A GREAT RAILWAY SCHEME

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1717, 25 January 1905, Page 70 (Supplement)

A GREAT RAILWAY SCHEME

Tile Government of Canada (says the “Scientific American”) has entered into partnership with a newly-incorporated company for the construction of a transcontinental railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to be wholly within Canadian territory. This road will be about 3,G00 miles in length and the total cost i.s estimated at £30,000,000. The western division, from Winnipeg to the Pacific, is to bo constructed by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, not yet organised, to be controlled by the Grand Trunk Company, which will be the majority stockholder. The line from Winnipeg to the Atlantic, in New Brunswick, will be built by the Government, and leased to the Grand Trunk Pacific Company at a 3 per cent, rental for 50 years. From Winnipeg westward to Edmonton, about SO miles, the line will run through prairie country, paralleling or intersecting branches of the Cadadian Pacific and Canadian Northern railways. North-west from Edmonton, for 300 miles to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, there are no engineering difficulties until the route enters the valley of the Upper Peace River. Following this valley through the Rockies, die surveyed line reaches a point where a southerly turn brings it to the canyon of the Skeena. By a tortuous and difficult route through the Coast Range, the line finds its western terminal at or near Port Simpson within a dozen miles of the recently-defined southernmost point of the Alaskan boundary. An official statement presented to the Senate gives the length by the surveyed route, through the mountains, as 766 miles. This makes 1886 miles for the total length of the division, Winnipeg to the Pacific, to be built by the company.

Surveys of the eastern division have not yet. made sufficient progress to permit a definite location of the route. BetAA'een Quebec and Moncton, New Brunswick, the line aauLl pass very near to the boundary of the state of Maine, until the valley of th© St. John River is reached, thence a choice of routes is presented to the seaboard.

The Government provides the cost of the eastern division. For the western division bonds issuable hv the Grand Trunk Pacific Company are to bear Government guaranty of 3 per cent, in respect of three-fourths of the total amount; interest in the remaining fourth part is to he guaranteed by the Grand Trunk Company. The Government guaranty hecom.es operative only on the completion of the railway from Winnipeg to the coast. Interest upon outlay in construction is to be capitalised. The AA-estern division must be completed by December 1, 1911.