OUT OF HARNESS FOR A MONTH.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8742, 31 March 1890, Page 3

OUT OF HARNESS FOR A MONTH.

TRAVELLING- BY RAIL AND STEAMBOAT.

W.utaki North is the first station the express stops at after leaving Studholuie, and is about fourteen miles from the latter place. There is a river here which forms tho boundary dividing Canterbury from Otago. This river is bridged, and at each side of it there is v station — being about a mile apart. The express, however, only stops a few minutes at the first station, where a small township exists. Before I proceed to describe the railways of Otago, it may. perhaps, be as well for me to say a word or two respecting the other lines in Canterbury, because the main line which connects "Christchuvch with Dunedin is only one portion of tho railway system of this district. In Canterbury, then, there are 454 miles of railway. The main lino, as far as the boundary of the provincial district, is 138 miles ; but to the North of Christcliurch up to Culverden there is G7 miles From this northern line run two branches westward, one from Kaiapoi, about 14 miles from Christchurch, and another from Rangiora, six miles further on. These two branches meet at a place called Bennetts, when the line goes on to Sheffield, where it connects with another branch of the railway that starts from I Rolleston — that is "a town 14 miles to the south of Christchurch on the main line. Six miles to the south of Christchurch (Hornby) another line branches off towards Bank's Peninsula, and at the Lincoln Junction, some 14 miles distance, it forks in two directions, one branch going towards Akaroa, for about 22 miles to a place called Wairewa, and tho other 25 miles, and stopping at Southbridge. At Rakaia (36 miles from Christchurch) there is another feeder to this railway, which runs 3G miles inland to Methven ; and from Ashburton (53 miles from Christchurch) a similar convenience is afforded the settlers for 30 miles inland to Springburn. From Timaru a line runs in a north-westerly direction for 39 miles, going as far as Fairlie's Creek, and from Studhohne to Waihoe Downs, some 14 miles. The settlers of Canterbury are therefore for the most part in daily communication with the chief cities of the South Island. The cost of these lines is stated to have been £3,397,826. From the Waitaki River the railway hugs the shore for some thirteen miles till it arrives at Oamaru. About three miles north of the latter town there is the Pnkeuri Junction, from which is a branch line of railway running 38 miles inland, and according to the maps published by the Public Works Department, it is evidently the intention of the engineers some day to connect it with tbe inland branch line that strikes south-westerly from Timaru. The train from Chriatclnirch runs into Oamaru, close to the sea shore, and stops at the railway station, which is in front of the harbour. After a short stay it makes another start for Dunedin, going through the town in a westerly direction. The main street of Oamaru is Thames-street, and a view of it is obtained as the train passes along. About three miles from Oamaru there is a branch line in a westerly direction for about 17 miles, to Ngapara, whilst the main line itself also takes a more inland curve, coming back towards the seashore at Hampden. The next station the down express train stops at is Palmerston South (which is 189 miles from Christchurch), and it arrives there close on 7 o'clock in the evening. It is dreary travelling by railway after dark. When the j^uard has lighted the lamps the carriages have a gloomy appearance, and if the passengers do not get into an argumentative mood they usually settle themselves down for a snooze. There was a party of Australian tourists in the carriage I was in, who in the dim light were conversing with someone respecting New Zealand. Whilst the tourists were expatiating on the scenery they had witnessed, and the prolificness of the soil, they deplored our misfortune being burdened so heavily with debt. The tourists were being informed by the party who was talking with them, that it was " Vogel-who was to be blamed for all our troubles; that it was he who had burdened the'eountry with a heavy debt;" that it was " Yogel whom we ought to curse " — and it was " Yogel who had ruined this fair land by his cursed borrowing." I listened for a long time at tbe denunciation of a man who, whatever his many faults may be, was certainly not guilty of a tithe of the almost crimes he was being charged with by this stranger. The passengers by degrees had all become interested in the conversation, and some one asked the denouncer of Sir Julius, if Yogel was the only one who was responsible for the heavy debt the colony was burdened with? The stranger made the somewhat rash reply, " that it was Yogel who had incurred the whole debt of the colony." I could not stand it any longer, so quietly joined in the conversation by asking the stranger if he was aware " what the amount of the debt of the colony was." He replied that it was, he thought, "about thirty-five millions." I had some time previously collected figures on this subject from the oflicial statistics of the colony, by which I showed that the administration Sir Julius Yogel had been connected with had borrowed less, but done more work, than the Governments which had succeeded him. Luckily the figures were in my pocketbook at the time, so I read them as well as 1 could by the aid of the dim lamp to the astonished passengers. As they may be interesting to those who are so ready to denounce Sir Julius Yogel, I give them; they are as follows: — In 1869 the indebtedness of the colony was £7,300,616. In 1876 (seven years afterwards), the year Sir Julius retired from public life and went Home, the public debt had risen to £17,388,155, an increase of £10,027,539. When Sir Julius Yogel returned to the colony, in 1884, tho public debt of the colony was £29,877,579, having during his absence in England increased by £12,489,424. With the ten millions raised during the Yogel administration there were 1145 miles of railways opened or under construction, whilst at the present time — or fourteen years after — there are only 1809 miles open for traffic. The net public indebtedness of the colony on December 31st, 1888, was £36,971,771. So that the ten millions by[ which Sir Julius Yogel increased the indebtedness of the colony forms a very small proportion to the present debt of the colony. As I have said, I read the figures with difficulty owing to the light being dim, but I could tee I had made an impression on the Australian tourists ; but to regain his lost prestige the party who had been denouncing Yogel, addressing me, said : " Where can 1 find the figures you have just read ?" I had only just time to reply, " Page 253 of the of Colonial Statistics for 1888," when our dry statistical discussion was brought to a close by the exclamation of a lady who had been standing on the p'atform outside, who called out in an excited manner to some of her friends in the carriuge, " Oh ! Jook here ! How awful ! " Down went all the windows on the east side of the carriage, and out on to the platform went those who could, to pee what had startled the lady. The train was skirting what appeared to he a cliff, and we were passing close to its edge. It was at the Blueskin. There was just light enough to see that we wore running along the very edge of a dangerous precipice, and many feet below there evidently was water, for we could hear its break againßt the shore, It was stated by nnc ai the pagseugwre tfmt a

