MARTON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1088, 29 March 1911, Page 13

MARTON.

PROGRESSIVE RAILWAY JUNCTION CENTRE." , PAST AND PRESENT HISTORY. A GREAT AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT. ihn *u e • kjr* lU ' C , S le °P en ''»g behvL! V ir'" ♦ ,nk ine 'eortnection been tLi i g: 11 ancl 'Auckland has Jfarto, P - l i' lent ? f tllG - tmvn of and i 'nl railway junction centre, ot business and industry! comparatively speaking, "a dSnW ™ L , ui lt - Was fonndcd '» a i/« firA le . n,arlcablo ror agriculture, and of ,I "ero men and .women actinlk? Bnt,S u, stoek - 11 did actuallj boom, although in the prepay days before °t!,e advent of I almerston North and Foilding, it was an exceedingly busy and prosperous traffic centre, and generally a sort of headquarters between Wellington and lasted in a measure muil the commencement of the building of tie Mam Trunk line, when it lost iurther business on its western s | i lho progress of the town was slow tor some years, but its worth as an agricultural centre was always an enectual means of completely obli'teratnig any idea of slump, and even if the place were voted slow it was always rcgaided as sound and of good repute In confirmation of this statement is the tact that a feature of its agricultural and pastoral lifo is the number of descendants settled on and around the very sections lirst cultivated by their pioneer ancestors some fifty or sixty years ago. « For years it has been the.dream of some Marton optimists that the geographical position of the town would one day be recognised as a further junction in connection with Wellington-Lcvin-Marton railway on its way" to Auckland;. but, up to within a few voars ago it was never thought that' the dream would ever materialise. Certainty it is that the suggestion of the scheme was not at first of much value in developing the town, but the North Island is now making such rapid advancement that it is impossible to foretell what might hrfpp.cn in the next ten Years in the way of opening up further rapid communication between Wellington and Auckland.

A Railway Junction. With the opening up of the Main Trunk line to Auckland, Marton began its material advance as a railway junction centre. In the course of thirteen years, its old flag station was lifted into oblivion, to be replaced by the handsome railway station upon which has been spent during tho past ion- years many thousands of pounds. .To the credit of tho Railway ifepartment the job appears to havo been' well done, iopulation has been gradually growing at the junction centre, and between the junction and tho town new houses are being erected every week, until now there is quite a town about the railway station. It is estimated .that tJie population is now over live hundred, and it is only a matter of a few years when tho place must be included, in the borough, which will then possess a population of between 2500 and .'JOOO people.

Municipal Improvements. The town was constituted a borough in 1879, two years later than Masterton, and the first Mayor, Mr. F. JJevan, resides now in Wellington. The town' is situated about midway between Wr. ncanui and Palrnerston North, and in

a straight- line about forty miles from each place. The town has a municpal gasworks and Opera House, Municipal Liorasy, water supply, and sewerage, and amongst further imnrovementn are extensions of tho water-works at a cost of £17,000. and sewerage extension £8000. These two latter works will bo finished next year. The town has also a Technical School, and is making arrangements to ercct a new public school, and also municipal swimming baths. -The gasworks and Opera House have so far proved themselves to be payable concerns, and valuable assets. The town possesses an area of 1423 acres, and has about 559- rateable properties. Owing to the fact that, the town> grew out of- nothing, and was not specially laid out, its recreation reserves are cn the very light side. They comprise about nine acres, which bring in a rental of £29 per annum. Tho town has 50 street lamps, and I

their lighting lest year cost about 4s. xod. per lamp. At the end of 1912 the public debt • will .'bo about £'44,000. The following arc the names of previous Mayors.of tlio town:—Messrs F Bevan, K. G. Beckett, H. T-. LloydJones, 10. -Snollgrovc, D. C. Tennent, H- Humphrey,' J. ■F; Sicily, J. J. -u'Donald, J.- M'Eldowiioy, J. Harris, and Dr. Skcrman. The present council comprises: The Jlayor, Mr. R; G. Beckett, and Councillors F: G. Hilton, A. Lyon, E. Read, H. Sutclilfe.. E. J. Wilde,. J. L. Zajonskowski, with Mr. A. H. lvnigge, Town Clerk.

