THE TAUPO RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 215, 7 September 1912, Page 4

THE TAUPO RAILWAY.

In statins the case for' the Totarn Timber Company before, the Committee of the House on Thursday, Sir John Fimllny brought out clearly one. feature I •of the petition which sojins to have been hitherto rather obscured or misunderstood. Tlw estimated cost of construction for the completed line from IMitaniTu to Tairpo is sot. down at £180,000, -while £200,000 -would represent the total capital required k> put the whole lit»R in order for an efficient passenger service. The company is prepared to sell the linn straight out, on completion, ,' at cast — is-, : for £180,000. The traffic returns quoted by Sir John Findlay show that at Government rates .the timber, general goods and -passengers to bo earned on >tho line would, in all probability, produce, an income of over £17,000 on an annual mitlay of over £9,000, Jeaving a. net profit of about £8,000 a. year. This means about, 4* per cent on .the estimated cost of £180,000, representing a decidedly profitable investment for the State* Aa the company is prepared to maintain a satisfactory and efficient service for the next 15 years, the Crown need not pur'ohase till that period expires, and will be under no obligation to purchase, in any case if the line does not prove, payable.

On the. financial, side, therefore. it seems to us that the -company's proposition is a sound and attractive one. But the. strongest «Tjru.ment in its favour is; of course. Ihe immense benefit that would be- conferred, upqp the country by opening up for settlement and cultivation the large areas of land in the Taupo district which ljow li isolated and empty. On this subject wo must draw the attention of our readers to the evidence as to the value of pumice land submitted yesterday to the committee. Mr TV", C. Kensington, liite ' Under-Seerctary for I>ands, pointed out that it is only quite recently that people have begun to undetstaed the remarkable possibilities of this neglected part of the country. He stated that pumice can be fanned profitably in blocks of'from 400 to 600 acres; ■that much of tire poorest pumice land i will grow trees splendidly, and .that there ! is no comparison' between bush land and I pumice land in regard to the ease and cheapness of cultivation. These views we.re- strongly «onfirm«l by Mr Ba>rnctt, of Putarnru, whose confidence in. tho 'future of the pumice land is- eradentJy based on a. very safeisfa«bory ; perßoml experience. ■ Some arena i of pumice land, he stated, TKhdah were upaueii sip .at iS/ pea: acre, cannot be got now for tee "than £7 10/ an a en- j He ugjwed , -with Mir. Kfaoeingibou .that- it | is possible to foam this land profitably in small Mocks; and he instanced his own farm of 400 acres, •which ie now •worth over '£2,000, though it lead cost only about' £200 to faring it ittbo its present conddtwn. . 'Mir, Harriett reminded the Canmriifctee that eirrae tine Tobaina Timber Conupany'e line was buOt fouT creameries scad one cheese factory had been put up -wiliirac 'twelve miles of Putsoruru; and be added that Obi Ms opinion all "tthe land aou*h of Pmtvairu is capable of being fanned profitably, though -without a mail way tilt mtust (remain inauccessinte and useless. These facts are certainly . well warbby of iibe Onnimifteer's eairnest oowBidenKtion; and <Ute project of itStwowiug open aoinwtihiiing like a mil Bon aares of such liajrftl as •tibifl *bT Tntpsma of a cheap , railway wcUiin a nay short period of time ebffrikL certainly -weigh -with. Ptrrlia.xnent wiieai it ctioHee*ft4dsßcisa^iihe-<3onij.

The following is Mr D. C. Bates' •weather forecast for' 34 -hoars from- 9 a.m. this day: "The indications are for nor-, therly winds, freshening strong to gale and veering by north to west. There is every prospect of bad weather. A storm appears to be approaching from the •west; rain probable; barometer falling; sea rough off shore, tides moderate."

