RAILWAY CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 10

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE NORTH.

. Sir,—ln jour issue of the ; 7th instant 1 ap» - pears a 1 Jotter over the signature .of .G. a. Tobin, regarding railway construction > in >' North Auckland, and which Ir woddv'Kk»,' space for a lew; lines in reply' thereto. - , ! In tho first' 1 place,' Mr. Tobm saya that \ fcn<? line from \Vellsfordto- HelensFilio docs not pay. Now, sir, dote any sane man think ' for a; moment that every section of'a: rail-' , way 'is oxpcctod to pay.its way Ihore i»' not; a line in New Zealand which'docs that, the country between Helensvillo and Wella-v I [ fordj: or,/ at any rate, between tho latter pl\ico and Kaukapakapa, is sparsely poj>u-. '■ latedj "and- even when tne linereaches tha • vicinity of , Paparoa and. Maungataroto' it - ■ will, not pay. No one expects it to. Bat when it reaches the vicinity of tie Northern Wairoa, and picks up' tho; trade of. Daiga.,' ville,' Tcj Kopuru, Aratapu, "and all. tho tun!>er districts ,at the. back, of Whangarei'' and of the Kaihu Valley, .then tiaoro. will 'ba different talo to tell. '. r; ' •. ■

Mr.' Tobin .offers his' opinion as. one knows the country, "that the lino will bo a ■ veritable sink; of' public mpnevi" I suppaa© I may offor,;.mino 0110 who - knows* as much '■ .as. Jio'.do?s>;having knocked about; i that way for abo.ut ;'4O years," that in afew . tyeara,.' after its completion, it will be one ,of .the best paying linos in tho 1 country.; Mr.* iTobm, also; says that fiversixths of. the pwhi- : w ill .-ileyer uso' tho railway for either'' ■goods ojj t^^o^ofjpaKjsngers,j.ljut. w2l f con«,'i ,Wefl.sox-.4' the stooiMn itno /latter invariably -goes. out.. ;Wo . haw • ;™o . latest: .instanco,-in -tho fact that' smco :• 'the 'Main, /IVrnikwas , openod... tho .Unioa ■ • - a ' l jl taken their, steam- - ,crs oif the New 'Plymouth t-o Onohunga rout® owing to loss of trade,, and there is 1 no com--iparison between .the .accommodation in tho i'bo&W of' tliit-company and'tho boats of tho Northern River Company, which, for yeas*, .has -hold' a monopoly of that trade. Mr/" Tobin is tHo first person I liave over known to , say a' word of praiso for" that botvjco, which makes mo think that '.'tho wish ia father;;to the thought." ' - Mr. Tobiii draws , a .comparison between «•. bridge over the, .lhames and a r2jJ-. :way' bridgo over tho .Otamatoa. Dom ho' ■ think the. Government is gomg to build a stono' o&e;.with Groynes and arcbos for pockja« itnan ana vehicular traffic, as well as tho rail>waypAs rcgards' tho route, tho Minister .went over it'.himsclf, and T daresay knows his own'business best. ■ ; :

Sir. Tobin also : has a few words to any against the Gisborno line, which everyone' Jcnows, when finished, will servo a.large area of some' of the best agricultural land in New yiealand, I suppose any money fepent in ■ | tho.JNorth Island is wasted in the opinion | of. Mr.: Tobin.—l am, <stc.; ' ' I . , JOHN CREAMER, I' Wellington, July. 9, 1909; 1 ; "