Some Past Histcs 1 ". jVtafton.is named after Captain Cook's .birthplace, ja village in Warwickshire at * present with not more than a fifth of the pooiilation of its New Zealand namesake. The place is. one of the oldest settled in the Dominion, the whole known as the Rangitikei Block, of 150,000 acres, being purchased by. the Government in IS4SJ from the Ngatiawa 'tribe for £1500, an average of 2s."per acre. The sale is reported to have taken place on May 15. Amongst those' present were Mr. (afterwards Sir) Donald M'Lean. officers of tha 65th regiment, several prominent colonists, and the Xgatiawa chiefs, Kingi Hori and Hunia, of Rangitikei, Paora Turangapita, of Turakina, Aparahama Tipae, of Wangaehu. The sum of £1000 was paid down in bank notes as a deposit. it is recorded that just prior to the deposit being pain .Natives set up a tangi at tho prospective less of their lands, but that their weeping and wailing vanished in an instant- at the sight of the bank notes. The name Rangitikei is so closely associated with the history of the district, that it is interesting to note how this and other Maori nomenclature came to be bestowed upon the place. To do this one hhs to go back to the traditional history of the Maoris with reference to their early colonisation efforts in i\cw Zealand.

A Crsat Tohimga. It is to Hau, the great tohunga, that Rangitikei owes its name, and the indirect cause thereof, was the alleged connubial infelicity .of Han's wahme, Wairaka, who e.Bped with another fellow. In accordance with a custom sometimes observed even in these degenerate days, .Ha,u chased . the guilty pair from Wnnganui to Wairarapn, and as he passed each river he gave it a. name. -For instance,, the first big river was called "Whanganui, i.e.. Big Mouth, the next Wangaehu, oplashcd Mouth, because the priest thought that it was so close to the other river that he could splash its waters into it. Tho tnirri river was named Turakina, from "turaki," to throw down, because ha thought (hat if he had felled a tree growing on the banks of the Wangaehu its foliage would reach.to the edge of the now. stream. Atier reaving Turakina,' tlie .tohunga had a long'wav to travel before ho reached, the next, river, so, in memory of his weary travel on that occasion, the Maori 'called the fourth stream Tikci, a pacc in walking, and the name is now known as Rangitikei. The same chief named Manawatu (the depressed spirit), Ohan (after himself), Ot-aki (a level spear), and n airarapa- (the river of jov). It is possibly worthy of note that Hau discolored his faithless wife at the foot of the southern end of the Tararun Ranges, and cursing her as she stood in the sea. he changed her into a pillar of stone, where, it is said, she stands to this day.

Old Pioneers. After the purchase of (ho block from the Natives, the place was cut u» and .settled upon hy a number of colonists, whose descendants in the main are in the district to-day. Amongst these early pioneers are mentioned the names of Major Marshall, and Messrs. 11. Hammond, Galpin, the Smalls, A. Milne, Uotven. Jefferson. Maunder, Thorns, Still, J. Coombs, K. Snellgrove, R. K, Simusoii. James Hichardsan.°Bon.

aid Frasor. -John Stevens, C. J, Hnrrir_on, Captains Johnston and Daniel] Joseph Harris, niul others. ' tSkctrhos of the lives of some of those early residents are instructive as well as . interesting, in order lo show the spirit ot independence and . adventure which dominated their actions in making them one of the most splendid types of colonists. Take Mr. John Stevens, for instance. A Maorilander, he was horn.on the Thorndon Flats in 18-15: he was wrecked as a nine-year-old hoy in the schooner which bro'iHit him to the mouth of' the Rangitil-ci River, and was carried ashore by a Maori nurse, who had taught- him the language. He served for a year under General Cameron, and was one of tlie Cavalry under Captain Cameron. Ho was in action in 18.64, was wrecked on tho steamer Sandfly at Patea, and was an eye witness to tho amputation of Paramana's leg by tho

late Dr. Grace, when the chivalrous rebel retused an anaesthetic, and bore the great pain of the operation without Ei murmur. For many years Mr. Stevens has been a keen politician, and lias represented Rangitikei on many occasions. He is an authority on the Native race, and a splendid Maori'linguist. Twice, in 18S7, and also in 1888, he took cargoes, of horses and pbnies to india, and he. won several .races .with some of them. One animal, Little Wonder, is worth spceial mention. She-won nine races out of ten starts for Mr. Stevens, and she was afterwards' sold to tho Maharajah • of Patiala . for £800. The recent news of the destruction of Mr. Stevens's residence at Bulls; along with some very valuable old records and documents, was received with sincere regret by friends and: acquaintance!; in all parts of tue Dominion.

