THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1886,

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7791, 10 November 1886, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1886,

The reduction of the travelling distance between Auckland and Wellington to a twenty-four hours'journey is a very noteworthy fact in the progress of the colony. Not many years ago the means of conveyance were such that to cover this distance occupied the better part of a week ; and it is only very recently that the time spent in getting from the one port to the other was reduced to about three full days, while quite double that time had to be reckoned on by those wishing to traverse the distance between Auckland and Dunedin. Gradually, however, a great economy of time has been effected by the opening of the railway from Dunedin to Lyttelton, and the running, in connection with the train, of a steamer between the latter port and Wellington. And now, by the completion of the Wellington-Manawatu Railway, whose opening was the other day becomingly celebrated, and by the running of trains right through from Port Nicholson to New Plymouth or Waitara the time occupied in travelling from Dunedin to Cook Straits and from Cook Straits to Auckland has been about equalised, so that by good arrangements the whole distance between the two extreme and leading centres of population of the Northern and Southern Islands might be accomplished in about forty-eight hours. What an advance this indicates upon the state of things which existed about thirty years ago, when the facilities for travelling along our coasts were so imperfect and so rare that members wishing to proceed from Dunedin to Auckland to attend Parliament sometimes found it more convenient to take ship for Sydney, the communications of the several ports of New Zealand being then more frequent wich Australia than with each other. Sure enough we have made decided progress since then; for, by means of the Union Company's splendid fleet of steamers, not only do we have a double weekly service along our coasts from both extremes of the colony, but also a weekly connection of Auckland and Wellington with Sydney, and of Dunedin, and virtually of Lyttelton, with Melbourne. In short, so rapidly has the steam shipping enterprise of New Zealand shot forward, that not merely the interprovincial, but also to a very large extent the intercolonial, facilities for transit have thus been provided for with an almost unprecedented completeness ; while, as it respects the former, these are steadily being supplemented by inland or railway communications.

To enable the travelling public to reap the full advantage of the continuous line that now stretches from Cook's Straits to Waitara, it will of course be necessary that a steamer should ply statedly between the latter place or New Plymouth breakwater and the Manukau. For a considerable time past the service from Onehunga to Waitara has been admirably performed by the Northern Steam Shipping Company, and many passengers for Wellington have availed themselves of this route in preference to that via Nelson and Picton. And doubtless this company will now make it their special business to cultivate the traffic they have thus initiated. To some extent it may, perhaps, hamper them in their trading arrangements, as it will necessitate the despatch of their vessels from both termini at fixed times to connect with the arriving and departing trains. This, however, they can easily arrange for without seriously interfering with the requirements of trade; and it may be presumed that the subsidy which the Government is prepared to give for the regular performance of this part of the service will fully compensate for any loss which might otherwise be sustained. Under somewhat adverse circumstances, this company have striven nobly to supply an efficient local communication between Auckland and the different settlements on both coasts. And it would doubtless be a gratification to the general public if the harvest of their efforts were in some measure to be reaped through the increased importance which must attach to their service between Manukau and Waitara from the opening of the railway thence to Wellington. To this link in the through communications of the North Island there must henceforth be devoted special attention on the part of the Government, as neglect of it would very materially interfere with that economising of time which the travelling public set so great a value on.

And we urge this point the more strongly that we do not regard it as at all diminishing the importance of the matter to which we drew attention in Monday's issue, the connecting of Taranaki with Auckland by railway at the earliest possible date. This subject neither Auckland nor Taranaki can afford to lose sight of; and from thia time onward, the members and constituencies of both provinces ought to make it their special aim to have measures taken to initiate and accomplish this undertaking in the manner already suggested. But this work will require some time for its completion, and meanwhile the most ought to be made of the opportunity that now exists, True,

when the branch line connecting Taranaki with the trunk line from Auckland is constructed it will divert a considerable portion of the passenger traffic from the steamers plying between New Plymouth and the Manukau. But there will always be some who prefer doing part of the journey by sea. And, at all events, there will, by that time, have been developed a trade between the West Ooast and Auckland, which, for economic reasons, will largely continue to be carried by the steamer instead of by rail. It is this trade that both provinces are mutually interested in cultivating, and nothing will tend so much to secure this object as" the establishing of an efficient and regular steam service connecting with the railway arrangements. By this means the settlers of Taranaki will become more familiarised with our market, while the regularity of a locally-directed service will admit of an attending here business orders with that despatch to which has not hitherto been possible. In addition to this, the cost of transit for goods can be so adjusted as to meliorate, if not neutralise, the disadvantages to which Auckland traders doing business with the West Ooast have hitherto had to contend. The people of Taranaki, and the people of Auckland especially, will have themselves to blame if they do not, forthwith, turn to the best account the improved facilities for inter-commu-nication which are now available.