BRANCH RAILWAY TO CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1022, 11 January 1879, Page 2

BRANCH RAILWAY TO CAMBRIDGE.

A deputation' of Cambridge settlers, consistiug of Messrs R. H. D. .Fergussou, E. B. Walker, and (i. E. Clarke, waited on Mr Sheehan yesterday at Hamilton j' in the matter of a branch railway to Cambridge. Mr Fergusson pointed out to the Native Minister the injustice which would be done to so important a producing district as Cambridge by leaving it unconnected by railway with the mam centres of population, and to the WaikatoThames line. itself,, by cutting off from it so.large a share of traffic,. At the preisent time, two-filths of . ail the goods gent into Waikato came to : Cambridge, while to connect that place' with the proposed railway wonld require only about nine miles of rails, which, from the easy character of the line, could be laid for less than £2,000 per mile. ' .The lihe would junction at Mr James Runcimah's property, and run through that of Messrs Leslie, Ropata, Maclean & Co., aud Runciman and Rhodes to Cambridge, and, if the survey were a.t once made, he could promise that: the necessary land required^ would be given by tho owners, whereas, if'lefl till some future day, and. improvements were commenced, and paddocks laid out, a large amount of compensation would be necessary to acquire it. * It was; m every way, the interest, of the Government to push forward this branch line to Cambridge as quickly as possible, for they were not ' only losing ' the Cambridge traffic upon the proposed nine miles of railway itself, but, frbm Mercer upwards, where it was first put upon the Steam Navigation Company's boats Mr Sheehan said, that the matter referred to did not come within the business of hia department. Ho was only one of the Cabinet, but,it should have his cordial support. Ho suggested that it would, perhaps, bo better that he should take notes. of the information furnished to him by the deputation, for the guidance of ; ;the Ministry, m Wellington, rather than leave it to ; .be ; 'furnished by after telegrams, which were necessary meagre and vague. ; .