THE DINNER.

Manawatu Herald, 28 June 1904, Page 2

THE DINNER.

At six o’clock the same evening the Foxton team entertained the Motuiti players at a dinner.at Host Perreau’s. After full justice had been done to the good things provided, Mr A. Shadbolt was voted to the chair. During the evening the following toasts were proposed and responded to:—‘The Natives,’ ‘The Foxton Captain,’ ‘ The Motuiti Captain,’ and ‘ The Referee.’ After the natives had given a short haka, a pleasant evening was brought to a close by singing “ God save the King.”

NOTES.' A team from Poroutawhao journey to Foxton to-morrow to play the local team. The match will take place on the racecourse,- and start at 2,30 o’clock. The following will represent Foxton : —Full-back, J. Dunn; threequarters, J. Louisson, J. Joe, A. Wright; five-eighths, G. Dunn ; half, R. Corkery ; forwards, J. Desmond, A. Broad, D. Purcell, J. Jiflet, J. Lyne, J. Lee, W. Hooker, T. Curtis, J. Coley. Emergencies—Forwards, J. Reid, F. Procter, W. Glover; backs, A. Robinson A. Harper. A meeting of local footballers will be held to-night at Mr Levett’s hotel at 8 o’clock. We are informed that the Mayor (Mr G. Simpson), has promised a cup or banner, to be competed tor by teams in the district. This, no doubt, will help to revive this manly game which has been practically dead in this district for the last four or five years.

The Proposed Levin-Great-ford Railway. DELEGATES MEET AT FOXTON. A meeting of the delegates appointed by the different local bodies interested in the proposed extension of the above line was held at the Borough Chambers yesterday at noon. There were present—His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Coley, Austin, Spelman, Stiles and Overend (Foxton Borough Council), J. Claris (Manawatu County Council) and the following members of the Bulls Town Board—Messrs Thos. .King, Geo. Gray, D. Coughlin and E Westwood. Mr R. B, McKenzie, who represented a Rongotea committee favourable to the project, and who is taking an active interest in the matter also attended. The Horowhenua County Council was unrepresented, although that body had appointed a delegate. The Mayor said—Gentlemen, we have received from the undermentioned bodies the following letter ; “ Mayor of Foxton—Dear Sir, re proposed Greatford-Levin Railway. The following local bodies have agreed to assist in urging on the Government the desirability of constructing the proposed line: The Manawatu County Council, Horowhenua County Council, Foxton Borough Council, and Bulls Town Board. It is now proposed that a meeting from representatives of each body be held to consider the best means of unitedly urging on the Government the importance of this work so that it shall have equal consideration with similar works in other parts of the colony. I have been requested to arrange for such a meeting, and propose that it should be held in Foxton on 27th June, and hope to meet one or more members of your Council on that date. If the time or place does not suit will you kindly suggest another so that I can arrange accordingly. Kindly reply as soon as convenient so' that alteration can be made if necessary. Yours truly, R. B. McKenzie.” In consequence of that letter, gentlemen, the clerk of the Borough Council was instructed to write you that the Foxton Borough Council would be pleased to meet you here. Ido not know whether all these bodies are represented, but your first duty will be to elect your chairman, because this is outside the Borough Council business. Or. Coughlin (Bulls) proposed that his Worship the Mayor take the chair. Seconded by Or King (Bulls) and carried.

