(PUBLISHED DULY.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1891. THE AUCKLAND-WELLINGTON RAILWAY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XVII, Issue 2952, 15 October 1891, Page 2

(PUBLISHED DULY.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1891. THE AUCKLAND- WELLINGTON RAILWAY.

It would almost seem as if the advisableness of connecting Auckland with "Wellington by rail was likely to be lost sight of in the discussion of side-issues ; such as whether it is better for roads to precede or to follow a railroad through Crown land for settlement ? or whether the Stratford or the Central route is the better of the two. It cannot be denied that the one million loan was raised originally for the purpose of connecting Auckland with Wellington by rail. It is equally certain that the Parliamentary Committee of South Island members were induced to recommend the Marton in preference to the Stratford route, by an elaborate tissue of false evidence as to the probable cost of the Central line, and as to the engineering difficulties to be dealt with on that route. In addition to the positive false evidence brought forward in favor of the Central route, there was plenty of equally strong false evidence adduced a3 to the worthleesnese of the land on the Stratford route. The result now is a deadlock. There will be another million and a half at least — perhaps two millions, required to complete the Central route ; a sum which is at present, and for many years to come is likely to be, quite beyond the finances of New Zealand. Speaking from memory, we believe that only one-third of the North Island railway loan is available for future expenditure. Comparatively, very little of the money spent has been devoted to the making of that railway ; in fact, we believe the , holders of those bonds might almost i make a claim against the Government < for misappropriation of the proceeds i of that loan. Large sums out of ' that loan have been devoted to open- ' ing up roads, to snagging the Wan- ( ganui river, and to the purchase of ' native lands in the voinity of the Central route j with the result that £ the completion of the railway via ] Marton is no longer talked of as « being within measurable distance. J The great Poro-o-torao tunnel, the contract for which was let years ago, f is incomplete ; and many miles of t additional line will be required to c connect it with the completed portion p

at the north end. The Auckland people now recognise that there is but one possible means of opening up overland connection with the south, end and centre of the North Island, and that is by pushing on with the Stratford route. It is true that the Stratford people are by no means keen about this, because it seems probable that the connection, if it were ever made, would com? out nearer Eltham than Stratford. But the people of the Taranaki Provincial District, and of the Weat Coast of the North Island as a whole, would welcome any railway connection which would compete with the present very expensive railway communication between Taranaki and Wellington, over the G-overnment line and the Manawatu Company's line, at rates perhaps 30 per cent, higher than would rule between Stratford and Auckland over a Government line only. It is possible to connect Wellington with Auckland by way of Taranaki at about one-third of the cost which the connection via Hunterville and Marton would entail. It seems reasonable to suppose that a committee o£ the House o£ South. Island members would, by the light of the evidence now available, on the matter being re-considered, declare in favor of £600,000 rather than £1,600,000 being spent in bridging over the gap. The outcry of the Wellington press against any change of route may well be disregarded ; because, as we said before, the question is no longer Which is the best route ? but rather " Shall we complete the railway connection between Wellington and Auckland by adopting the Stratford route, or shall we abandon all idea of railway connection between Wellington and Auckland for another ten or twenty years?" That is the viaw which we would like to see urged in Parliament. We are not disposed to doubt the honesty of the Auckland people in this matter, as Mr. McGuire appears to do. Auckland has a big stake in this question. At present all overland traffic from Taranaki drains into Wellington. If the railway from Taranaki to Auckland were open, it is impossible to say where the bulk of the traffic for the North and for the South, would divide ; but it is certain that nearly all the traffic from a few miles east and north of Stratford would naturally gravitate to Auckland. As more and more of this inland country is being opened up, so Auckland merchants are led to perceive that more and more oi the trade which they ought to secure under equal conditions is being forced Southward : that the Central railway, for which they pressed, and which was promised them, has been abandoned in fact, if not in name : and that the North Island' Trunk Kaiiway Loan has been spent in the purchase of Maori lands and in opening up roads which lead traffic to Wellington, and in opening up the Wanganui Eiver to lead traffic to Wanganui. Auckland merchants are thus left out in the cold, and have to submit to a financial freeze The Auckland agitators would, we are sure, willingly agree to a 50-mile contract being let at the Stratford or Eltham end or" this'-route if thereby they could securiT'united Taranaki support for railway connection via. Taranaki.

The relative advantages of a rail road over an ordinary road for opening up land for settlement are enormous. We cannot comprehend how it is that the Stratford people should fail to perceive the obvious drawbacks to any ordinary roads. They have under their eyes the socalled East road as an outlet, nlong which in winter men and horses wade for miles up to their middle through a dismal slough, along which it costs more to carry a hundred-weight 20 miles than it would cost to rail a ton 100 miles. Even if the East road were metalled for 30 miles, it would still cost a settler at the end of it as much to send produce or butter to Stratford as would take the same articles from Stratford balf-way or more to Wellington. In addition to this the tax on the settlers to maintain 30 miles of metalled road is directly upon the land ; whereas the cost of roil road maintenance is borne by the State. And we have little doubt that the cost of maintenance j per tou carried on an ordinary metalled road through bush country is at least four or five times as great as the maintenance as the iron road for each ton carried. "Railway freights now charged give tbiß. One penny per [ ton per mile is considered a payable freight over long distances by rail Allowing that a four-horse waggon takes three tons twenty miles a day on an average, and can be run as low as 30s per day, this would represent 6d per ton per mile. It is impossible to study the history of the recent development of Canada and of the United States without being forced to the conclusion that those who wish to grow produce for the world's markets must either make use of the cheap I means of transport offered by modern science, or see the value of tbeir goods eaten up by cost of oayfcage. An illustration of true economy of production and distribution is cited in another column on the distribution of products.