The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2,1891.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 9254, 2 December 1891, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2,1891.

The Northern . Railway League, an organisation recently formed in Auckland for the purpose of agitating the connection of Auckland and Taranaki by railway, interviewed the Ministerpf Lands on Tuesday, and asked "Mr McKenzie whether the Government could not make a bridle track along the surveyed, railway route to Stratford, which the gentlemen present at the interview pointed out would not cost above £6,800. The Minister of Lands admitted that the road would be a benefit, not only to the districts con" nected, but to the whole colony, as it would open a large tract of land, and should be done, but he had to consider whether the Government pould do it out of unauthorised expenditure. IJe promised to lay the matter before the Cabinet on bis return to Wellington, and would let the League know later on. The Northern Railway League deserves the support of the Taranaki people In this matter, and it comes within the duties of the Chamber of Commerce to assist. From the Auckland papers we learn that the Association on November 12th addressed a strong letter on the subject to the Premier, asking the Government to construct a mere bridle track along the route of the proposed railway to Stratford, in order to facilitate the exploration of the country that would be opened up by such a line. The League were met with the statement from the Public Works Department that a track could not be constructed under pps t pf £100 per mile, the distance to be traversed being §8 miles. The Prpmjpr intimated at the samp time that as there was no money authorised to carry out the work, he did pot see how it was to be done. On receipt of the telegram conveying the above information, the League sent another letter to the Hon, Mr Ballance, in which the whole matter, was fully gone into. The writer says :—: — " This estimate, we presume, is based

upon the probable cost of a six-foot wide bridle road with fordable creeks and gullies all bridged, such as, we are informed, has been constructed along the surveyed line of the central route from Te Kuiti to Marion. Without discussing the probable accuracy or otherwise of the estimate of cost of such a track, which appears to the League \ somewhat excessive, the League respect- 1 fully submit that the construction of a bridle road of the kind indicated, even at a cost of between £6,000 and £7,000, would be money well spent in the public interests, apart from, the question of railway construction. Along, such a bridle road, pending the completion*6%Jihe road eastward from Stratford, cattle and sheep could be driven through to the present terminus of the i AucklanjftiTe Kuiti Kailway,- Uhus assisting to make traffic for the existing line, while by opening up the country to travellers the district would be explored, and its capabilities as a field for settlement and coal-mining enterprise would become known, to great ultimate public i advantage when, upon the construction [ of either road or railway along the route, lands come to be offered and taken- up for settlement The total cost of the bridle roa^ would be very small as. comi pared with the amount of money- that j must have been spent upon the bridle road along the central route, whereas its j immediate practical utility would be infinitely greater, opening up as it would a natural line of communication between the Auckland and Taranaki provincial districts. It would also materially assist in tabling a wise decision to be, come to by any unprejudiced tribunal with regard to the rival merits .of the central and the Stratford raifway routes when the question of the", completion of. through communication between Auckland and Wellington comes to be. finally settled.", FromjQngaruhe to Mangaroa, in the '|s.uckland district, a good ~« trailing ' road, -for a distance of thirty-four miles, will soon be completed, whilst at this end, the East Road is being proceeded with ;t; t therefore, there could not be very much* difficulty in connecting the now in progress by a bridle tra^k, which; would enable persons to ride from one district to another. In Auckland the^ are working hard to get their district connected with Taranaki, and" it, therefore, behoves us here to second the efforts of tho Northern Railway League, and toassist the people of Auckland in this matter. As His Worship the Mayor took action in connection with therailway proposals to connect the two districts, he might now take the initiation in this more feasible scheme, and, in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, be prepared with a deputation to wait on the Minister. of Lands when«he returns from Auckland, and support the members of the Northern Railway League in their advocacy for a bridle track to be constructed. At Stratford, too, the County Council might try and bring pressure to bear on the authorities. At the present day the people have to agitate if they wish to get theifr wants attended to by the Government ; and as the connection of the northern portion of this island with the southern is of colonial importance, we hope the people of the district will be persistent in the advocacy for the roads asked for to be made.