LEVIN-MARTON RAILWAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 978, 11 April 1911, Page 4

LEVIN-MARTON RAILWAY.

IMPORTANT MEETING AT

LEVIN,

THE NECESSITY FOR THE LINE IMPORTANT DECLARATION 13V THE MAYOR IN REGARD TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. A large and representative meeting of the citizens of the district was held last evening in the Century Hall, Queen street. Levin, for tho purpose of taking into consideration the question of the proposed LevinGroatford railway. The 'Mayor (Mr B. R. Gardener) was the prime mover in the matter, and the tact that county and borough interests were fully represented and that every class in the community took a personal interest in the meeting was most gratifying. In opening the proceedings the Mayor said that they had met that evening on a very important matter, which was of deep interest, not merely to themselves, hut to the whole of the dominion. The agitation in regard to the proposed line between Marton and Levin was not a new thing at all. As a matter of fact it was started early in the nineties. About 1895 there was a proposal made to the Government that diey should allow the line to ho constructed by private enterprise. Money would have been forthcoming and tho line could have become an accomplished fact. Of cour.se a. great deal of opposition had to he expected to the scheme. On© of the Commissioners of Railways was requested to make a report to the Government in connection with the proposal. He then reported—lß9s—that .although probably the line was not required at the time, without doubt when the Main Trunk lino was constructed, to Auckland the question would be a. matter of deep consideration for tho Government. The Commissioner recognised that a straight line was a great deal better than a crooked one. The Mayor went on to say that he recollected in 1895 it was regarded as a matter of speculation if a Main Trunk lino could he constructed. But that lino was now an accomplished fact, and what they had to do now was to bring pressure upon tho Government to utilise the lino between Levin and Marton for the diversion of traffic over the main line. People travelling in the colonies wanted to get to the end of their journeys as quickly as they could, and the proposed line would enormously increase their facilities in that direction. The Manawatn line was constructed and people knew what the Government eventually had to pay to buy it out. That company was at the time paying very handsome dividends, and it cost the Government £1,000,000 to buy it out. It was all very well for Palmerston North to criticise tho scheme. Palmerston was apparently working for tho East Coast. They looked to Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa. But what had Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa to do with Palmerston North? Palmerston North had got no real argument to bring forward. They said that the line would pass through nothing more than a lot of sand hills. Palmerston said that the country was no good. _ Everyone who knew anything about the country knew that such statements were false. (Applause.) The dairy industry proved the falsity of the statement. Good, land was required for dairying. In 189< the number of cows in Manawatn was 3980; in Horowhennn 3317 ; in 1908 in Manawatn 10,1-13, in Horowhenna 8297. The number of pigs had increased enormously. So that when a Palmerston paper paper stated that the land through which the railway passed was a wilderness, it showed! that- it had not made many inquiries into the matter. The land between Levin and Foxton was the poorest that the line would pass through, and yet it was only a. short time ago that land there was sold for £9 an acre. With proper cultivation the land would be worth from £2O to £3O an acre. All along that district where the lino would go they found creameries and factories dotted about, and, when they found a district progresing and increasing its values by million of pounds like these particular districts were, then ho said that there .should he little risk in constructing the line. There were many men who, if the Government would let them do so, would build the line, and if the movement in which they were engaged was to bear fruit they would have to put, their shoulders to the wheel. They had a very goodi case arid they must not remain idle. They had to impress upon the Government not only the necessity of studying their own interests, nut of studying the interests of the tiomin ion as a whole. A great deal of time was lost in travelling between Wellington and Palmerston, and they had assembled that evening to request the Government to carry out the promises they had 1 given. A distinct promise had been obtained from Sir Joseph Ward that a trial survey should bo made. That promise was made not only to one deputation, hut in private persons, and tim cost had been placed down upon the Public Works Statement as one of those works that could he carried out. (Cheers.) He moved the following resolution:— “That this meeting of residents of Levin and district requests the Government to take immediate action and have a trial survey made of the proposed Marton-Levin railway in accordance with the promises made by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, on different occasions to deputations, and they would further urge and impress on the Government the importance of keeping faith with the public on this most important question.”