A Very Active Career. . Donald 1' rascr, of Pukchoe, who is older than Mr. Stevens by ten years,, nas also had a very activc career. As a small boy he rode horse races on Petonc Bcach and To Aro Flat, and he well-remembers that the grandstand on the fiat was situated where Te Aro House now stands. Later in the pierailway days, he frequently showed his endurance as a horseman in riding from ■'Wellington to I'ukehoo, a distance of 100 miles, in sixteen hours. In 1856 he went to the Victorian diggings, and later he was at the diggings in Otago. Mr. F laser lias been a raccnorse owner lor many years, his greatest champion being Advance. Another very old Marton colonist is Mr. R. R. Simpson, at present chairman of the Rangitikei County Council. Mr. Simpson arrived'in Rangitikei about 1859, took up shcopfarming in Turakina, built a stockade, and resided there during the Maori troubles. His early lifo as a pioneer was strenuous, and even now, at the ago of 74 3 ears, he takes ail active interest in public life.

Mr. Joseph Harris, of the firm of Messrs. J. Harris and Sans, land agents, Marton, visited the site of Marion at Easter, 1867. There were only two or three houses visible amongst the scrub at that date, though the road from AVangaimi to Marton seemed to be reasonably good. His next visit to Marton_was in 1876—i0 remain there. In 1867 the country between Marton and Bulls and up to,say, north of Marton was fairly well settled by farmers, but- very poorly roatlerl. Hunterville was only surveyed in 1877 or 1878. Ohingaiti, Mangaweka, Tailiape, and other towns northward were only cut up, as the Main Trunk line or railwav passrd, and reading then only followed the line. When valuing the whole of tho I»angiti!ioi County for property tax, Mr. Harris considered there was about 400,000 acres of good agricultural level land in the then (1SR0) .know County of Rangitikei, and the values were not more than a fourth of what are now ruling. As the railway and roads progressed northwards the country on each side, mostly heavy bush lands, became settled; and as the soil was first-class for all purposes, and remains so, (he settlers prospered. Marton, the county town, has prospered with its good surroundiiiES, and, being the junction of the. Auckland Main Trunk and Wellington-New Plymouth railway lines, ha-, given it a' great impetus which will increase rapidly.

lnciiisfriß3, V. itli its very central railway position Marlon is unfortunate in not possessing more industries. There are a few, some of I hem very flourishing, but it, is felt by business people generally that mere should be done in the way' of attracting industrial concerns to' a district that has such large claims as a distributing centre. A'Hour mill has been established at Marton for half a century, but one has not heard a great deal of it. Two progressive business institutions with a valuable North K Innd connection are the Marton Sash and Door Company and the Rangataua

Sawmill Company, while Perhara, Larson, and Co., of Rangataua, have a depot at Marten Junction, thus recognising the importance of that place as a distributing centre. An effort is now. being made to establish other industries, and in this connection important stress is laid upon Jlartnn Junction as one of the most central distributing centres in New Zealand. It is contended by enterprising business people in Marion that the junction is the' mostcentral of its kind in the Dominion, and the fact that it lies within a few hours' journey of Wellington, Auckland. New Plymouth, and Napier, is regarded as fairly good prtfof that one day the place will lie.a great commercial centre. It is further pointed out that the town is being filled with a most complete high-pressure supply, and manufacturers may rely absolutely upon securing ail abundance of water.