Sir James Carroll will give an address entitled "Some Personal Reminiscences"

on Friday next in the gymnasium of the Leys Institute, in connection with t)ie winter course at that institution. The ex-Native Minister held office as a Minister of the Crown for the record period of twenty years. He has come into intimate personal contact with all the men of light and leading in New Zealand during the past thirty years, and he possesses an extensive fund of anecdotes relating both to political and Maori life. He. is an eloquent speaker with a fine sense of humour, and a very entertaining evening may be confidently anticipated.

A further area or an acre is to be added to Victoria Park, arrangements having been completed between the City Council, the Harbour Board, and the Roman Catholic Bishop oF Auckland, which ena-bles this to be done. The area in question occupies the left hand corner of the park, and is to become the freehold of the Council. In exchange the Bi.shop is to receive from the Harbour Board an acre on the opposite, corner, which is part of the Board'.s reclaimed' area, at the junction of Beaumont Street and Fanshawe Street. Naturally the Harbour Board is not doing this for nothing, and the City Council agrees to spend £5,000 on the extension of Be.aumont Street Tight through- ■to tha waterfront. This work will cost £6,300, and tho Board has to find the additional £ 1,300. The Council has three, years in which to do the work, and this means that the acre in question has been purchased by the Council at the- comparatively low price of £.5,000. Altogether, as a result of recent negotiations, an area of four acres has now been added to Victoria Park.

The foundation stone of the new library, reading room and lecture hall to be eTee.ted in Upper Symonds Street is to be }aW 'in Wednesday afternoon next, V the Mayor (Mr. C. .T. Parr). The excavation work has now been completed, and the site really looks very ■well, It is estimated that the building will coet about £2.800.. Brief addresses will be given by the Mayor, Councillors and prominent citizens. Speaking to a "Star representative this -morning, the Mayor said the success of the Leys Institute, in City West, had been an eye-opener, and showed what ft well-managed branch library, with facilities for lectures, and a centre for social and athletic institutions of the district, er>uld do. The. Auckland City Council beliove.d tha-t in City East ther? was room for an institution, such a,s City West possessed. The well-known billiard players, Messrs Recce and Read, had a match of 800 up at the, Hauraki Club ]ast evening, Recce conceding hie opponent 300. Read, who was playing a very nice game; ran out when Recce hod only reached 220, The winner's best breaks were SI, Sβ, 51, 4!>. 40. and IRH. In the 186 break Read lost the "white before he had reached the 100 and made the remainder off the. red alone Recce's biggest break was 63. The players also played a- game of snooker, and Recce showed , some'of his marvellous Tnassce shots. ■■ t If King Edward's .Drive Rets much worse, it will he suitable for light-draught boai ruces. Persons having business at the offices of the timber mills perform wonderful feats in trying to dodge the water and slush which fie, inches deep on what is by courtesy considered to be a road. The'fact that, the. sides of the

road aTe usually occupied by -vehicles belonging to private firms necessitates pedestrians wading through the wettest portions of the street. During the month of September areas of land totalling 2S.3JH acres will bo nppjicd for selection in the various parts of the Dominion. The area, in the Anefcland district comprises a section of 27 acres in the Otane survey district for lease by public tender, closing on Friday, 6; two sections of first-class land in the and Maiigarongo districts of 134 and 312 acrrs respectively; 11 sections of first ifcd second-class land in the Thames, Waihou, and Kaihu survey districts; and seven sections of second-class land in the Waiake and Tn-upiri parishes, for rash application on Tuesday, September 24: 353 town sections in Opua and 15 in Rawenr for sale by public auction on Friday, September 27; and a section of 4511 acres in the Rotorua survey district for lease by public tender, closing Monday, September 30. The death took place at- a house in Vincent Street this morning of an old lady named Ruaanah Sharp, aged about 79 years. Deceased had. been suffering from diabetes for some .time, and was attended by Dr. King. On Sunday last the curtains of her bed canght fire, and as it is considered that the shock and burns then received hastened her death, it wiTl be necessary to bold an inquiry. Aa inquest will accordingly be held at the Coroner's Coarrt at 2.30 to-morrow afternoon. >Ir W. Wilson, proprietor of the Imperial Garage, met with a somewhat serious accident yesterday afternoon while driving a motor car. He was proceeding from Wellesley Street West towards the entrance of the City Market, intending to fjo round into Queeii Street. Going through the lane round the market the brakes refused to act and the car broke through the fence and toppled over the embankment. Mr Wilson was pinned underneath nnd was with somo difficulty rescued. His head was severely I cut and be was suffering from shock, I but his injuries, although painful, are I not thought to be serious. TJie tender of Mr- George Croft, of Auckland, has been accepted for the erection of a now large organ at the Baptist Tabernacle. Tt is to be a threcv majma.l organ, and sliould be one of the best in any of the: city o.lntrches. reeomiTtendatioTis from rriost of the leading local organists having been carefully considered before drawing out the specifications: Tbt* contract time is ten months, and the organ is to be erected in the alcove at the bade of lire rostrum in the Tabernacle. The "console" is to be in front of the rostrum, and the choir benches are to be in tlie space between the instrument and. the rostrum, in full yiew of the organist. The case is to be of oak, and handsome in design.

