OPENING OF THE CAMBRIDGE RAILWAY. Indignation Meeting.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1906, 23 September 1884, Page 2

OPENING OF THE CAMBRIDGE RAILWAY. Indignation Meeting.

As we stated in our last issue the settlers of the Cambridge district have now arrived at that stage of feeling in respect to the above railway, that they aie determined the humbugging process to which they have been subjected for the past three months shall continue no longer, and that they must ha; c an understanding once and for all as to the opening of the line. Disappointment has followed disappointment, I annoyance aud loss has been caused the j settlors, promises have been made them which have been unscrupulously bioken, and for which no reasonable excuse whatever has been uiged, and with such an experience as this it is not to be wondered at that the feelings of the settlers should havo found expression in a public indigna- i tion meeting on Saturday, when it became known that the opening of the line had been fmther postponed. The bellman was sent round a few minutes before the horn appointed for the meeting, and at 4 o'clock a fairly large and leprescntative audience had gatheied in the Public Hall. Mr John Fisher was called to the chair, a>»d in opening the proceedings addressed a few lemaiks to the, meeting inspecting the object for winch they had assembled. They weie all awaie of the numeums piomises which had been made them, and how the Government, tune after time, had broken cofidence w ith the settleis without any just; cause for delay. It was quite evident they were .ill heartily tiled of the undignified treatment to which they had been subjected. The couise which had been puisued in this matter by the authorities was to his mind totally unaccountable. Itwa-i evident that such tieatinent could not be tolei.ited any longer, and it was now foi the meeting to take what course they might deem proper to give the Government to undeist.nul that this system ot playing fast and loose would be tolerated no longei. Mr Jas. Forrest, in using to propose the fir-)t resolution, said the settleis of the Cambridge and outlying distnct-> had been very badly tieated in respect to this matter. They weie, to use a popular expiession, "gutting full up of it." The Waikato Time-) had spoken very strongly on the subject — it had shown the matter up in its true light, and had pointed out the leal state of aff<uia in respoot of the loss and inconvenience which the settler-i had ov peuenced. Had the Government at the outset told them that the hue would not bo finished for a certain time, and then have kept to their woid when that time arrived, the settlers, he believed, would have been satisfied; but to give them fortnightly piomisos, and afford them fortnightly disappointments, wai uioic than any community could toleiate. It was "rubbing it in with a vengeance," and the sooner this process of play was put a stop to the better. It was neediest, for him to detail the loss and inconvenience which these icpeated disappointment-, had caused them. They woie all personally awaie of theii own losses, and knew what they had buffeied better tha.ii he or anybody else could tell them. Some few mouths ago their member had leinarked to a public meeting that the Mjttleis of this distiict lost the gi eater pot tion of their time limning to drills, shows, spoits and such like attractions; but lie would sny to that gentleman, and to all others who had chaige of the public business at Wellington that the settlers lost in me time in calling and attending public meetings, and hanking about petitions to make the Gov eminent do it-> duty, and these meetings and petitions would bo altogether unnecessary if the Government would only do it-, duty without having to be madu do it. Before sitting down he had much pleoMue iv moving the following resolution :: — '• That this meeting desnes to draw the attention of the Government to the unsatisfactory and unaccountable delay which has taken place in connection with the opening of the Ganibudge bi.mch railway. The -.etllin -> of the district weie induced by the pledge of tho Mmistei for Public Woi ks {Mr Mitchelson), who promised that the lino should be opened for traffic in July, to hold over their harvest produce, that they might take advantage, of tho lailvvay to send thoir produce to market. The day of opening the line has since been postponed fiom tune to time for no visible reason whatever, and now we .ire told that the line will not be opened for tiathc till the middle of October. This delay has been the cause of great loss to the settler-., whoso pioduce, tlnough being held over so long, has now in most oases been destroyed or otherwise disposed of. Fmther, that this meeting strongly urges the membeis for Waikato and Waipa to use their stienuous endeavours to induce the Government to open the line without any further delay. " Mi G. E. Clark seconded, and in doing, so addiessed a tew remaik» to the meeting. He could not lefrain from endowing the e\piessious of the previous speakeis. This matter of opening the Cambridge railway was becoming a very serious matter indeed. The settleis had suffered l.ugoly from the unaccountable delays which had taken place, and the welfaie of the district had been seiioufly impaiiec'. He had been one of the deputation to Mr Mitchelfcon, and was satisfied, on the pledge of that gentleman, that the line would be opened about the time named. But ever since July they had been treated to a series of fortnightly postponements. To all ap-poaianoe-t the line had been completed for some time past. Such a piece of unwarranted shufflintr, he believed, no other district m New Zealand had experienced, and why the Cambridge district should thus be selected to be experimented upon, he was entiiely at a loss to know. The tieatment they weie receiving at the hands of the Government could no longer be tolerated. They had just had enough of it, and stand it any longer they would not. They had got produce waiting to be <-cut to market, and this must be sent off without delay. The Kail way Department had also suffered a great loss, they had lost fully two thirds of the year's traffic, and it seemed as if they department) had made up their minds that the line should not be opened until there was nothing to send. The whole affair was simply monstrous. He had therefore much pleasure in seconding the resolution, Mr Gwynneth rose to support the resolution. He was completely at a loss to know why the railway had not been opened long before now. Speaking from an engineering pom of view, he could see nothing to prevent the line from being used to-morrow. The department had urged its want of a sufficient number of switches as an excuse, but" he understood that quibble had beon disposal of sometime ago, They had talked a lot about having to send to Melbourne for them, but switches could be made by no less than two firms in Auckland. Some switches were wanted on the Cambridge station ground, but the deficiency could be provided against by a little extra labour on the part of the part of the station hands. The department must have known long before the line was com- \ pleted that switches were wanting. Mr Johnson and Mr Kincaid also spoke. The motion was put and carried unanimously. It was then unanimously agreed that a copy of the resolution be at once telegraphed to the members for Waikato and Waipa, The cost of the telegram (13s) was at once subscribed in the room. The meeting then terminated with the usual compliment to the chair.

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