"Grower!," L!ko Topsy. Of the early history of the town itself there is not a great ucaj of an,interesting nature. The j>:r:ce onnplv "growed," like Topsy, and under no special treatment, but with other extraordinary qualifications,, in the shape ot line geographical position, and a wonusrfully healthy climate. The first store in the place was opened by Taylor and Watt, afterwards occupied by AY. J. Watt, then by Watt and Jones'. The first hotel, the Marton, was run by Mr. Signal, and it is still in existence. There was plenty of traffic between the town and Wanganui, where supplies came from, drawn by horse teams, controlled by Messrs. W. G. Watt, Signal, and Hammond, who we re the carriers. The town, says Mr. 1?. C. Beckett, the present Mayor, was a very busy place in 1874, owing to the fact .that it was the only important centre between Wellington and Wanganui. Originallv controlled by a Town Board, Mr. W. G. Watt was chairman for some considerable time. The first, contract for making streets was let to Mr. A. Nathan, the present Mayor of Tailiape. The town had a,, water supply in 1883, being at that time tho only town with that distinction between Wellington and Winganui. The storage capacity was 1,000,000 gallons, and this has been practically sufficient to keep tho town going to the present day. When the railway was first opened, says Mr. Beckett, tho railway station was Pui;epapa. Kxception had always been taken to the present junction station, and numerous deputations had waited upon the railway authorities of bygone days, but could get nothing but promises. The difficulty of getting the station in the proper position was .the fact that to .do so, the Tutunui stream near bv would require to bo bridged many times,- and at great expense. .Vow tho station was at- the Junction for all time, and the town was extending that way. fast. Under the new water scheme, Marton would be able to store 33,000,000 gallons of ' water, and by just raising the dam head a supply could be obtained for .a town of 2U,U00 inhabitants.

An Agricultural fioritro. Marton is justly recognised as the centre of one of the finest agricultural districts in the North Island. During the past few months one of'the prettiest scenes of plenty on tlis Main Trunk line, has been, first, the fields of golden corn, followed by tile appearanco of homely and compact stacks 111 all directions. It is safe to say that there are nr. manv stacks to the square mile in the Cliff Iload district as anywhere else in New Zealand. Recently a mail counted ICO stacks in a radius of eight mjlos. One farmer, a .Mr. Gibson, had •35 stacks on his own property. With reference to yields, the average is 50 bushels per aero of oats, 3(1 bushels per acre of wheat. Mr. G. Coleman, of Cliff Road, had 40 acres under oats. He cut four tons to the acre, and got £4 per ton for the chaff. It was ill? second crop out of the land. A Dominion representative was told, on the best authority, that it was possible to cut 50 bushels of wheat to tho acre, off improved land. These are striking figures, .possibly not to be surpassed in any other pari of New Zealand. The land is level, and drainage has improved it 100 pqr cent. It grows splendid rape crops, ami, in addition, it is being found admirable for grass-seed sowing. The seed is found lo be similar in quality lo that of tho Sandon and Fbxincre rye, while tho land grows crcste.'l dogtail admirably. The district has now had remarkably good seasons for a number of years, and prices have been all that could be desired. A railway running across from Levin to Marton would bo of incalculable benefit to the farmers in enabling (h'em lo rail i their agricultural produce, cheaper than ■ at present. It docs not pay to cart i out sheep more than four or five miles, i Marton is renowned for its horses, and i there is a movement on foot to hold < au annual horse show.

THE LEVIN-M ARTON RAILWAY.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS. The proposed Ijevin-Marton railway, as a. short cut between Wellington and Auckland,-, is a subject of discussion at the- present time. Groat attention lias been bestowed on the project by' the Marton Chamber of Commerce, and 3lr. Purnell, its indefatigable chairman, is described as having the whole business at his finger-ends. His views on the question, which are hero appended, were stated some days ago in the coiin-o of mi interview to a Dominion representative. In the construction of railways, said Sir. Furnell, it is an admitted'fact that tho shortest route between the largo centres of population—in this case Auckland and Wellington— provided all other essentials arc equal, is the one

that should bo adopted. A glance at tne map issued with the Railway Department's time-table, will quickly con.vinee any disinterested person tliat bv . linking up the line between Levin and Mai ton by way of I 1 oxton a more direct route would bo obtained, and would be of vital importance to. the district it- immediately concerns, and also to tlio North Island Main Trunk' line, bceause the construction of this line would red»c<;.tlie distance between Auckland and u olhngtan by at least 15 miles in distance, and fully hour in time. The present route, by way of Palmerston, ivas followed because at the time of its construction its mission was to bring the fertile and prosperous Jlanawatu into close touch, commercially and otherwise, with the Empire Citv, and the connection by railway between Auckland and A\ ellingtou was considered then to be but a dream, and a "something" for the following generation.

