The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, May 13.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 7, 13 May 1893, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, May 13.

When the Forest Hill Tramway, now known as the Hokonui railway, was constructed twelve or thirteen years ago the farmers in the. Hedgehop© district cherished the hope' that the line, would, at no distant date, cross the Makarewa river and give them,-what they had long and patiently waited for—a ready means of communication with the outside world. But although promises were made in abundance,, performance was conspicuous by its absence, and the long-suffering resi-. dents of the Hedgehope are still railwayless. ■ “ So near, and yet so far” is the burden of their-song, for the Hokonui line, although only three miles from some of the Hedgehope homesteads, has stopped short on private property on the other side of the Makarewa, and is utterly useless to anyone to the. eastward. The settlers interested have made periodical efforts to secure the extension of the line, and, as will be seen from the report in another column, have once more engaged in the woi’k. They have enlisted the aid of the residents of Winton and Gore, and are circulating a petition which asks that the railway shall be carried to Gore or some point near it on the main line. It is scarcely likely that a work of such magnitude will be undertaken for some years. It might be regarded as somewhat in the nature of a luxury, but an extension of the existing line of from three to five miles would prove a great boon to a large number of settlers, and could be carried out at a comparatively small outlay. Eastward from the Makarewa the country is most suitable for a railway, presenting no engineering difficulties whatever. The carrying out of the work would give a great impetus to settlement, and would revolutionise the system on which farming has hitherto, through force of circumstances, been conducted in that district. With a means of ■ access to outside markets increased areas would be brought under cultivation, and the resources of the district would be rapidly developed. The extensive blocks of fine timber on the Hokonui ranges wonld be speedily turned to account, and so, too, would the coal deposits which many believe boring will prove to exist in the valley of the Hedgehope. Clay eminently suitable for pottery has been found in quantity, and will probably be worked ere long. There would be an immediate and remunerative traffic for the line, for in this case settlement has gone before the “ iron horse.” At the meeting to which reference has just been made some very strong arguments in favour of the extension were put forth by the speakers, and it was decided to interview the Colonial Treasurer on the subject before he leaves Invercargill. That gentleman is also the member for AAvarua, in which district the existing . line runs. The extension desired will carry it into the Mataura electorate, and the representative of that distinct (Mr G. F. Richardson), will also be deputationised. It will thus be seen that those interested are determined to spare no pains to secure their object, and it is to be hoped that success will at last crown their efforts. The diffic; Ities and discoui’agements of a farmer’s lot when cut off from the benefits of railway communication were tersely and graphically put by one of the pioneers of the district (Mr A. McKay) who sees nothing for it, if a change for the better does not soon occur, but a “flitting” to some other part of the country, where the conditions of life are less exacting. It is no wonder that the Hedgehope people, after living for years within sound, so to speak, of the locomotive on the lines to the north, south, east, and Avest of them, should at last seek to share in

the. benef.ts enjoyed by tbelr more fortunate ellov. colonists. Tkat they Inay succeed will be tbe wish of all interested in the advancement of Southland. In conclusion, it seems to us that the work is one which might well be made the subject of the co-operative principle which the Government is applying to the extension of the Seaward Bush railway. The conditions in both cases are almost analagous. In each there is a river to cross before a payable point is reached, and both have been in hand for a good many years.