A new lecture upon the "British in India" will be delivered in the Baptist Tabernacle on Thursday by the Rev. J. J. North, of Wellington. A hundred choice slides will be thrown upon the screen. The Press references in Wellington and in the South, where this lecture has been given are highly favourable, and record crowded attendances. A first-class entertainment waft provided by the members of St. Lnke's Band of Hope to a very large audience of sailors and seamen ai the Sailors' Ball on; Friday night. The Kct. G. B. presided. -.■■--

Mr. C. H. Opie returned to Christ-1 church- orr Thursday from a visit to the I Old Country. Speaking of the Olympic i games at Stockholm, ho. told an inter- | viewer that the loss of British prestige j there was eompl-ete. and had humbled the j pride of Britishers ill a way that was a new experience to them. Britishers were not "in" the competitions against the gymnastic Scandinavians or the athletic Americans. They could run neither i short nor long distances, could not jump j either high or broad, and- could not dive, j There seemed to be a want of spirit in the British team that was evident in the way they accepted defeat, as if the fact ] wa s unimportant. Formerly British ath- i letes were the finest in the world. They could prove that they were so still, but, j like the Americans, they must see that j their organisation and training were as [ ne*r perfect as possible. Re thought I that if New Zealand picked the pride of her youth and trained them .similarly to the Americans the Empire's prestige would be no longer in doubt at the Olympic gameH. Xe\v Zealand could guard what the "All Blacks" had won. A motion in regard to the Star of Canada salvage ease, the Tyser Line. Ltd., and -I. M. Hart v. vhe (Jishornc Sheepfarmer.-' Meat Co.. Ltd., was to have come before the Supreme Court at Ctisborne yesterday afternoon. The motion was to set aside a writ issued, but by agreement of parties it was not proceeded with, and all matters in connection with the ease w-ill now stand over until the commencement of the sitting of the Supreme Court in Gisborne on September IS.

A collision between a, motor car and a horse and cart at Marton Junction on Thursday night was fortunately attended with no serious results. Mr J. O. BlackweH, who was driving, the car, did not observe the other vehicle until too late owing to the darkness, of the night. The cart was badly damaged and the car was overturned, being damaged to the extent of about £30. There were three passengers in the car, one of them receiving a severe cut over the eye. ' The others were saved by the hood, although the car had to be removedbefore one of them could be released. "A little while ago," remarks the "New Zealand Times," "Mr Wilfnrd was an. expectant Ward Liberal. When he. came back from England and found Mackenzie precariously on deck he talked 'soft pedal.' Then he went to the Upper Hutt and called for a free hand. The Upper Hutt gave him that with pleasure and called for three cheers. At the Lower

