HOKITIKA-GREY RAILWAY.

Kumara Times, Issue 3162, 22 December 1886, Page 3

HOKITIKA-GREY RAILWAY.

THE KUMARA DEVIATION QUESTION. A publiic meeting was held in the Public Hall, Dilluian's Town, on Monday evening "to consider the ndvisibility of having a deviation made so as to connect Knniara with the HokitikaGrey R»ilw rt y." There whs a goodly attendance. Mr George Watson was voted to the chair, and called upon Mr Seddon, as the convener of the meeting, to address those present. Mr R. J. Seddon, M.H.R., who exhibited a largo plan of the deviation, said it was to the interest of the people in this part, and in fact all parts, of Itbe colony to have a railway made '■where settlements were permanent and progressing. There was a very large portion of the revenue expended year after year in the construction of rail•ways, yet we on the West Coast, and at Kumara, in particular, were deriving 110 benefit, although we paid our eqoal phaie with the inhabitants of those

towns and places who alone benefitted by the expenditure. It was a matter which came home to every man when he has to put his hands into his pocket. With regard to this mil way, it may be observed that it mostly urns along the beach ; that it crosses the Teremakau River nenr the wire cage; then deviates off to the Beach again almost at a right-angle triangle. By the course he proposed, the deviation would only be one mile and a quarter or a mile and a half longer than the originally surveyed line, and would bring the railway about two miles from Kumara. It was a mistake on the part of any Government to carry a railway too near the sea shore in order to try and compete with water-carriage. This mistake had been made with the Christchurch and Dunedin Railway line; and the Government had found out that they could not convey goods from port to port as cheaply as the steamers; therefore the object the promoters of a railway ought to keep in view should be to open up settlement and give aid to towns in the interior. There would also be a large saving in branch lines. He held that the nearer a railway was brought to our doors the belter. If we had the deviation proposed, people here would be able to go to Greymouth or Hokitika, do their business, and be back the same day. This deviation would cost very little more than taking it along the route originally proposed, whilst future connections would be sure to follow, and which would take the. line through some of the best forest laud in New Zealand. He considered this deviation was 50 per cent, better than the direct route, and the grade would not exceed 1 in 50, as stated by the Minister of Public Works. Then again, he found that whereas about 3000 tons of goods were landed in Hokitika from Greymouth last year, 5000 came to Kumara. The deviation he proposed would also, as previously stated, be better for future connections. Ei»ht years ago Mr Blake, who had been over the whole country, stated the deviation was the best line, and there was no difficulty as regarded levels. The E B line which passes through Kumara, (as perhaps some present do not know) was named after Mr Edwin Blake. There were two probable connections with the East and West Coast Railway: one from Rocky Point to Kumara, 20 miles; and the other from Lake Brunner to Kumara, 10 miles. The company would probably first make the line to Lake Brunner, as land will be taken by them in that locality in payment for the railway. Kumara supplies Greenstone at the present time, and would be the central market.—[Mr Seddon spoke upon several other matters in support of the deviation he proposed, but as he was more fully reported in these in last Friday's issue, it is not necessary to repeat, his remarks here. He resumed his seat amidst the applause of the audience.] Mr E. Brennan had some remarks to make in the matter of grades. The railway at the Blue Mountains in New South Wales had grades of 1 in 32 and lin 42. He thought if the deviation for Kumara could be tiip.de in 1 in 50, that was no obstacle to the engineers or the working of the line. He deprecated leading nrticles being written advisinw the people not even to listen to the member for this district on the subject; it was an insult to this community. What benefit would the railway between Kumara and Hokitika be without the deviation? It would be better to continue traveling by coach. If the Hokitikians insisted in protesting against this deviation to Kumara, boycott them the same as they do in Ireland !- [Laughter]—and let us support the Greymouth people.—[Mr Brennan could not proceed owing to a man who appeared in a state of obfuscation standing up right in front of him, and endeavouring to " argue the point." The latter had to be removed by a constable, before ordwr was restored.] Mr James Rogers then moved the following resolution That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable and in the interest of lira , district and of the colony that a deviation of the Grey-Hokitika Railway be made so as to bring the same near to Kumara. That the attention of the Government be called to the fact that the total tonnage of floods landed from Greymouth at Hokitika last year was about 4000 tons ; that with that fact before it Government must know that the direct route will not pay ; also, that Kumara and the district of which it forms a centre has a larger population than Hokitika, and the goods landed at Kumara last year exceeded 5000 tons. He contended that the nearer goods were brought to our doors, the cheaper they would be. [Applause.] Mr Mnnro seconded the resolution, which was put to the meeting, and declared carried unanimously; there were however two who held up their hands against the resolution.

Mr Richard Hobbs moved the second resolution, as follows— That copies of the foregoing resolution be forwarded to the Hon. the Premier, the Hon. the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, the Hon. the Minister of Mines, and the other members of the Cabinet, with an intimation ihat to refuse the deviation, thereby injuring this district, ill requites a community that has given a hearty and loyal support to the present Administration.

Mr W. Wells seconded the resolution. He considered this community had been grossly insulted by the Hokitika people in passing the resolution they did at their meeting the other night, and also by members of Parliament

in being called "Stale paupers." He thought, ihe! paupers—those who weie -!(>,l'n'oiit ujioiiKiiuiara—were in Hokitik;i. He for one would -rather theie weie do railway at all along the beach if the deviation to Kunmra were not to be constructed.

The resolution was put, and carried unanimously. Mr. Seddqn did n.ot concur in the opinion no deviation, no tail way at all; but the deviation was the correct thing, and he had been given to understand that there was a reaction now in Hokitika on the subject, and he believed that if the first resolution could be put to a public meeting in Hokitika to night, it would be cart ied.—[Hear, Lear.] He believed the moral sense of the meeting in Hokitika were in favour of the deviation, though the amendment was carried by clap-trap.— [Applause.] He moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman.

This was carried by acclamation, and the people were about retiring, when Mr \V. Morris said he thought they should not disperse without some protest against the insult given at the late public meeting in Hokitika to the member for this district and the constituency. He would therefore move—

That we, the miners of Kumara, in public meeting assembled, desire publicly to protest against the insults offered to our representative and this constituency, at a puhlic meeting in Hokitika recently, on the Kumara Railway. Deviation question.

Whatever Mr Sheldon's opinions might be, the people had every right to show respect to our representatives at a publie meeting ; it was an insult offered not only to them but to us as a community, and was mainly due to the action of a party or clique who wished to "ratify their own political aniniowity.—[Applause.] Mr D. M'Counon seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation. Mr Scddon thanked the meeting foi this spontaneous expression of opinion; and with this the meeting broke up.