Railway Communication.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2977, 30 August 1878, Page 2

Railway Communication.

ADJOURNED MEETING.

The adjourned public meeting re- the railway, was held at the Theatre Royal last evening. There was only a moderate attendance, and . the Deputy-Mayor,. L. Ehrenfried, Esq., was in the chair.,

The Chairman referred to their altered circumstances since the last meeting, as they now knew that the Government' intended to make the railway from Grahamstbwn to Hamilton, lie then called, on Mr Speight to more the first resolution.

Mr Speight said he had been asked to more the first resolution, and it afforded

him great pleasure to do so. He thoughl it was fortuna c they did adjourn the last meeting, as it prevented them from appearing as persons who did not know their own minds, as if they had gone in for East Coapt or West Coast lines it would have shown that they did not know what they wnnieri. He then moved, " That this meeting tenders its best thanks to Sir Geo. Grey and his Government for having placed upon the Public Works Statement this line of railway from Grahamstown to Hamilton." He

said those old residents he saw present would remember the enormous amount of agitation they had spent over the railway, and it was cheering to know that they were going to grasp the substance, the shadow of which they had been chasing so long. ' They could afford to let bygones be bygones, and not say who was to blame in keeping back the construction of the railway, and in common gratitude they ought to thank the Governmentfor the very important work they were about to, 'get made: The raik way could not be carried, through without opposition however,' but it struck him Sir G. Grey had, the money/ and the:voting power in the House, and he hoped that he would, not grant one iota off .this work, and they should keep at the Government until they-got the railway made. He was so satisfied that the line would be carried out that he would not trouble them any longer. Mr Brown seconded the resolution. He agreed with Mr Speight that they should assist the Premier-and Ministry in carrying this work out. He be'ieved that it was only a day or two before the Statement was submitted that it was agreed to place the' Thames railway on the Statement: They would therefore need to keep at them, as there would likely be opposition. For the speedy making of the line'they had better arguments in its favor than any others in the Colony "besides trunk lines. It had been surveyed for 30 miles, and he believed that Sir Julias Yogel, wden he planned the ■ Public Works ischeme now being unfolded, intended the Thames' line to be among the first carried out. The making of the railway would keep the population together, and he considered it was of greater importance to do. so than' to

import new people.' If these works were not commenced soon, half the population would, have . to clear out, and if they had the railway their surplus labor could be 'Employed—first, in making it, and then.it would- be absorbed in working the land the line opened up. (Applause.) ; The resolution was then put .and carried unanimously, with great applause. ; _ Mr Mitchell said he should hare risen io support the resolution just passed had he not been the mover of the next,- motion. There was no meeting so important to the district as the present,.and he must say he regretted that there xWere , so, few present. A ' great' many of the' people' here resembled the innocent little' boy who lay, on liis back in the sunshiny waiting for the cherries to. drop into his mouth. He was sorry to say this, but he thought they should have had a full house. By not attending better they did not do their duty as good citizens. The matter was of the greatest interest,to them as it meant that they would' either have to go or stay.' The line that was proposed did' not mean the jine via Te Aroha—the proposed Broomhall settlement —but for a great portion across the Piako Swamp Company's ground. Let them take it for granted that untilfthe Cherries dropped into their mouths they had not got the railway. The line might go on to "Auckland 'without coming here 1 He had contended that they' should have no District' Railways Act which, with its '4s in the £ rate, would, only crush the settlers. That was the bill they had sent down. They would have to drive the nail. home, and the resolution lie was' about to more would clinch it on the other, side.,. He .then jnovedW That in presence of the ; depression'now'eiip ting upon this .field, and the jjreaVwant of employment amongst the wages earning population,'and'the distress consequent thereupon, the.Government be most earnestly prayed to at once commence the railway works from GraI'naras'tbwn." ' ' 'J' '* i Messrs Butler and Wood seconded the i motion simultaneously. | Mr James Mackay said he had no pecuniary interest in the country in which the railway wai to pass, and consequently he might speak as a disinterested party. He had some knowledge -of the land through which the new railways were likely to pass; and had had occasion to pass over the country for the purpose of exploring the tfunk line from Cambridge to Wellington. He, and the engineers had explored it,for'three objects—(l) to get the most direct line ; (2) to see if it were possible to make a line to East Coast; I'd) and to Taranaki. (He described the line from -Waikato to Taranakf and the }Sast Coast line at considerable length.) With reference,' to the Thames line he I said the shortest line to Wellington would be via Cambridge, Taupo and Foxton, and he thought the Thames people should'agitate for a line otherwise from Simpson's line as it would not take in, the Aroha block. Let them agitate for a line i right up to the Te Aroha block, and then by the 30 miles surveyed to Hamilton. He did not have any pecuniary interest in the railway, so he was disinterested, but, he wished to see the Thames go ahead as many of his friends were settled here. Mr Mitchell said that he had advocated Simpson's survey line, but they must-mind that if Simpson's line were followed < they - would shut out the rich lands 'of the Te Aroha. /The speaker referred to Mr Mackay having no land, which, he said, was the fault of the Government, and he hoped the time would come when justice would be done Mr Mackay. (Loud cheers.) Mr D. Miller said he considered it the duty of all who knew anything about the land, benefited by the railway to speak about it. He then described a voyage up the Piako river in search of land for. settlement, and said that it was so poor that it would take 1000 acres to feed a rat. (Laughter) There was ho land in that direction available for settlement, and he thought the best way to take the line was up the Thames river to the Te Aroha. Mr Mackay said that Simpson'* line did not go to Te Aroha, and described the difference, between Simpson's surveyed line and the line by Te Aroha, which would strike Simpson's line past the Te Aroha block. ,

The resolution was then put and unanimously adopted. Mr McGowan briefly moved, " That fho Chairman be requested to telegraph the'foregoing resolutions to the Premier to-night." . . :- . Mr Gibbons seconded. Cries of " Graham."

Mr Robert Graham said he had just arrived from Auckland, and did not know what had been done at the early part of the meeting. However he thought' it was only their duty to press the Government to push on the railway at once, and get it made through the Te Arohtt. Block too, which should belong to Thames miners. He promised to assist them by every means in his power. Mr Campbell (Chairman of the Waitoa Road Board) said it afforded him much pleasure to be present, and he rose to assure them that the people of Waikato, and especially those of Waitoa, were ai enthusiastic as the Thames people to got this railway., put through. He believed the Piako people had been accused of apathy tor not attending the conferences held on the subject, but he • might state that the reason was that they.,, only received the notices to attend when^ too late. The Waitoa people felt aggrieved' that they were looked on as political stepchildren of the Government/arid lh¥d" to , p mhe inter«st,on the cost of railway it the Thames Valley Railway Bill had been' adopted,. Heathen again assured them *, 9/ 'tS K°od ashes' of the residents of the Waikato and.Piako-districti...,(Load - and continued applause.) '"" k A TiTOtV, )f *£?%* 10 the Chair» Propoied . by Mr C. F. Mitchell,* coiidadedhtha meeting. --, -. «~