THE KAIPARA RAILWAY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4177, 3 January 1871, Page 3

THE KAIPARA RAILWAY.

To the Editor of the Daily Soothers Cboss. Sir, — It is now more than four years since I wrote on the subject of opening the Kaipara, and when I think of the difficulties the settlera have had tb contend with since I was up there, through the want of communication, I feel reconciled to my former determination of waiting a few years; and now, although I am about to visit the I district, and make arrangements for clearing some land, I waver in opinion as to the advisability oi settling till there {a beiter cdm-, munication. ' It is now useless to argue the amount and quality of the land that will be opened up for settlement, if this great and useful work is carried out. The question only remains as to the best way of 'opening up this mach-neglected extensive district for a certain sum of .money which ia 'bovt in the hands of the Provincial Council, and zealously scrambled foy'by twjpfinciplfid mto, \rtu> *ould »y : 1<I *mHA% U*>e J^

you shall have none. What we want is fair, upright, and honest men in the Council, not selfishly studying their own district to to the injury of 'the mass of people. We have only to refer to the maps of districts and the registry to know how much land, and" how many have property in the Kaipara district. Let us remember that hundreds now in Auckland have land in the above district, and wait the issue of this scheme to fix thew; determination of settling ; and Yffasn. 'W« consider it -will open «p another channel through which fchft lile's blootL of a city will flow in, and 'without vrhioh no city can prosper, let us be united and take care that another four years are not wasted. 1 1 now come to the soft to be adopted, and say, from a knowledge of the country, that it will make no difference to MatakoKe, Pahi, Paparoa, Tokatoka, or any of the Northern settlements of the Kaipara. The only thing worth considering is the value of the land the line will pass through — J the amount the province is likely to obtain | from the sale of the same j secondly, the number of settlers along the two routes ; J and, lastly, the difference of costs. This | being decided (which I believe it is), let us, who have more interest in one or the other, be willing that the work go on, and not j throw obstacles in the way. In conclusion, I may say, I formerly advocated a canal; now I feel confident that a tramway is all that is required, and, drawn by horses, will answer all practical purposes for years to come. The point is this : There ia no toad between, the two rivers, in winter it is impassable, and to make and metal the same would cost nearly as much as a tramway. Let our Provincial Council look back to the promises made to the Port Albert special settlers before they came out, and remember, through not keeping faith, and having the country opened up, how the Association was broken in the bud. We forgive the past, but we cannot redeem the time lost ; and if ''the present session passes without this work being decided on, the sooner provincialism is defunct the better. — I am, &c, Cornelius Wkicht.