Mr R. B. McKenzie (farnarvon) said—l should like to make an explanation of what has been done hitherto. I am not a member of any of’ the local bodies, and it is for you to say if I should take any further part in the matter. I shall be pleased to give any assistance I can, *As this is a meeting of the local bodies I will be quite willing to retire if you wish. I will read the notices I have received from the various local bodies, then you will be in possession of the facts up to the present stage. In the first place the matter was brought before a meeting in Rongotea, and it was thought that we should make a move to endeavour to get this line through. We thought that while other parts of the colony are getting railways and extension, for want of move in this part of the district we are not receiving the construction we should. That led in the first place to deputations from Rongotea meeting with the various local bodies, and so far we have been very successful that way in enlisting the sympathy of the various local bodies, with the exception of the Rangitikei County Council and the Marton Borough Council. Their replies are not as satisfactory as I could wish, but they are not in any way antagonistic to the movement. The Rangitikei ounty Council passed a resolution to the effect that “ this Council does not see its way to take any part at present in the movement.” The Horowhenua County Council says “ I am directed to acknowledge receipt of yours of the 7th inst, and I now beg to forward you copy of resolution passed at the meeting—That the chairman be appointed a delegate to confer with the other local bodies in regard* to the GreatfordLevin line.” Mr Venn, the chairman, did not inform me whether it was his intention to meet us at Foxton on the 27th inst. I have received no further communication from him, but I wrote him after that telling him of the meeting, but have had no further reply. I am rather surprised at that because when I was at Horowhenua they were quite enthusiastic about it, so that I fully expected to see them represented to-day. I wrote to the Manawatu County .Council and received a reply, dated 13th June,— “ Your letter of the 7th inst. arrived in Sandon too late for consideration by the Cobncjl at its last meeting I have forwarded your letter to Mr Wilson,” Since then I saw the chairman and got this other letter—- “ Re proposed Greatford-Levia

Railway : In reply to your letter of 17th inst, I have been directed to say that the chairman will be unable to attend the meeting proposed to be held on the 27th inst. Councillors Robinson and Claris will be asked if they can make it convenient to attend." I wrote to Councillors Robinson and Claris after I got that. I saw Councillor Masters and he said he would have been very glad to attend but he had not been appointed, otherwise he would be here to-day. This is from the Marton Borough Council—“ I beg to inform you that the Council at its last meeting passed the following resolution : That this Council is of opinion that the time is inopportune for pushing on the proposed Greatford-Levin Railway" That is notjantagonistic, but not as satisfactory as we could expect. When I had the meeting with the members of the Marton Borough Council it was on the day of the Council’s meeting, and one of its members was also on the Rangitikei Council. Some were absent but the Mayor and three councillors were there, and they were extremely in favour of doing all they could to push the matter on. At a subsequent meeting the Rangitikei County Council passed the resolution that I referred to. The Councillors I spoke to seemed to be in favour of it, but the chairman was not and made a rather extraordinary statement. Ha gave reasons why he opposed it. He said he did not think the Foxton people were in favour of it He said he would rather see the money being spent in the Wairarapa district or in lowering the Rimutaka grade, or in the back blocks. It seems to ma rather a broad view for a chairman of a local body to take, that he would rather see the money spent - in. some other district than his own. Now it will be for you gentlemen to agree on the best means of bringing this before the Government. I would suggest that each local body should be asked to make application .to the Government to take ove'r the tram line and make a line right through, and that we should also hold meetings in the different centres asking the members of parliament to attend if we can. I daresay we could arrange for a meeting to come here and go right through the line and see the country it passes through. I recognise that the present time is somewhat inopportune. TbflAis a scarcity of money. But wait for an opportune time, our chances will be gone altogether. I have clippings from the late gazettes which show that the Government have now proposed to take land for the extension of lines down south, and there they have 500 miles of line more than we have, and here we have nearly 10,000 of population more, in addition to the Maori population. (Mr McKenzie here read the Ga-

