RAILWAY TO TAUPO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17730, 15 March 1921, Page 4

RAILWAY TO TAUPO.

GOVERNMENT LINE NEEDEH. EXTENSION FROM SOTORTXAi, COMMISSION'S ADVOCACY, [BT TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL BEPOBTE&.] WELrLJNGTON. MondayStrong recommendations for tht> eztension of the present, Government railway from Rotorua to Taupo are contained in the report of the commission which inquired - into the proposed purchase by the State of the Tanpo Totara Timber Company's railway from Putarura to Mokai, Two grounds advanced are the development, of the State forest? wrthin reach of the route, and the potentialities of tho pumice lands, of which the greater part of the district consists. The commissioß S3VS: — " There is in the thermal spring district an area of 2500 acres of planted 1 State forests, and during the next five to seven years it is proposed to add another 10,000 acres. Some of these plantations are over 20 years old, and as the timber planted reaches maturity in about 40 or 50 years, it will follow that in about 23 years from now s. portion of this forest will be reaching maturity. The trees require thinning out well before this period, so as to leave the remaining trees sufficient space in which to develop. This I thinmng process has already begun and , must, of course, go on continuously as long is planting is proceeded with. The <&- ■ rector of forests gave evidence before tha commission, and stated that by 1350 th« yield from the Rotorua group of plantations would amount to from 50 up to 123 cubic feet of timber per acre per annum. If we take it at 100 feet per acre, multrply this by 5500, the acreage planted, and allow one-third for waste, there will bo an export available equal to 28 million feet per annum, or four times the present annual export of timber from the Taupa Totara Timber Company's mill and tramway. " The thinning process must be gone on with, we understand, whether any market can be found for the thinnings or not, but unless «>me cheap means of transport is provided it will be impossible to find a market for them, and they will have to be burned. If transport can be provided, they can be sold for mine props and also for other purposes besides firewood. Mr. R. W. Holmes, the late Engineer-in-Chief and Under-Secretary for Public Works in a report dated April 28 last, on the best route connecting Taupo by rail with the • New Zealand railway system, says : ' There is another point that must not be lost sight of in considering this question, and that is that the Forestry Department has very large plantations m the vicinity of Waiotapu, which is about 18 'miles along the route from Rotorua to Taupo. Irrespective of what is done in the way of gi'ving Tanpo railway connection, it will be absolutely necessary that a railway be constructed before many yeare elapse to Waiotapu to deal with the output from the State forests. The State forests will, when sufficiently developed, provide constant traffic for a railway over this distance. "' The land is cheap here, trees seem to do well, and it is only a matter of increasing the plantations until there will be as much timber coming out as the railway ' can comfortably handle, and this will continue in perpetuity.' The director of forests was asked if he concurred with Mr, Holmes* views, and he replied, ' Absolutely.' "It would seem, therefore, that there is urgent necessity, in order to avoid great national waste, for an extension of the Rotorua Government railway to Wafotapn with as little delay as possible. Beaiiag-: this in _ mind, and having in view foa probability that the Government will givs effect sooner or later to the strong re* commendations recited, the commissioners venture to express the opinion that the line connect Taupo with the Government railway system should be an ' tension of the existing Government railway to Rotorua." After discussing in some detail the possibilities of the extensive areas of pumice land, the commissioners conclude :—" The common need of all this country is suitable manures, andi manures cannot be obtained at a sufficientry low cost without a railway. The company's tramway helps the farmer a! good deal already, and -will be of considerable further assistance when extended to Omanm, but the needs of the district will not be fully met until the Governi - ment railway is extended to Tanpo."