NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 209, 3 September 1900, Page 2

NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY.

The sub-committee appointed at the last meeting of the North Auckland Railway League drew up tho following circular to be forwarded to each member of the Government, and also the Auckland members of the House of Representatives :—

"Sir.—l have been instructed to forward you a copy of the following resolution, which was passed unanimously at a meeting of the above League, held In the rooms of the Agricultural Association, on Monday, the 27th inst., together with a few facts relative to settlement north of Auckland:

"That the attention of the Government and of ' the members of Parliament representing tho Auckland province, be again specially called to the urgent necessity there is for the line of railway north of Auckland being carried on without delay to Maungaturoto, where it would reach a payable point, and might, with reason, be expected to earn a return equal to that already obtained on the section between Auckland and Helensville."

Note.—The approximate area of North Auckland is 3,912,000 acres, of which there are 400,000 acres Crown land, available for settlement, as follows (see Official Year Book, 1899): 40,000 acres of good land between Hokianga and Bay of Islands; large areas outside of this will feed one or two sheep per acre, after laying down in grass. Between Hokianga and Wairoa River, the Crown has about 200,000 acres fitted for fruit growing, being both volcanic and alluvial. The Toka Toka swamp (now being drained), 16,000 acres. While in other parts of the Counties of Hokianga, Bay of Islands. Mongonui, Whangarei and Otamatea, there are about 150,000 acres of good land. The Mangaka-hia-Hokianga-Kaikohe land^ are eminently suited for maize, tobacco, and all semitropical productions.

Gum Lands.—The area Is about 600,000 acres of which 435,000 acres are Crown lands; the greater portion being well adapted for fruit growing. The export of gum for 1899 was valued at £623,000; while for the period from 1891 to 1898, the valuo was £3,701,942. The total value of this export up to the present being about £10,----000,000. The Gum Commission in 1893, reported that the freight charges from inland gumfields to nearest shipping ports for seven months in the year, ranged from £3 to £3 10/ per ton. With proper roads it would-be from 10/ to 15/. The difficulty of transporting road metal renders roadmaking impossible.

Timber —The annual value of kauri cut Is £400.000. The Crown lands contain 498,----000.000 feet, valued standing at £498,000. There are also other valuable timbers, only to be got at by railway.

Population.—The population is nearly 40,000; being about one-nineteenth of the whole colony. In this district there are thirty-four agricultural, fruit and vinegrowers' associations.

Stock.—For the year ending 15th November, '1808, there were 18,863 horses and 95,185 cattle, these numbers forming respectively one-fourteenth and one-thir-teenth of those of the whole colony. Of sheep there were 275,456. Since those returns sheep .have materially increased, numbers now being close on 400,000. These figures show that the number of stock in the North is larger in proportion than the average in the rest of the colony.