The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 1905. PROPOSED RAILWAY TO OPUNAKE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7908, 25 August 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 1905. PROPOSED RAILWAY TO OPUNAKE.

At the meetinsr of tho Cnimril o-f th* Chamber of ('otiwrerco r>" W'odnos-lny last several waiters nlToctins; tho interests of the dislrirt wor--disnissol and resolutions-pass tI thi'rern. Tn tho precis of the btisinp 4 -® transacted, ns stippliod to us l,v |hf secretary of lh" Chamber—tho pros; not, beim; admitted to tlie Council's mretinrs—the first matter d<>;>.lt with I was the niostion'of railway communication between Optitake and Nev I'lymontli. This sulvect has lioen rijs. r "«-M at intervals for son'e .wars and thero has l-oen no diviTrffn'-e r' opini' n as to the advisnl Blitv of S"rJ-

a rai'v. - ;v aw! th" as we'" as savin<: it would lie 'to the selt•ers. The district has l-cen ripe r--r th's r "Iwny for n lon it whiV l pnst. -n-! th ■ demand for it has 1 een L-rnw

n-o~e prising year by ye n r. It ; s not surprising. there-fotv. thai the Council of the Chamber should h ivr decid a thnt. in their opinion it im: vry disiraWe thitti Opunale pbntiK have thr* |Vnefit of a railway cr-nn ' v i ed with the \Yh\Hirnnui—Xnv Plv mouth line. Jt will be noticed thai the very verbose resolution passed or this sil.'ect <lo'S not oimmit tie

f'bainier to an n'lvocnc.v of a XevPlymouth—Opunake l : ne. .htit a ease worthy of the most important legal r'nciinient has evidently heen taken ti > ■>void nny expressian of "opinion ex <ppt 01 the one po'lit. namely, that a lin- should be Constructed to Opunal'c from some point- of the present main line, leaving the wlirle ruestion cf route 'to be decided by the Government fn. its nn .iudgment and with out any indicitirn of what would ' e-t serve the interns of !! • ' body of settlers ire what may ho call- • d a triangular area having Opunake for its apex. This cautious policy may have its points of wis loin an-1

diplomacy, hut it is by no means c rta'n that- it possesses no drawI ac'.s. The Government will dcul.t le-s reran! the resolution .'is- vrirthe sentiments of the business prrple of New Plymouth in t'nour of lhproposal Flthiim (or Stratford)—Opunake lin. It is true th • resolution does not express this view. Hit. it is one of these i |defimti- ivf-olut which are move generally ivmHtrned

I hv what is left unsaid than by what is expressed. Of course the Cioveininrtit fill ultimately ileci-le the rout" —they always it j 1,0, hut in view o; the tirirent negotiations wiiiilj haw Peen piing forward for some time witi the object of seeurn'j; a li! 1 " from either Stratford or Kltham to Opunake, the Council's action clearly means that the business peaple of Nev I'lymoiith are not at (ill interested as to wh"ther tho trade of Opiiflike is I rotifhl to New Plymouth or an' r,tiler town in the district, the ohief cowrm I,i secure for Opurial e a railway, Could any body of bu.sir.es? men tie more utiseltbh of patr'otic? We dwt't it Very much, hut whether 'h : s is the feeling Hn* majority ol our townspeople is another matter al-to-e'le". 'Jhere is. leoe-over, just the puss bility that the resolution ma;v not accurately express tlv views of the majority of the members of the Chamber. No doubt tine discussion which took place on the subject would, if it bud been repoptixl, have afforded our readers most Conclusive proof of thfl wisdom of the decision an-ivd at. As th'e matter stands however. wo cannot but feel that it would have been preferable to have al'owtd thi' full Chamber to have discussed this iiimortant matter in ope■■ meeting. .N"' n l '. would the d v>. •

of that hody hav« carried greater wfifht. but I|'ie piildic would have lie: II e--aI I'd to follow the reasons advanced, and thus become enlightened. 'Hie Council citiM not ga wrong in advocating ihc claims of Opunake for a railway, and so far public opil'ion w 11 endorse the action ta.ken. He have always strongly advocated the gruniiiv; of this much ne'drd convenience, ir-d we heartily wish th it ibe line will he an accomplish'd fact in til l very near iiiltli'ctbe sooner the bett'-r. At the same time «e know I'mt it he 'a in?n'fest advantage'to the district to have the line made a connecting link with New Plymouth. Tile sch"nie which W»s proposed some years ago

llils nu cli to L-omjuend i : ;m----ta'.f d a loop from Kid, . . . ; mufti d o OpiinaKe, and from il:- . i' to New Plymouth. That such a l : ne would pay is not open to doubt, as it wi ti'd pass through,'or near, Some of ib? ' est land in the district artf be a ■ oon of some magnitude to the

Settles. While jjrcaUy interested in the ) rogress und prosperity of every town in TaraniW, we are fur more con'i rrnxi with the comfort mid welfare of -the settlers as a whole, and it is (n that gQiunct that we venture to impress on the Council of the Chnmlier of Commerce that when important 'questions affecting the interests of ti'ie settlers are to be' under con'; d"ratjion such matters should receive the attention they deserve aind be submitted to the judgment of the Ch.imheras a whole. The result may 1j« the same in the end, fout the pubwill be satisfied i v the one care, arid not in the other.