THE MAIN TRUNK LINE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 134, 29 February 1908, Page 4

THE MAIN TRUNK LINE.

PROGRESS OF THE WORK; .-V STATEMENT BY-MR. J. F. ARNOLD. (BY lELEGEAPH—firECIAt ■ CORRESPONDENT.) . I Auckland, February 28. Mr. J. F. Arnold, M.P. for Dunodm Cen« tral, arrived in Auckland from the south last evening, coming over the-Main Trunk Railway. In conversation with a Pressman to-day Mr.: Arnold stated that four , years had passed since his last visit to the Main* Trunk Line, and he was satisfied that very good progress indeed was being'made until the work. From what he 'had' gathered from the engineers 1 ' employed on- the' :work > ho had no doubt but that; with a'line winter, the rails, would be coupled up by the end of the year. Good progress was being made with the Makatote Viaduct;- ai\d the : struo- : '. turo, from a layman's pointof view; was most substantial; . and. a-first-class job'. 1 . /'l.was,". he said;, "surprised at, the number of people travelling over the route considering its: iriebnyeniencos; 1 and, no doubt, when completed, the passenger 1 traffic will be very great. I was : "in Auckland in 1836 when tlidl I 'battle'"'of = the''routed was beingfought, aiid '.I: listelaqd - with'dtttcrest to ;the • ■impassioned'sptebche'S'-'Sf-'those 'ivpHo described . the great '.dfeserts 1 of the central: route. While admitting - that Sthere; :is" a -. considerable amount of inferior land, it is. plain that 4 , there is immense value in the timber country that is passed through,'and'which, as a' natural. asset, had''to be tapped sooner or later. ' Southerners 1 -will understandwhen I say that the bush is similar fo tho Catlin's Bush, but immensely greater in area. Independent, however, of' the quality of the fcouiitry, \it was absolutely. 1 necessary that the' two great northern cities 'should be linked by the iron, rail.' 1 ;;, V > ; :