zettes relating to the taking of land for railways in Otago, and also for the extension of the Waihapu-Ho-mutu branch.) There are two different lines that they are going on with in the South, and also the Cul-verden-Hampden line. I notice Mr Mills a few days ago mentioned two lines in another district in the South. If they have money to push on lines in the South, then I think we should make our claim at least equal with theirs (Hear, hear.) If there is no money for ours, then there is no money for theirs, I have a map of the district showing the land through which the proposed line would pass. I also- made out a table of the distances that would be saved from the various points. (Mr McKenzie here produced a map showing the relative positions of the proposed line and the Manawatu line.) The distance from Foxton to Levin would be 9 miles (sic), but if to the station in Levin, 11 miles. From Foxton to Wellington by rail there would be a difference of 34 miles shorter than the Palmerston route. From Himatangi to Wellington there would be a difference of 22 miles ; and if going North by rail it is 58 miles to Greatford' from Sandon, against 8 miles in a direct line along the proposed track; so that it means a saving of 50 miles if a man is going northwards. I haveWht sheep both to Wanganui and We!lington, and I have either to drive,; them from Longburh, which is a two day’s drive, or from Greatford, in which case tlaere is nearly two day’s drive; and this is rather rough I think on the settlers in the Manawatu district after their having spent on the tram-line something like £23,000. And now we cannot use it for the sake of 5 miles at one end and 11 at the other. If we had it connected we should have the benefit of the £23,000 we have spent, or made ourselves liable for. This, too, ought to be borne in mind, we have done more towards the construction of private lines in this part of the country than all the the colony put together. the Manawatu Line, the FoxronSandon Pram, and the Wanganui Heads Line. All the rest of the colony* together has less than 10 miles. Many private lines were started in the South Island and worked as private lines, but all were taken over by the Government, and why should not this be ? If you go into the question of the population of the district, or the productiveness, it will compare favourably

With any other part of the colony. AH this goes to show we are nob asking anything at all unreasonable, and I would strongly request you gentlemen to take such action today as will bring this matter before the notice of the Government, and keep it before them until we get our rights. We do not expect to get it in a day, perhaps a year, but the sooner we start the sooner we are likely to get it I should like to express my gratitude to the various local bodies for the kindly way in which they have received me, the consideration they have shown me, and the assistance they have given me. If my committee have done anything to bring this thing forward, we feel fully paid, and if there is anything further I can do I shall be pleased to do it. Bub I am not a member of any local body, so that I do not know that I have any standing in this meeting unless you choose to give me some position. The Mayor: I have very great pleasure in proposing that Mr McKenzie act as secretary, and that will give him a status. Cr Spelraan seconded this proposal, ■ Mr McKenzie suggested that someone in the borough should act for the meeting; he was quite willing to act as secretary for that meeting. The Mayor; You have heard the reasons, gentlemen, that Mr McKen zie has put forward in support of the proposed railway scheme. I should like to heat any views you may express on the matter. I am disappointed we have not the representatives that were supposed to be here. It shows lukewarmness on their part in any case. I shall not forget to remind them of it. They are as , much interested in the railway as we are in Foxton, and they should have ' Bad representatives here and given their views on the matter. However we have the Bulls Town Board well represented here, and no doubt we .shall have some valuable suggestions from these gentlemen. Or Claris (Manawatu), asked whether the expense to Marton would be very much greaser than to Great ford. The Mayor said that it meant a , difference of about 2 miles to join at 1 Marton instead of at Greatford. He thought Marton was the right place tp iqin, but Greatford was shorter. jBLr Coughlin (Bulls): The only udreisence is that the line is already surveyed from Bulla to Greatford, and if you go to Marton you have to strike off in a different direction through peoples’ prop rty. That means acquiring private property. Cr King (Bulls): I think it is only fair that I should explain with regard to the Bulls Town Board. Their offer to support a railway and the construction of a railway or to advocate its construction is not an absolute one. It depends to some extent on what direction the railway would take. For instance if the point of junction with the Marton line takes place on this side of the Rangilikei River, then I do not think the Bulls people would consider themselves justified in asking the Government for support, in view of the possible detriment to the town. That is the position, and I think I am speaking the wishes of the Bulls local body in stating that until where the point of junction shall be is determined, that Bulls reserves the right ot saying whether it will support it or not. I think it is only fair to say this at this stage, because the Buljs people do not wish to have their town isolated. ■ Mr McKenzie: I should have read a letter from the Bulls Town Board. What Mr King says is quite correct, but it is so clear to me that this is the only line that it is hardly worth while discussing it. By going straight through that takes the nearest point, and saves going through some very bad country. Ido not think there will be any question about that, looking at the map and the country. I do not think any engineer or company would think of goiiig up that way instead of going up where they are already close to the railway. [The remainder of onr report will appear in our next issue.]

Owing to pressure on our space we have been compelled to hold over some correspondence and reports for a subsequent issue.