THE WAIRARAPA RAILROAD.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 3371, 14 December 1871, Page 2

THE WAIRARAPA RAILROAD.

4> TO TnE EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT. Sib, — In your issue of the sth instant you gave a prominent; place to tho report of a meoting in Greytown in connection with this undertaking. But I fail to recognise among tho speakers who addressed fche meeting any of tho principal settlers of tho district. Ifc i 3 nofc a difficult task for interested parties to gather a certain class who usually frequent; the public houses, and form a meeting, bufc when such a meeting is not I'epresentcd by fcho monied and landed interests of tho district;, ifc musfc, as a matter of course, become a failure. You ore also aware of fcho action taken during the -lasfc session of fcho Assembly by Mr Wakefield and his confreres in respeofc to the Brogden contract, and of his resolution in the House in reference fco the (.Iteration of the Wuirarapa line of railway. I connofc say whether fche promoters of the meeting at Greytown have taken their cue from him ; but this I can sny, that when an undertaking to alter tho proposed line, which affects the interests of all, has nofc boen recognised by fche loading men of fche district, the object in view I must not havo beon approved, and the proceedings must bocome futile. Ifc is true fchafc tho speakers afc the meeting hf.vc acquired Bomo property, and probably it will be found at a convenient distance from tho towns. No doubfc a railroad bordering upon this property would considerably enhance its value, and fche lino would be the means of extending fche town in that direction! But I- don't for a moment insinuate that the promoters of this "important; meeting" had such selfish motives in view. When Mr Eochforfc received his instructions to survey fche line, he wa3 a stranger in the district, and had no privato interests fco servo ; bufc if he only could have managed to have brought the lino to every man's door, we should nofc now hear of this agitation- against his work, which, however, has been approved by tho Government and fche Legislative. Now, sir, I believe fchafc the lino surveyed by Mr Roehfort will be found of practical . utility, as I am persuaded ifc will meefc the convenience of the wool grower, fche agriculturist, and the timber producer, better than any ofcher lino that can be surveyed. And as fcheso aro fche parties who will materially cantribute towards the revenue of the lino fcheir interests should not be overlooked. I find that all the wool of the Lower Valley, whioh is not senfc by way of Te Kopi, has to come to Featherston, and in place of carrying ifc over the mountain in waggons it will be transferred to the railroad trunk. Ifc is also a fact that the present line passes afc a convenient distance from tho saw-mills, and goes on through fche principal portions of tho agricultural districts, as fcho recent agricultural statistics will show, taking the main lino of road as the boundary of fhe easfc and west districts. Nor is 'there any conaiderable quantity of Crown lands for dale in either of these districts until the line reaches the Kouperanga. It appears to rao and to other disinterested parties that it is only "clap-trap" when wo aro told that the line i 3 too far from the centres of population. Such a consideration is nofc thought of in England when surveying lines. What can tho population of tho towns of Greytown and Masterton produco that will enhance the revenue of fche line ? The people of these, towns livo principally upon the country parts, and each district produces sufficient for ifcs own wants — fche surplus must bo senfc to Wellington in order to find a market, and the traffic between tho intermediate statics does nofc afc present exceed a few tons of flour in fche year, nor will ifc increase until manufactures are established, and a largo population have been creatod. The storekeepers, however, aro a class wifch whom I havo much sympathy, as fchoy will have fco 'send to fcho stations for thoir goods, and the working man will have a little farther to go to work on tho line, unless the pvomofcers of this important gathering can devise a plan of establishing a cheap tramway between the towns and stations.— l 'am, kc, Tjbamwat. I