THE HANMER LINE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7606, 16 January 1903, Page 2

THE HANMER LINE.

Tho visit of the Minister 0 f Public Work* 1.-, (lie Culverden district lias apparently impressed hini with the opinion that there are no insuperable difficulties in thft w.-iy of cMin-cting Hanmer with, civilisation by ]<>s primitive means than those afc present c-xL-lir.g. The preliminary survey shows that no very grave engineering problems will have to be faced m running ;i railway over 'lie iive-_'i_d4wenty miles of country which lie bv.tween C'liverden and HanmcT. The question, therefore, simply resolves itsruf into one of the necessity for (lie ii.if. ' Of this there will hardly- be. two opinions. The Government has already a

stake in i\r_ country concerned, and purpot-'?"'- siiil further outlay at tiie Sanatorium and elsewhere in tire neighbourhood, so that it hns a direct huciesx in seeing that its aira nge ments for t lie exploitation of one of our principal health resorts shall be as complete an-;l as comfortable as possible. At present the priii-ipal disability under which K funner labouri i.i its inaccessibility. People who would otherwise gladly avail tjiemselves cf its healing waters hesitate to face the long and necessarily arduous coach journey, the fatigue of which is too heavy a price to pay fcr Bub.v-eqi.cnt benefits. An enlargement of the Sanatorium and railway connection would send lian-

mer vigorously ahead. The objective at present seems ai little casual for an expenditure of £150,000, but the construction of the railway would nairn-ally increase settlement along the line of, route,, more especially if the policy of securing to the Crown the land through which the'railway Will run is borne, in mind by the Government. But the railway expenditure is not the only one which the Goveriiment will be called upon to face. Eailway or 119 railway the Department in charge of the country's interest at Hanmer must see to it that its house is put in thorough order. Th* -whole surroundings of the place require a;. vigorous overhaul. Tile questions of sanitation and water-supply must be f-tced from the point of view of modera methods if the place is to be a really satisfactory recruiting-guound for the halt and tho maimed. These are as much the concern of fhe State as the question of accessibility, and it is to be hoped that the inquiries which Mi- ilall-Jdlies* is conducting to-duy wiil inipre'sS this necessity upoa him.