No Engineering Difficulties. Now that tlio dream has become areality, and a really excellent service between the two centres has been established, it is not surprising that already wo have become accustomed to it, and already questions arc being asked and suggestions made for its improvement; and 111 this connection it is expected that the Leyin-Jlarton deviation will play a very important part, because it is in every way well suited for railway C vi l .'^ r I "V' ,on ' Tl lprc ' are. 110 engineering (iifhctiltics, the route is in almost ,i direct lino, the country is practicallv level, the grade is not less than 1 in 70, there arc 110 sharp curves, and there would be very little compensation to pay for laud, because tho line could bo run for the greater portion of the distance along tho main road, wiiich is one and a half chains in width an" suitable for e.v/rying both railway *"]i traflic. These essentials, .added to those ol tho shortening of the distance by lo miles, and the quickennig of the journey by one lioVir, make out a very strong ease for the deviation, when it is considered-that .the grades and curves 011 the present routed particularly between Feilding and Greatford, are very severe, and must in a large iteasure prevent- tho economical working of both goods and passenger traffic—substantial improvements cannot bo made without a verv large expenditure. *

Not a New Scheme. This deviation scheme is not by any means a new one. As far back as" 1893 a syndicate was prepared .to purchase, the Sandon-Carnarvon Tramway, and complete.the construction of a'brjnch line between Groatford and Levin, and ample funds—some £200,000—were available for this purpose. . Tho Government was approached with p. view of obtaining authority to mako the connection, and continue its Working, but this authority or permission was not forthcoming, and the scheme was not proceeded with. Within the last year, lurther application to Government was niado, this tiivio bv tho Manawaiu County Council, which owns tho Sanson-Pukomii-Himitangi tramway, for permission to extend its lino from Pukonui to the main lino connecting at Great-1 ford, but, so far, without favourable result.

In this connection it is interesting to note that the prominent men on tho | local bodies in tho district were generally regarded as hike warm towards the. scheme, while in reality they took up a broad-minded view of tho whole matter, and were not afraid to state that generally in their opinion tlicy we.ro not prepared to actively support any scheme of branch lines, even in their own districts, which would then, in any way, have prejudiced the early completion of the Auckland-Wellingtou connection. But at present there is a I unanimous feeling that the timo is now opportune for the construction of this so-called branch . -J

For Favourable Consideration. Indeed active steps have been taken to gain this end. Petitions have been presented to Government, and lengthy, evidenco taken by Parliamentary Committees. The first petition was'rccommended to Government for consideration, and tho seco'iul, hacked up by lengthy evidence, was referred to Gov-, eminent for favourable consideration, the Hon. Hall-Jones was much impressed with the proposal, and ill Ilia-, last- I üblic Works Statement the lino was included in the schedule for trial' survey. A definiio promise was them Riven that this trial survey would bo, undertaken at the earliest- '. .possible moment, and this definite promise w,i«cMiiirmod on two occasions'by the Prim©' Minister, but, up to the present time.i nothing has been.done. And then tlienv is the attitude taken-up-by the present* Minister lor Railways. It appeared'

nothing to him that the committee oi tho House had reported tho matter for favourable consideration'; that it' was to tho welfare and-benefit, of the district and Dominion as a whole; that the .settlers should have tlie shortest andl cheapest means of dealing with their' produce and obtaining supplies; and tho dozen or more reasons' advanced in favour of the const-ruction of the line. It was also nothing to him that tho settlers of the district had constructed) and maintained for many years a iibeiut. and convenient tramway, which served the same purposo in its'own district asi Government railways had done toothers; and also that the Foxton har-\ hour was capable of much develop- / ment, and would serve and enrich tho whole of the Manawatu. Xo. Tho only, point worthy of consideration' was tiia't\ the railways as a whole must pay their) way, and from that point, and that joint only, must all requests' and > pronos.iln be considered. No, even further, steps must bo taken to niake all opposition— l •steamer and tramway—to Goi-ivnnientl railways "go bung," and the iniiility' State, monopoly would bo used for that', purpose. And all (his because it wait considered possible that in some obscure' way' ibis deviation aild its connection! with tho Fcxton port might interfeio' with the earnings of 'the present lin<», and the profits of the 3 J per. wi',. !-v the railways in the Dominion as a whole mi'dic bo endangered. Thcsn responsible for the agitation are prepared to prove, and prove' conclusively, that the Lnyin-Mxrton would lc a most profitable undertaki-m and> would not, seriously interfere with tho financial results of the present lilies, and ir this connection the Sanson-i'tikor.'.ii-. Il.mita.ugi tramway would play a nnst' important part.

