RAILWAY FACILITIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 984, 26 November 1910, Page 14

RAILWAY FACILITIES.

' ,'.' IN THE WAIRARAPA. ; ■ ;- WANTED: THE DEVIATION. (By W.M.) Some figures published in another column will give the reader an . idea of the wealth of the Wairarapa and tlio Bush Districts as far north as Woodvillo. They include tho area running into Castlcpoint and Akitio. It will bo ,secn that, in the aggregate, these counties are- amongst the greatest wealth-producers in New Zealand, but it is evident that much more might bo accomplished if the district received that attention which should be vouchsafed it by the State, in the shape of railways. ' • The bugbear of. the great, fair, wealthy Wairarapa is its want of adequate- railway communication. One or tho first areas opened up in early days, it has not marched as fast as it might have marched under tho hand of good statesmanship. It is still Paradise with the gato barred. Its connection with Wellington is by means of tho ugly gradients knows as "the ■ Rimutaka," aline yrhich should never, have been: constructed,' and the. cxpensivo'cost 'of which, is now , being used as tho key'to'keep'the''gate of Paradise still' locked.'..':'• Thcrp Ve hundreds .of. thousands of acres of Jand . in- ■mo Wairarapa, and in'the.country, extending, down, ..intoV tlio Martinborough'dis'trict, anchaleo through to ;Wa.ipukuraii,. I;via" Pongaraa, i which might bo further .opened-with advantage to .the. province and tlio'.country generally, if there were .Tcady.'transit. ■.Between Wellington, and. Masta'ton;there is.only one more roßUlar; train daily, thaii there,'was.-tventjf-nino years ago, when the lino was first opened. , It. should be. apparent, to almost any mind ,tliat- tho deviation' of tho Rimutaka,incline is tho. only solution of'a sound railway policy, ami paying duo attention, to the. particular needs of 'the- .district, and tho general requirements of tlio country. Until that deviation has becn. ; completed, it is hopeless to talk of running further, lines about the' district, for tho very good reason that the greater tho traffic over til© Rimutakas, the greater the frittering of railway revenue in wear and tear. Tbc Napier mail, which does. not at present appear to be a very payable proposition between Wellington and Pnlmcrston North, was diverted from the Wairarapa on account of the Rhnutakas, and, while tho obstacle exists, it is not very likely that anything will be done to open the Wairarapa country with further lines. The diversion is necessary in order to relieve traffic which, in tlio future, will possibly press hardly -on tho jVlanawatu lino. And, savins this, it may. also bo as well to add that, for reasons which are important, but too long to state hero, tho idea of double-trackinr; tho Manawatu lino is buncombe. With tlio Rimutaka lino diverted, tho quickest route betwen Napier and Wellington would 1)0 via Wairaraiia, and it must not bo forgotten that, on the present Welling-ton-Napier railway route, there stands tho Manawatu Gorge, one of the most treacherous pieces of linn in New Zealand. Good policy, therefore, susgesta tho diversion of tho Rimutaka

so that'tlic work could bo commenced on tho lino bstv/een Masterton and Waipukurau, and tho line running down into Martinborou^li.

What do wo find, however? The Government spending as much money on the straightening of a few miles on tho Hntt line as would have deviated the Rimutaka track. Tho latter undertak-. ing would have further swelled the Wellington trado through ' increased population and quicker transit, buttliero is, so far, very little to show for tho terrible, railway expense* incurred on tho Wellington , foreshore leading to Potono. Residents of Wairarnpa- and ■\Yellington should band themselves together and hnstlo solidly for the deviation of tho Rimutaka routo.