"THE WAIHI-PAEROA RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10834, 18 August 1898, Page 4

"THE WAIHI-PAEROA RAILWAY.

_—» We publish to-day a letter from Mr, J. W. Walker on the proposed railway from Paeroa to Waihi. This subject was brought up by us several years ago, and has been frequently since discussed in our columns. We have pointed out that a convenient junction could be obtained near Pneroa,and that after passing through the Karangahtike Gorge the line would run almost on a level straight ! to Waihi. ' The Waihi Company offered to join in their line to their battery at Waikino, so that nearly half the distance would be made. Thu work, indeed, may be said to be imperative, and the arguments are briefly and forcibly put by Mr. Walker. The) timber fuel in the district, Mi. Walker calculates, will only last for two years, and then it will be necessary to cart coal for evory purpose. What this means for a claim which is being developed we all know. Such a mine as the Waihi, no doubt, could affod the expense, but. the cartage of fuel for so great a distance would be a bar to mines which had not attained so forward a position, and might make the j whole difference between profit and loss. ; Our mines at the Thames and : Cofomandel were fortunate from the beginning above all ! goldfields of the I world in having at command an

very different lb«ej n f»Mmaee ava labia for them. 10 water-can i vo » , , _ serious .item, m impossib le. the Government several times, hey tne uovciii .. themselves, itoanS oi! large sm-pluses, StKftot allow, any otto to of the D ° om ' b un dertaken by Sti^the^ermnent would not agree, intending, » « P nose, to make the railway m what tk & terns "the sweet by-and-br» Tte latest declaration on the L n i:V a HaV:^^ the report of the engineer had bee [ridbe showed hat a The line could be constructed Ihe Latter would be considered when* public works policy of &*™™ x* Lent came up forM and he was not prepared to say anything more definite than that _ We hop that Mr. McGowan's question was not one of those pieces of theatrical byplay we sometimes have enacted when a question is asked by a bo«„t%orter, just to show how zealously the interests of his constants are being looked after, jh. he knows the answer that will be riven. There is a story that when the religion of ancient Rome had become a farce in the eyes,o the educated, the augurs laughed to each other when they were engaged in the sacred rites. And there is J Rood deal of this sort of thing in Purl* ment, when a Government supports who is tied neck and crop ma « question. The statement that the subject will be considered whoa the Estimates come up for conside-utioi means that the work is being dangled It is just possible that the Government may say that the only chance for the Waihi-Paeroa railway is a Parliament agreeing to their proposer, loan of half a million. However, the facts remain that this railway mighl have been nearing completion if the Government had given the necessarj encouragement, that it would have been a good-paying line from the first, that the Government have not done anything to it, while they have been pushing on lines of very littli worth to the colony.