Tho Sanson Tram. This so-called tramway is virtually a light railway, and was probably 0110 of tho first, if not tho very lirst, .constructed in the colony; and, its construction was undertaken by the local body of the district, and is now . controlled and owned by tho Jlanawatu County Council, which, from time to time, has extended it.'niitil now it is eighteen miles in length, the north terminus being at l'nkcnu'i, 011 the left bank of the ftaiigitikei liiver,' and within live miles of the Main Trunk lino at Greatford. The council also has running lights-over tho Government line between Foxion and HimitaiH. So, at tho present time, the. lino only requires the bridging of a five-milo gap to link up Greatford and' Foxt-on. " hen the tramway was constructed, nearly thirty years ago, it was indeed' a "light line,"—second-hand steel rSils 281b. to the. yard, and second-class sleepers, a portion maitai, wore used* and the line sand-ballasted.

Its Early History. The council owned oiio "Puffin* Billy" 1 r'l'f Tl,is ,vas followed by tho Wallaby,'' and then came tlio M Fox, tho "AVoka," and lastly the up-10-chio "Mannvrntu." All other rolling steel; was hired from tho Govern, mont at a nominal charge. The old' "Hibernia," one car, and an odd truck or two were ahlo to rleiil with all tho passenger and produce traflje, and all trains were classod as "mixed." In those days it was something of an ndventuro to make, one of tho tri-wcoklv and sometimes bi-weekly journeys. The greater part of tho distance was through sand nuttings and -sand hiih and there was practically no shelter Irani tho prevailing westerly winds, and the one lineman's main duty was to endeavour to kcop tho lino clear ■of drift sand, and ho was often assisted in this -duty by the fireman niul driver' of tlw engine The country was then held in largo blocks, and almost entii'elv given up to tho grazing of sheep and cattle,.and as there were no industries and a limited population, tho entlnri' asm of tho settlers for their lMit railway; entirely supported by themselves received a considerable shock, and it. not Eur£risiuc Jo find .that tho

