THE MASTERTON-WOODVILLE RAILWAY EXTENSION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1287, 26 January 1883, Page 2

THE MASTERTON-WOODVILLE RAILWAY EXTENSION.

(Prom the Evening Post.)

In our second edition yesterday we briefly mentioned an interview which took place, the previous afternoon, betweeii tbe Minister for Publio Works and a deputation representing certain landowners in the Northern Wairarapa District. We are now enabled to give iuller particulars as to what passed ,on that occasion. The object of the deputation, as we statedyesterday, was to induce the Government to adopt a route for the railway extension from Masterton to Woodville different to that hitherto deoided upon. The line preferred by the deputation is one deviating eastward up the Wangaehu Valley, and taking in the township of Alfredton, instead of following a course very similar to that of the Eketahiin'a road.: This woold naturally benefit, materially the private properties'lying along or near, the proposed substitute route, but the point urged .by the deputation was that it woujd also open up much more:\Crown (and than would the alternative route. A similar representation was made in 1880 by a deputation, then, ,aa. now, headed by Mr A. de B, Brandon," at that time M.H.R, for the Wellington Country jDistrict, and the .Government despatched Mr Foy, 0.E., specially to report on the advitableness of .the proposed deviation. Mr Foy reported dead against the Alfredton route, and offered auch strong reasons for hiß view that the Government had no reasonable alternative but to act on., it. Now, however, Mr' Brandon and the others interested in the question have been making another vigorous effort to persuade the Government to adopt the Alfredton route, and the membors of Tuesday deputation pressed very earnestly upon the Minister of public Works that he should reconsider the matter. Mr Walter Johnston, in reply, pointed out to the deputation that the first length of the Msaterton to Woodvillo extension—the Opaki contract:—was almost ready to put up to lender, a good deal of work moreover having already been done on it by the 11 unemployed." It was very desir.able that this contract should be let before the expiration of. the current financial year, ao as to save the vote,. The year would oonolude in little more than two months, so there was no time to lose, , If the Alfredton line were substituted,'the Opaki extension would be useless, and must be ahandoned. The vote would ithui be lost, and the commencement of |the Woodville extension indefinitely postponed. No adequate grounds had been phown by the deputation to warrant incurring auch serious disadvantages at these; They had offered no proof that they had the support of the district interested, They i were not backed up by any resolution from a single publio body in that locality. Indeed, there was good reason to believe that the proposed change of plan would be exceedingly unacceptable to the majority of the inhabitants. For these strong reasons the Government were unable lo accede to the request of the deputation, and ho could held out no hope that it would be entertained at any future time. The deputation then retire^,