place, and but for timely warning being given to the railway authorities a very serious accident must have resulted near the spot. After passing Blueskin Bay the train is not long in reaching Port Chalmeis, and when it is dark tho peninsula has a very pretty appearance, the lights from the windows of the houses looking like so many stars. Port Chalmers is a good sized town, but since the dredging operations have enabled steamers to go up to Dunedin, the property at the port has fallen in value ; in fact, I was told it ''was of no value at all." It took the train twenty minutes to run from Port Chalmers to Dunedin ; and on leaving the former station preparations are at once made by tho passengers to be ready to clear from the carriages immediately on the arrival of the train at its destination. At this station there does not seem to be that convenience afforded the passengers to get their luggage which I noticed existed at Christchurch, or even at Lyttelton, where, by the by, the express train goes to of a night when a steamer is leavingtherefor Wellington. The instant the train stops at Dunedin everything appears to be in a state of confusion at the station. '* Stand back, there," is the reiterated cry from the porters, whilst the crowd is suddenly driven by some unseen force against the walls of the railway station. Then a spasmodic move is made by the crowd. The passengers, eager to secure their luggage, are driven alongside a wooden barrier, whilst the porters who are inside it pass boxes, portmanteaux, cases, &c, along from one to another. The owners, as they see their property, try to seize it or "hallo" to porters to give it them. Sometimes they aro lucky enough to get it, but too often the reverse is the case. How my friend Paterfamilias succeeded in extracting his goods from tho miscellaneous collection of luggage, I did not stop to [ ascertain, but made my way for tho door at the railway station to iind myself suddenly in darkness. " Cab !" " Here, sir," was the reply from some invisible | person, " where to ?" I mentioned the hotel. " Half-a-crown ?" said a man who was evidently sitting on the box of a cab, though I could not sec him. "All right," I replied, and than, with his help, I felt my way into the vehicle, and was driven to the Hotel I had named. Tho distance I found next day to be about rive or six minutes' walk. At the hotel there was a large number of passengers, some of whom I had lately travelled with, all anxious for accommodation, whilst the manager seemed bewildered — so full was his house — as to how he was to sleep the lot. I, however, had telegraphed in advance, and secured an apartment so soon found myself going up in a " lift " to the fourth story of the building.

( For continuation ot news see 4th page. )