VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1799, 17 January 1884, Page 2

VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE.

About 12 o'clock in the day Mr Mitchelsnn .u rived .it Cambridge, accompanied by tho members for Waikato and Wai pa Messrs J. B. Whyte and F. A. Whitaker, albo Mr Hales, Distiict Engineer, and Mr (Sodden, Private Secertary. The party proceeded to Mr Kirkwoods Duke of Oambiidge Hotel, where they put up duiing their stay. Immediately after their arrival seveial deputations on local matteis were formed. Tiik OAMmunGE Railway.— Mr Whyte first introduced a deputation from the town board, consisting of Messrs E. Hewitt, Jas. Johnson and Geo. E. Claik, on the above subject. Mr Clark acted as spokesman. He said that though the psople of Canibndge and the settlers of the distiict were very thankful to the Government fot pushing ahead the constitution of the railway, still they were under the im-pies-sion that much unnecessary delay had been experienced, and that the tnno allowed for the completion of the platelaying could be somewhat cm tailed. The object of the deputation was to uigethe immediate completion of the line, so that the farmeis might reap some benefit from it dining the coming harvest, and this could only be done by hhoi toning the time (six months), which' had been allowed for the c mipletion of tVio platcl.vymsj. He thought it possible with a little OAertion on the pa it of the Government to have the line openpcl foi traffic by Apul. — Mr Mitchelson e\piessed a doubt as to the possi jility of such a thing bein-i effected. It lequired si\ months from the acceptance of the tendeis, and that was about a month ago. — MiHales said the station buildiugs I could be completed some time botoie the line was icadv. — Mr Claik remarked that the district was at pie-sent veiy hea\ily handicapped, through being without a 1 ail way ; as all the I other districts lound about, with which it had to c nnpete, enjoyed the advantages of l.iilway communication with tho Auckland j market The Cambridge farmer-, had to send theii pioduce by mci a*> well as tail, and though the same distance fioin Auckland as To Awamutu, they had to pay neaily double tlie fi eight on their pi oduoe that was paid by the Te Awamutu fanueis, and e\ en they found reason to complain. The freight fiorn Te Awaiuutu was 12-, (id ; wheieas, fioin Cambndgo it was 18s. Tin-, made a difference of about 2d a bushel— rathei a seiious consuleiatiou for those who had to pay it. — Mr Mitchel^on piomised to have tho work pushed on with all possible expedition, and would instinct Mi Hales to ha\e tenders called for the erection of the vaiious station buildings along the line. — Mr Hales could not see how the contiactois could possibly have finished within the specified time. Thei o was only a cm tain amount of a\ailable laboiu in tho distiict, and what with bad weathei, and one thing and another, it would be haul to promise that the lailway would be completed even within the si\ months. It -was ccitainly a long time, but when they consideied what had to be done, it was not so lon» after all. Mr Hales fuither renioiked there had nevei, withm his knowledge, been a public contiact m the Auckland province flushed v ithin the specified time. Theie was an extraordinary pressiue on thelabmn maiket ju^t now owing to the number of laige contiact-s being cained on in the district. Shoiteuing tho time would greatly inciease tlie co^t, and the contiactois would not be able to pay the penalties inflicted. — Mr Claik stited it would be a great benefit to the distiict if the line could be completed m four instead of six months. _ Notwithstanding the numberless promises made them by the Goveinmentanditspiedece?,bor, as vet they had not got fuither than the calling for tender-,. It was the feeling in the district that the Government had senously neglected them.— Mr Mitch.el-.on agieed that the time futteied away was ceitamly very long. —Mi Hales gave as his experience of con ti acts that the oveitime taken was neaily equal to the entile time specified for the contract. The Hamilton budge was an instance of this. — Mr Olaik thought the Hamilton biidgo had been a gieat blessing to the Government, as. it had been tiotted out on eveiy occasion when ui gent l epresentations -were made to the Government le the completion of the lailway. — Mr Hales thought the piesent ilquest of the boaid wa^ not altogether impossible to effect, but it was simply a question of cost and laboui. — Mr Clark lephed that the settleis would undertake a lot of theiosponsibilty in thisiepect if theGoveinnient would only shorten the time. — Mi Whyte also spoke in favourof the tune being shoitened, say by a couple of months. — Mi Hale-, quoted otliei impediments likely to be experienced, such as the want of suffu lent conti acti >i s' plant, ballast waggons, &c. Fully the entire tune which it was denned to save would be absoibed in making the e\tia plant.