/ working of tho tramway almost invari- ■ !■ ably resulted-ill a debit balance, . and :: the cost of upkeep of roads,-bridges, ' and tramway became a burden to a i ,> struggling district,.and it.was.not./sur- : i , prising that the bank overdraft became 1 dangerously close to tho limit. . \ Tho Crucial Test. • So matters drifted -.along -"into the s:' "nineties,'-'-:and : the crucial, test .was at. ■ f -hand between 189G and .1900. Prior ,to ; that 'date it* was tho policy of the ; council .to continue tho running of the -/ tramwayupon tho smallest possible ex- - por.diture. And still tho ono lineman ;. .was; expected'to keep'the 14 miles of line in !; fit condition for traffic. Govern-:, lament; rolling stock was hired .to tho ; . council, on • the express condition that ; tho line-would, bo "kept in such order" as would enable-it to be used,without I; injury., .In 1898 the strongest possiblo ; semi-official hint -was given that rolling stock should not be allowed on the lino ; . 'unless a great improvement was efX,f«6ted..without .delay. ' Seeing that the whole,-14'miles had' for years been consistently; starved—tho overdraft, was , then £3000 and £4000, a large 'Sum in those.(lays, and that loans.could. 1 ■ ' not bo/raised or used for repairs and ' Y r'enewals-^-tha-position of tho tramway. ' was dosjperate.- At this crucial stage it i was fortunate that the council obtained i tho iijvaluablo services, of a progressive : gentleman for its chairman, who not '•' only a-t cnc-o faced the position and its ./ responsibilities, but has continued to.do. •" 'so for tho last, twelve years.with ,con- ■ spicuous-success. It would take up too : spaco to ( 'give all the par- ; ticulais.;o,f./this exceedingly difficult. uphill figh.V,^.aVid.,notwithstanding, the fact / .-that'the.tramway was last becoming an. / important.'feeder, to the Government , . hiiiiri.lines, one feature,.of. the difficulties > .was ('«(«' never-bending. : ; -. Railway l "However, results ' '. the .above-'. ■ 'mentioned period: ot twelve, years ' the. 1 tramway makes pleasant . 'reading. The line. .was. extended - four • -miles,'from Sanson to Pukenui,-on the. • left bank" of-'the'Rangitikei'River, 401b.' s. rails ar.d'first-class sleepers being used.' f ,Out of the 14 miles of ;old line, 10 miles I wero renewed with new 401b. rails and / sleepers,;, the one lengthy grade on the j /line was; reduced from 1 in 40 to" 1 in 70; '•two engines, one .'the up-to-date "ManaS J watu,".qne:car:'s."x'metal wagons, and } a stock of- tar'i lulins were' purchased; ) 'and outside tTia/one'loan (£7900), raisedv.'ifor the purpose of iho extension, the whole of the, ropairs and renewals of the ■/Mine and the: rolling stock.wero provided ■ (out of ordinary-revenue"; and a losing ' concern converted into a profitable un- ' dertakiug,.van'd 'which' at tho -present <4 time is . a-'Valuable asset. There is not ' ]the slightest doubt that if the county -/ Muld produce these results with purely ' traffic under the many disabilities ," / .it had to contend with, surely it would ; be a profitable undertaking for the Rail--\Tvay Department, who could use it to, i. ,5o much.-advantage with tho present .'''system. - - . \ An Objcct Lesson. ; " The prosperity of the tramway is . (but a reflex of the prosperity of the district, to . which it has been of so much : advantage. Prior-to 1895 tho Mana,watu district was a comparatively poor one. The chief ;, products wero limited . ] quantities of grain'.(oats, wheat, and !barley). Palmerston North was tho . main market town. This was reached .- ( hy a good road,'lo miles from Sanson, ; itho.then tram terminus. By tramway ■to Himitangi, and from Himitangi to : t Palmerston by rail, the "distance was 28 i miles.- Therefore, the settlers' own ,tramway was placed at a disadvantage over tho settlers' own road, and seeing ; 1 that two short-distanco rates (Govern- ; ment and council)'were charged by rail, tho great bulk of the produce was carted, and comparatively littlo wa3 : sent by train. In those days, too, the markets wero limited, and 'the prices. : were on the small:side,-and it bccame ' necessary for the former to obtain every > shilling his produce fetched, and quota- , . tions wero then for delivery at Palmer- - ston North. And it'.-was not, unusual '/ to see, a long string'of drays containing •: produce going in procession oyer tlic Mount Stewart Road, ;• and > sometimes

