THE WAIRARAPA'S MONSTER EVIL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1413, 16 March 1860, Page 3

THE WAIRARAPA'S MONSTER EVIL.

Greytown, March sth, 1860. (To the Editor if the Wellington Independent.) Sis,— The present political calm, which I hope is not the prelude to v tempest seems favorable for the discussion of questions connected with our social* moral, and material welfare. T^he Chamber of Commerce not lung since issued a report, which among sundry statem sins, boa«rte,d' of our exporting capabilities— that amongst other corJmodities wheat and potatoes, could he raised, for exportation to almost any exteat. I fenoiv 'not bow it may be with other districts bf.jthe Provinc?, buv;certainly as respects the <Vtf"airarapa,'so lon* ;i9 the present rate of cartage continues, the. distri.-t U as effectually deharied from exporting the commodities mentioned 'as '>••.. if it were hermetically sealed, or the mud across the Remutaka had so existence. The' price of cartage Id pet oound enhancing as it does exhorbitantly the pricV of "'everything, brought up from Wellington, and effectually, pj-eveniinjj the ttananiUslon thither o.fhgrictUlural produce,! is to roy mind the tnonistef evUfrotn which \His district suffera; hut tcaniiot persuade myself that the evil is actually irremediable. Though. l hafe not access to 'maps and.ptljer 4ocoitterits r 'whidli i would enable me to arrive at safe conclusion,yet casting rdy eyes aroiind nnite t I cannot ; help, niispccting that by a ootpbinotjob of tram-roads . with waier carriage,, agricultural produpe coiiW:, be transported- ia any quantity to Wellington at comparatively little cokU Nothing can place in a stronger light the pieenrtnent advantage of of water over lan.d carriage, thaii the facC tha,i ! fl<i.ur imported from Valaparaiso flan he\sold" iv Sydney, cheaper than that TgYoflP in the in- , tenor of Mew SoUtH vValfes. Now my idea " is that by combining coast nayjjgatiop i with internal on our lake; anrr that w»<K ft system, of, tram road^and in elos^ conUguit£para^el witli our principal i^k'd^'aJßlJlf Vtuita'inin^ ipet|ir»ra ' of cheap Carriage mtff^.be^eiuied, (a.^cfe'nt toll.bejlng *mppsejtt IfJ i^6ces|(i^ t0 Keep" .such" / roadsjn repair,!" ;e,;UmptJib , pavig.'itjpri ' J of.ihe.lake wqi^He aiMilW \wilh^thi9 . d&vV. ' babk, Ihiit <* bar at'^^'tfanoe would j. be fm- ' passable [-a^ certiin /season;? of the yeky. But tbnt peedl got prevent thie transport of agricul turai,and other produce jn rhe case aupposftdat other periods j while the jßiinmaka'road^a^yi.--ue always aviiilablo for tiiose more" pjrpoite^' iivticles, which t?a'i^U''be|b i | > U > er.|Mo -W : |fa^ •'■: .(. ..•-■"••'

cost of an expensive carriage. The- ideas now thrown out are necessarily somewhat crude, such as they are they Bave been for a considerable time floating in my mind, and I shall be glad to find their feasibility either confirmed or dinproved by some competent authority. In regard of tram roads we have a precedent for them in South Australia, and it would be easy to procure information respecting them by reference to that colony. In my own neighr bourhood parties speak confidentially of the cheapness and facility with which they eon Id be constructed, (more especially when running parallel with the existing macadamized roads,) and of the immense loads that can be transported along them by either man or beast, with comparative ease. It is hardly necessary to add that the material of which the propose*} roads should be constructed is titnUr. . - I am Sir, Your's &c. : • r M Collissok.'