The Minister of Mines told us them •was some fine country and splendid timber between this and the Hanst, and a railway would have to go in the, direction spoken of. This district led every v ght to claim a shire of 'he loaves and fi.-dies; wp were as much entitled to a railway ■ s districts whicl}

had been already provided with them and it was nonsense to say that it would not pay for grease. The Cunterbury people had been agitating for some time past; and if we did not do so, we should simply be left out in the cold. We who are the bone and sinew, who have kept up Greymoutb and Hokitika have just as great a right to get cheap accommodation as Hokitika or Greymoutb, which places simply sought to benefit themselves. — [Applause.] Mr Morris concluded by reading the resolution again. Mr Yoysey seconded the motion. The Chairman remarked that he thought the Hokitika people would far sooner have the railway come this way. Fancy Kumara goods going to Brunnerton, thence to Greymoutb and Hokitika and back to Kumara, some 50 or 60 miles, whilst we could be connected with the East and West Coast Kailway via Rocky Point in 18 miles. It was quite clear we should agitate this matter. He believed Mr Seddon was agitating for this line, and knew full well what he is about. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Mr Marshall gave it as his opinion that the agitation was unnecessary, as he understood there would be a branch line of five miles from Kumara to the Beach. Mr Brown, of Canterbury, said it gave him great pleasure to see such an audience. As regards the first resolution he said “You just work together, you Kumara men, and you’ll get that line.”—[Loud applause.] The Chairman said he would forward the resolutions as desired, and if it were found necessary to take any further action, he wond call another meeting.