THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY.
At the Kgnio-.it County Council niW'-t----iii" on I'riiluv (the Opunake Times reports) the following letter was' read from Air. B. Dive, ALP.:— "I desire to bring under your notice tire Opunake railway question, and for the purpose of forwarding that project ■have much pleasure in suggesting a scheme for your consideration. lam also .placing the same before the Eltlnuu Borough and County Councils, and if it meets with your and their favora'ble consideration, then the required steps necessary to cam- it into ell'eet can be gone on with. All*efforts to have railway construction so far have failed, but there is no reason why we should not try again and succeed. The scheme briefly is this: -1. The district that is likely to be beiHitcd by a railway he delined. "2. That property-owners agree to a special rate guaranteeing any delicieucy of interest up to 3'/. per cent. o",i money expended. "3. Hate to be on a sliding scale according to proximity to line. "4. The route to be left in the hands of the Government.
"It seems to me that no tjoveniment would refuse such a guarantee if oll'ered. llcforc taking any further steps' in this matter 1 am therefore anxious to get your 'views upon this scheme, and if favorable joint action will be taken. •T.S. Admittedly this should not have to be resorted to, but present progress of line is too slaw, and at such rate we will wait till Doomsday for its completion." C'r. Maelleynobis said he was in sfympathv with "the views expressed, and considered every elVort should be made to carry it out. lie proposed that the Council'fall iu with the idea.
C'r. Phillips seconded. C'r. Dudley saiil every settler within a radius of' live miles would willingly come into a dill'erential rating area. C'r. Maxwell said he was opposed to the suggestion. If the councillors were up in railway matters they wpuld not agree to a proposal to guarantee a rate of this noi't. lie maintained that the lioverumeiit had not made I per cent, for years on the money invested in railways, and if the people guaranteed the interest it would mean paying all the 3 1 /. per cent. C'r. Dudley: And money well spent.
C'r. Maxwell said railways were made at the. public expense, and sometimes in rotten country, and why should the people have to pay the interest on a line in good country'; It would be better to let a private company build the line. C'r. Dudley: Private people would not find the money.
<>. .Maxwell: Yes they would. The Manawatu Company 'built a line when tlu> Government would not take it on, and paid good dividends. Kow that it is under Government control there is an instance of eight men being employed where there were only tiwo under the company. If tin; line is built according to the suggestion it would be on the cooperative system, and it would be the dumping-place for all the wasters in the place. If we arc going to lirul the cost, why not own the railway? Cr. MacUcynohls thought the suggestion was imlv being us'cd as a lever. "If the line is to lie constructed it will be done without us." The ehiiinuan .said there was fiomctliiiig in what Or. Maxwell 'said, but if they held out they would never get the, railhvay. It would pay them to pay ;!>/. per cent, on the money. : Or. Maxwell: You would never know where you were. Tie moved an amendment, Tliut the Council is opposed to any guarantee of interest towards a Government railway. No seconder. The motion,.to agree to Air. Dive's suggestion, was carried.
The chairman read a letter which he had received from the chairman of the \\ annate County Council, n»kiii" the chairmen of local bodies to attend a conference in connection with the proposed railway. w;ith a view of taking it round Xormaiiby and llawera.
The chairman said he had no sy,n partly with that route.
Cr. Dudley suid lie understood the .llawera people were agreeable to the old route, but that if Stratford were going to agitate again llawera would. As chairman of the Town Hoard he had received a similar letter. The Government had reported favorably „„. the old route, and it would be only'injuring the railway proposal to support am- other scheme. ' .; .^;»,-; Resolved, mi the .motion, of Ors. Dudley and \oung, That the Council is desirous of having railway communication to Opuimke. but it cannot be a parly to start tile cry of file battle of the routes
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 98, 22 May 1909, Page 6
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759THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 98, 22 May 1909, Page 6
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