FIFTY YEARS AGO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15650, 2 July 1914, Page 12

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

AUCKIANO-DRURY RAILWAY.

SELECTED ROUTE CRITICISED,

(Prom tie HEBiliD of July 2,1861.) . Tee Auckland-Drury railway is a public ■work of so much importance to the province that wo feel it our duty again to arouse the citizens of Auckland to take action in the matter ere it be too late, and to record unmistakably their opinion £3 to the course being now pursued by the Railway Committee . .. . . T" 0 line adopted is faulty, and some "say woiso, the gradients unnecessarily steep, the carves unnecessarily sharp. The entrance into Auckland is the most inconvenient for the general _ public, and so expensive in its nature that, in the construction of the first mile of the railway, fully £30,000 would be expended—nearly a third, of the entire sum voted for the construction of the • whole line. . ... But ono of the most faulty parts of the scheme is the pioposcd construction of a branch line, merely to Onehunga, instead of having the lino connecting these two porta the main lire, and converging away to the left of Onehunga to Druiy. There arc many objections to this proposed branch line to Onehunga. _ As an instance of the value of a direct line between ■ Auckland and Onehunga, we may refer to tie question now before the publis of direct steam communication between this 'province and Melbourne. The Mannkau is nearer to Melbourne by fully M hours, but is said to be ineligible as the port of call, because of the want of cargo them. With a railway direct from one port to the other, the main feature of the . difficulty would be overcome; Auckland and Onehunga would, in fact, soon become one city commanding either, coast of New Zealand.