Hutt Mr Wilford announced that his policy was 'for Now Zealand and profitsharing.' Lower Hutt agreed with that and sang the politician's anthem. Everybody was agreed about one thing. Mr Wilford is ;i -jolly {rood fellow.' After that Mr Wilford sat, contemplatively in the House for a short spell. Then he launched an anti-Massey Budget speech— on the loud pedal. He' was heralded as a leader.. Now at Petone last night he has become, a 'Moderate Liberal.' Hp stands, sad. solitary, unattached in the St. Helena attitude with depressed brow and with folded arms. He is against Rnds and Pads. He is simply a Critic! Aiid Mr Wilford's Petonp committee stands for that —is agreeable to that, nay. even with hymnal accompaniment , led by the chairman, 'For he's a jolly pood fellow.' That is now, definitely, Mr Wilford's policy. He is the finest fellow - in tbp most plastic and acreomniqefatingconsititnpnc.y in the. whole wide world." The Warden's Court, sitting at Thames '. on Friday, was for the gfeatef'part of '. the day occupied in hearing an application by the. Monowai Gold Mining Company for a license on a water race on ( the. Puru stream. The application was , objected to by the native owners, on the grounds tJiat it would infringe the rights granted them by the Crown. Mr .T. B. Rheatli pave evidence regarding the , ntiHty of such a water-course, while on behalf of the objectors MY Morsby raised the question of jurisdiction, on which i Mr J. Jordan (mining registrar) gave ! evidence. Decision was reserved.

At the usual fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Calliope Lodge. T.0.0.F.. M-tT., Devonport, the following resolution was carried unanimously: —"That this lodpre considers the proposal of the Hon: >fr. Be«b<in re subvention to friendly socioties as worthy of every support by aIV kindred aocreties. and commends tlw. same to the favourable, consideration of Parliament; and that a copy of this resell' t.ioji be sent to the Prime 'Minister and the Hon. Mr. Beebaji."

A benefit concert is to br> tendered to the widow of, the late Brn. McKenna, PJ).P.. by the brothers of the So. 6, 10 and 23 districts. United Ancient Order

of Druids. The programme, which is published in this issue, gives promise of a. musical treat. The late Bro. McKenna

filled with credit every office, that the Order could bestow up to District President, and his many kindly actions are remembered by the brethren who came in contact with him. The concert will be held in the Druids' Hall on Wednesday evening next. Information has been received at the Auckland police eta-Uon thai two native I children, both under five years, of age, ■were drowned yesterday afternoon in -the Whirinaki River, near Rawene. No particulars a,s to how the fatality occurred aro yet to hand. Recent heavy rain ca.used the river at Te Aroha torise very high. A large bargn belonging to the Northern S.S- Co., loaded wiQi hides, tallow, etc, struck a stump in the submerged country near Mangaiti and sank. Most of the cagro. was saved, but a couple of casks of tallow belonging to Messrs Worrell and .Bliss were carried away hy the current and will probably be lost. A public meeting held at Hokitika on Friday carried a resolution urging upon the Government the necessity for pushing on with all possible haste the completion of the Otira. tunnel, and thereby connecting the east and west coasts by railway. It was resolved to co-operate" with the other public bodies of Westland and Canterbury in the matter. The Auckland City Rand, undor Bandmaster Jas. Impey, will play the following projrramme, of music ac -the kicak, I Cornwall Park, to-morrow (Sunday), commencing at 3 p.m.:—Quick step, "Women's Kingdom" (Lindheim); overture, "Glorious Apollo" (Morelli); cornet solo, "Kor All Eternity' , (Angelo Maschcroni) ; selection from Haydn"s "First Mass" (H. Millar); yalse, "La Canzanella" (©"Arcy Jarone) ; selection, (Auber); procession march, '"The Lord Mayor' (Hartmann).

The Lands Department in this ieeue announces a sale of kauri timber in the Bay of Islands county, to take place on the 26th inst.

The Auckland Orphans' Club will tender a complimentary concert to the hon. conductor of the club's orchestra, Mr Colin Must on. in the Town Hall on Wednesday, 2nd October.

The Public Works Department in this issue notify their intention of taking land for the purposes of a post office site at Takapuna.

Special clearance. Toilet sets, handsome designs. 3/ to 4/ in the £ cash discount.—Tonson Gariick Co., Ltd.—Ad,