EAST COAST RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19699, 27 July 1927, Page 8

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

KAHKATI TO TAUEANOA

CLOSING GAPS IN THE LINE

COMPLETION WITHIN A YEAR

[by our special commissioneb.] No. IV.

It is to be regretted that the East Coast railway skould fee held up between Takawai and Tanranga, and that wintry weather and railway construction work should make the roads so utterly impassable; for here is one of those districts in New Zealand that only needs good communication to make it prosperous and well populated. Fortunately tho gaps in this line are by no means extensive. The six miles section in the hands of the Public Works Department is practically completed so far as heavy work is concerned, and the 18 miles stretch for which the Armstrong, Whitworth Company has contracted has only a few narrow links to forge. From the information I have been able to obtain the whole work should be (finished within a year, and perhaps earlier if weather and other conditions are favourable. Then there will be a continuous line from Waihi to Taneatua, a distance of roughly 100 miles. At the present time the fine stretch of country which extends from Takawai to iTauranga is really worse off than if railway work had never been started, because its old means .of communication have been destroyed and the new railway advantages are not yet available. It is certain, however, that by next year this part of New Zealand ought to see the beginning of a long period of progress and prosperity, for, when the railway is in running order and the local bodies have the opportunity of finishing their permanent roads, there should be renewed activity among the farming population and a large influx of new settlers. Benefits ol Railways,

It is only by studying the effects of lack of railway and road communication on a district that ona can realise what great and beneficial changes will be made in this part of New Zealand when trains aro running right through it, linking it .with the markets of the world. The farmer will be able to cart his produce rf to the nearest station and to bring on to his land fertilisers and other materials at a low cost. Hitherto any attempt to raise fat stock has been seriously handicapped by the necessity of driving them long distances to the nearest market, which means, of course, not only serious deterioration in weight and quality, but high charges. Dairying has developed steadily in these parts in spite of bad roads and the high cost of freight on fertilisers necessary to produce good pastures; when the croam can be put on a nearby platform, it matters very little whether the factory is miles away, so that dairying is bound to extend. Practically no other part of New Zealand is better adapted for fruitgrowing, but even at the present time the freight charges on fruit, due to cartage and shipping and transhipping, are so high that no one can make a profit from it. When the railway is constructed the orchardist will be able to send his crop to customers in any part of the North Island for about 9d a case. When I first visited this district I made inquiries regarding the prices paid for farm products and found that in Taurauga, the only available market then, butter was selling at 4d a pound; eggs, 4d a dozen; maize, Is lOd a bushel. Yet the farmer managed to live in those days, and from my recollection of him was remarkably cheerful and hospitable. Compared with those days what magnificent opportunities await the settler in this part of New Zealand to-day. Increase in Wealth Production. With railway communication established, a3 it will be within the year, there is every reason to anticipate a very great increase in wealth production and population in the stretch.of country between Katikati and Taurauga. The bulk of the land westward of the railway is at present'lying idle. It is inconceivable that with so favourable a climate and so many advantages in the way of sunny aspect, innumerable fine streams and access to a, beautiful harbour, men will continue to allow these lands to remain unused. Nearly every branch of farming can be successfully carried on in these districts between the hill ranges and Tauranga harbour. For dairying they are especially favourable. Pasture grows well under good treatment and lucerne grows particularly luxuriantly. But one of the, great advantages is that maize flourishes and, besides yielding a valuable crop, its stalks provide winter feed, and pumpkins or turnips grown between the rows of maize make a splendid combination, not only for dairy cows, but also for pigs, which are fast becoming a very important factor on all dairy farms. Where lucerne and maize and so many other crops can be grown there is no nartow limit to production. It need not be a question of two or three acres to k dairy cow, but two or three cows to im acre, so that the small farm is easily possible here, and probably more profitable than a larger area under indifferent pasture. It is always difficult and somewhat 'dangerous to give any information about land values, but there need be no hesitation in saying that there is plenty of low-priced land within easy reach of the railway between Katikati and Tauranga, and much of it can be made into very useful dairying and sheep farms. There are also on the hill ranges considerable areas of timber forests which should offer scope for enterprising men now that the railway is so near, and besides timber there are mineral deposits in these hills, for they are the southern extension of the goldfield ranges, and may still offer fortunes for the lucky prospectors.