Mr P. Bartholomew seconded the resolution, and said that the proposed line would ho not only a good thing for the district, hut for the country iu general. He recalled the promises of tiie Government to make surveys, and declared that unless a vigorous agitation was initiated nothing would be done. Mr H. J. Richards pointed out that to make the movement a, success they must engage the co-opera-tion of all towns in the dominion, it was manifestly in the interests of Auckland as well as Dunedin to get from one place to the other as expeditiously as possible. Palmerston North naturally did not want to lose its prestige, hut Levin had to consider itself and the interests of tlie whole dominion. The resolution was unanimously adopted. Mr James Pronso moved a resolution emphasising tho necessity of the railway lino. It was to tho effect that the citizens were unanimous that “1. That this line would shorten the through journey froiu Auckland to Wellington by 15 miles in distance and one hour in time. “2. That tho line can be easily and cheaply constructed throughout, almost in a direct line, ami by easy grades and curves. “3 That it would avoid the many steep grades and sharp curves on the present route, particularly between Great-ford and Feifiling. “ I. That the route traverses some of the finest agricultural and pastoral hind iu the dominion, capable of further development. “5. That already about 18 miles of railway on this direct route have been constructed by the Manawatn County Council,

“0. 'Flint as tins 18 miles of railway, dealing solely witli local traffic, is a profitable undertaking, it is quite safe to assume that the deviation, when made available for both through and local traffic, will return handsome profits. “7 That it would considerably relievo the present serious congestion of traffic at Palmerston North.

“8. That it would provide for interchange of produce between the Upper llangitifcei and Lower Manawatu. These districts are peculiarly fitted for interchange of goods to mutual advantage, but the want of the five-mile connection between Greatford and Pukenui prohibits this interchange at present. “9. That its construction and connection with the Government line would provide access to unlimited supplies of metal suitable for ballast and road purposes. “10. That the portion (perhaps the busiest) of the Auekland-Wellington Main Trunk line, Levin to Marton. would in effect be duplicated.

“11. That as the Government in June 1895, refused to allow this direct railway connection to he made by private enterprise, and seeing that but a few mouths ago the Government refused to allow the Manawntu County Council to make a connection from the present terminus at Pukenui with the main line at Greatford, it is only reasonable and equitable that the Government should now construct this line, which its importance to the district and the dominion fully warrants.” Mr F. G. Poe seconded the motion, and remarked that bo bad ‘been on two deputations in connection with the matter. There was an enormous amount of opposition to bo met, but bo believed that the Palmerston and Feilding opposition could be successfully met. (Applause). Mr H. J. ‘Richards said that Sir Joseph Ward’s actual words to the last deputation when __ the railway was suggested were; “Von need not mention that; we have already gone further than yourselves. 1 have placed it in my statement as one of the urgent works to be undertaken as soon as the Main Trunk line is out of hand.”

Mr C. Palinor snfjfiost'O-rl that a requisition should be distributed along the various centres along the proposed route of the railway. The time was ripe now as the elections were

coming. The Mayor, in proposing that the resolutions should he sent to the Government stated that the acreage which covered the proposed route was 300,000 acres. Practically 100 square miles of country which at (he present time was not served by railway. Ho was pleased to see such a largo and representative gathering, 'because it gave some encouragement to those who were trying to engineer the movement, and he was certain tnat the Borough Council would he quite prepared to spend any reasonable amount of money in the way of advertising and giving publicity to the matter. But the public must assist in the organisation. Mr France seconded the motion. He said that it was a step in the right direction, ami it would be necessary to follow up the matter now that a start had been made, it was quite time something was done. Mr A. J. Arnold thought that Levin had been the sleepiest paid- of: the whole district. U a little more interest had been shown in the matter more would have been done. He suggested 1 that a Chamber of Commerce should be formed in Levin. That would be one of the most effective ways of keeping matters such as this before the public. The Mayor pointed out that Bovin had a Chamber of Commerce, but it had not been able to meet for various reasons. He would, however, call a meeting of that body, and when he did so ho hoped that not only the business people of the town but the farming community would turn up. (Applause.) Replying to other questions the Mayor maintained that la?vin had not been asleep in the matter of pushing forward the proposed railway scheme. The resolution was adopted, and the question was then referred to the Levin Chamber of Commerce.