— Mr Mitchelson thought it was all the Go\ eminent could do to reduce the time by one month. — Mi Claik thought the Government should take into consideiation the loss v hich they themselves would e\peuence thiough the line not being opened for the coming harvest. An inciedible propoi tion of the entile traffic of Waikato was -with Cambiidge, and tbit, was absoibed by the Navigation Company. Again, settlers suffered tlnough the too frequent handling of their goods in transit ; wheieas, had they thiough railway cominu nication this would be avoided.— Having thanked Mr Mitchelson for his concession of one month the deputation retiied. CAMBRII)GI>RorOKL'A ROAO.--Ml J. P. Campbell, chairman of the Piako County Council, attended as a deputation fiom th<it body legaiding the above road. As he (Mr Mitchelson) was doubtless awaie, the portion of the road between Cambudge and Ox foid had been formed by constabulary labour some few yeara ago. This poition was now in a very bad state, paiticulaily in wet weather. The newly formed piece between Oxfoid and the bush, and on through to Rotorua was good. He had been informed by persons who had passed over the load lately that owing to its condition fragments of buggies and waggons might be encounteied at intervals between Cambi idgeand Oxford. Some of the cuttings were very narrow in place s*,5 *, and there were many large, deep, and dangerous holes caused by the watei lying on the surface, and the he ivy and continuous traffic. He believed a comparatively small expenditure would put the road in fairly durable condition. It had been suggested at the last meeting of the council that as there was some suiplus constabulary labour convenient it mie-ht be advantageously utilised on this road. An expenditure of £200 or £300 would do all that was required. Mr Hales said the Government had been keeping about a dozen constabulary men employed on the road during the winter. It being a clay road, it was easily cut up in wet I weather, and the traffic was uncommonly heavy. The road between Oxford and the bush was fairly good in all seasons. — Mr Mitchelson stated there were now no funds in hand for the work. He would, however, on his return to Wellington interview Messrs Rolleston and Bryce, and see what could be done in the matter of employing the Constabulary on the road and keeping it in decent condition.—Mr Campbell pointed outthatit was a Colonial road. With the assistance of the Constabulary and a few hundred pounds it could be made a fair average highway ; but on the other hand, if nothing was done to it, the traffic, tourist and goods, would for several months in the year have to cease.— Mr Whitaker, who was present, thought the Constabulary • might be available for the work.— Mr Campbell thought a detachment of .about 40 men would do all that was required. — Mr Hales remarked that the vote for the road had been all expended. — The matter here terminated, it being understood that Mr Mitchelson on his return to Wellington next n.onth would make all possible provision for the work. The Pbesbyterian Church and the Railway,— Messrs F. J. Brooks, R, Kirkwood, J. P. Thomson, and J. P. Campbell attended as a deputation frew the trustees of the. Presbyterian Church regarding the position of the railway and the church site. — Mr Brooks explained the object of the deputation. The railway line would run so close to the "fence of. the church grounds that, the frontage would be cut off, aud the site would thus be seriously deteriorated in value. No doubt if the trustees contf wwd, tq jios tlie sits f oy its prewnti

purpose the,rnatter of cutting off the frontage would not be of any serious consideiation. But on the other hand, if, like the Wesleyans, they endeavoured to sell the site to some private individual for ordinary business purposes, they would find the loss of frontage &.matter of much import. It was scarcely fair to think that because it was church property it was not entitled to the same consideration as the piopeity of private individuals. — The deputation then retiied to the ground and dihcussed the matter. — The trustees would either agree to let the Government have, .say, 20 feet of the fi outage for £200, or else agieeto the hue being taken ne.uer to the bank of the lake about 20 feet, thus giving the chinch a 10ft. footpath and a 20ft load. The lattei c>mibe was agreed upon. The party shortly after left for Ohaupo.