FOXTON-SANDON TRAMWAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 851, 11 June 1910, Page 3

FOXTON-SANDON TRAMWAY.

EXTENSION TO BULLS. PARLIAMENT TO BE PETITIONED. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Manawatu County Council Cr R. B. McKenzie again brought up the question of the continuation of the Foxton-Sandon tram to Bulls. The Council passed a resolution in favour of a petition being presented to Parliament asking either that the extension be carried out by the State or that the Council itself should be allowed to undertake it. In the course of the discussion, the chairman (Cr J. G. Wilson) pointed out that during the time the late Mr J. C. Macandrew was Minister of Public Works Parliament had authorised the construction of a branch line from Greatford to Bulls, and surveys of the route had actually been made, so that there should be no obstacle in the way of the Government taking on the work if necessary funds were forthcoming. It certainly seems illogical for the Government to refuse to allow the Manawatu County Council, which has so abundantly justified its faith in its ability to make a venture of the sort pay, to continue the line to its natural destination ; and no one can reasonably object to the prayer of the petition which it is proposed to present during the ensuing session of Parliament. The Marton Borough Council forwarded a resolution passed by them in which they agreed to join with other local bodies in urging the Government to connect the Foxton-Sandon tramway with the railway at Marton or Greatford station.

Cr McKenzie, who has always been , a strong supporter of the connection being made, said that the local bodies should not be deterred because the Government had refused to sanction a connection with the railway. He proposed that a petition be presented to Parliament, signed either by local bodies or by residents in the district interested. Cr McKenzie said that they were unfortunate in not having the support of the Press to further the movement, but he had reason to believe that they could get support from the newspapers in future. Councillors generally were unanimous in condemning the shortsighted policy of objecting to the line being constructed alter having been constructed by the ratepayers’ money. It was eventually decided to obtain the signatures of representatives of the local bodies to the following petition, which will be presented to Parliament next session :—(1) That the Manawatu County Council have constructed a tramway from Himitangi, where it connects with the Government railway system, to Pukenui, a distance of 18 miles and within five miles of Greatford ; (2) that the various local bodies in the Counties of Rangitikei and r ; Manawatu are desirous of extend-* ing the tramway from the present terminus to Greatlord ; (3) that application be made by the controlling body, the Manawatu County Council, to be allowed to connect with the Government line at Greatford and at Himitangi; (4) that the Minister has refused the request. Your petitioners therefore pray that your Honourable House will recommend that the connection be agreed to, or that the connecting link of the railway- be constructed by the Public Works Department, as was authorised by Parliament at the time of the late Mr Macaudrew, as Minister of Public Works, and was surveyed under his instruction.