The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1882.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 4064, 10 June 1882, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1882.

At the annual meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, the Chairman delivered a very interesting address, dwelling chiefly of course on the increasing prosperity of Auckland. He stated that the imports for 1881 wprft £1,490,124, as against £1.242.871 for 1880, showing an increase of £247.253 ; whilst the exports amounted to £813,113, ai narainst £758,271, hc'ma; an increase of £54,842 for the year. Referring to the railways in New Zealand, he said —"There are, in 1881-82. 1306 miles of railways in the Colony —Bs7 miles for the Middle Island, with a revenue of £567,891 19s. 2d.; and 409 miles in the North Island, with a revenue of £171,557 16s. 4d. The cost of working the former is 56*17 per cent., and the latter 66*82 per cent. The average is 58*64 as compared with 63-86. This shows a saving on the cost. The Auckland line of 139 miles for the name poriod (1881-2") show a revenue of £60.982 Bs. lid., and an expenditure of £41,317 Bs. 5d., beinsr a cost of working of 67*75 per cent. The cost for the corresponding period of last year was 70*27 per cent. In a new country like ours we must look to the Government for the opening- up of the country by roads and railways. Unfortunately, in this province we have not had anything approachin? our fair proportion in expenditure of public money. Tt seems to make very little difference what Government is in office, whether Grey or Hall, the result is the same —the money is spent in the South. We have heard that a new loan is to be floated, and it is probable a large sum shall be put down for the Auckland and Taranaki railway. If so, we shall urge the construction of this line with the least possible delay, and in case of any Maori difficulty arising, we shall insist upon the investment of the money until the difficulty is overcome. We should not pprmit it to be spent South, as in former timf>s, upon the ground, perhaps, that while they had intended to have flpont it on the Taranaki railway the Maoris would not permit, and of course it had to be used for more pressing claims. The necessity for this line is admitted by all : the broken link between Te Awamutu and Waitara seriously interferes with our prosrresß. The Wellington people, with commpndable zeal, have already commenced the Manawatu railway, which, when completed, will afford them an unbroken line to Waitara." The opinions appear to be so general that the Auckland railway should be connected with the West Coast line vifi Taranaki that there is very little doubt about the House agreeing to it. Farming evidently pays when a Southland farmer in the Western District has cleared £120 from 20 acres of wheit this season. A man named James Peterson while engaged at the Ngaire Saw-mills on Thursday last, had his hand severely lacerated by a circular saw. He suffered greatly from the excessive loss of blood, and was brought into town in nn exhausted condition. Dr. O'Carroll attended to the man's injuries at the Hospital, and he is now doing as well as can bo expected. A correspondent writes to us as follows : —"Allow me, through your columns, to draw attention to a dangerous tramway crossing ut the Flint Road. I have known the line to be blocked by a log until jacks could be procured to remove seme. It will be well if same is rectified at once, as an accident may be averted. I believe last night part of the tramway was carried away by the engine."