this extended into -the- winter months, to the great detriment of the roads. However, between-1896- and 1900, this state of affairs ;complotely changed. Many of the large-estates were subdivided and sold, tho so-called sandhills were found suitable for growing enormous 'root crops;,,, on,.;.tho..heavier.land... the sheep farm became'a dairy -farm; and the opening of^thfe.back-blocks, provided additional niarkets'for produce; 1 'and generally there becamo the opening for more intenso .farming, /and;. itno , longer paid , tho producer; '-.toJ.Vart his produce over the 15. miles-of /ro'id." A' ProsperousCbncarn.,'' ' Freights and fare 3 were, considerably reduced, .and the "/producer - at' once found the 28 -miles, of .rail . had ■ very many "advantages over the 15/ miles of road. Tho procession of carts' over tho Mount Stewart Road'ceased, while tho procession of trucks over the SansonCarnarvon tram increased by/leaps and bounds, until it beca'mSra no uncommon sight to see a string l ofS-'dozen loaded trucks, as against an. odd.truck or, two a few years before.' ■ And . at'present the tramway runs every day -.'in .the Week — Saturdays ; sometimes, - .excepted—as ''against three days-a .week up to:a few years ago, until at tho present time tho line has fully accomplished its mission, and has obtained the dignity of a railway, and has become a monument to tho pioneers who were responsible for its initiation. Tho advent of the dairy farms in' tho,Lower Manawatu created a demand for meiajled roads, which were not. so necessary, for. sheep farms. As there we're no metal pits in the district, the tramway played,an : important part iii -thii work; as the present terminus ends in a pit of splendid metal in unlimited quantities. The tramway made the question of metalling these jdads'feasible—formerly the metal was •trbuglit ."-from the" Terrace End'''metal pH, jbe\snd' Palmcrs'tori' North/- anif'toit 15s. per load tftae ;it reached its resting place. Many thousands of pounds have been saved •by- the tramway on,;th<? supply of metal for construction.of roads, and this . ap-. plies also to maintenance in the'future. This would also' have "an' important bearing on the question of linking up the line between Levin / and Marton. Unlimited quantities of excellent metal for ballast on Government lines would at once be tapped, and .it- is generally recognised that the present ■ available 'supplies of ballast are-far from adequate, and not. at-all satisfactory in quality,-. This question- alone.-warrants the construction of the, proposed-line. ■ Prolific Sandon, A reference to the products of the Sandon district 'would not be complete without mention of tho importance of the grass-seed production. Ten years ago no ono even dreamed that thp Sandon land'would grow profitable crops of grass-seed. To-day it is tho most profitable undertaking of the, farm, "and is capable of further, development—and whether it is due to the climate . or soil,' it is now an admitted fact that the grass-seed' produced in-this district is second to none in tho colony, and the district cannot help but quickly bccome more prosperous. And in this respect the tramway has played, .and is playing, its part—there _ is now no question of price delivery into store. The quotation must now be delivery on tramway,' and it goes without saying- that the grass-seed in its turn has very much assisted in swelling the crcdit balances; and there is now no doubt but that the tramway will in its turn continue to 'oo prosperous, and will continue to return handsome profits. Opposition to tho Projcct. It can readily be supposed, added Mr. Purnell, that somo of the ceiitTcs through which tho line now journeys , are not actively supporting this scheme . —indeed, Palmerston North is actively opposed to it.. The proposal, when carried into effept,-would probably affect the through service, but it is doubtful if this would result in very much real disadvantage or Joss, as it'is difficult to believe that certain goods and passenger trains-rushing through any town

can be of much advantage; and further the present congestion at Pamei'ston always appears a serious drawback and a menace to the working of tlio line, particularly since the -Napier and Ekctaluina traffic was diverted to the Manawatu line. In any case it is understood. that there was no objection-to this diversion, because it was shown by doing so a great saving could be made in all .classes of traffic, both to tlie Department aiid to the general public—and this is. exactly similar to the position taken lip over the Levin-Marton proposal. All classes of goods and passenger traffic could bo handled mcro economically, and the users of the line would for'all tiihe bo saved from paying freight and fares over ,15 miles of unnecessary railway. Wellington would also gain a distinct advantage, because it would bo enabled to press its sphere of influence 15 miles further into tho country commercial world at the same rate of freight as at present. The construction of tho lino would also mean in effect that tho Auckland-Wellington Slain Trunk lino, where tho congestion of traffic is greatest, would bo duplicated, and the duplicated stretch between Levin and Greatford could, not fail to bo an immense advantage, when it is considered that tho lino is particularly easy of construction. It is understood that tho Manawatu County Council is not particularly anxious to sell its railway, but it has 'a duty to its settlers as well as to the Dominion, and possibly for a reasonable sum, say, £30,000, tho Government could acquire a service which has played an important part to a now particularly prosperous district.. Summing Up. To sum up, the following aro somo of the reasons why the Levin-Marton railway should be constructed by Government: — 1. That this line would shorten the through journey from Auckland to Wellington by 15 miles in distance and ono hour in time. 2. That tho lino can bo easily and .cheaply constructed throughout, almost in a direct line, and by easy grades i and 'curves. 3. That it. would avoid the many steep grades and sharp curves on the present. route, particularly between Greatford and Feilding. 4. That the route traverses seme of the finest agricultural and pastoral land in tho Dominion, capable of further development. 5. That already about 18 miles of railway on this direct route have been constructed by tho Manawatu County Council. 6. That as this 18 miles of railway, dealing solely with local traffic, is a profitable undertaking, it is quite safe to assume that the deviation, when made available for both through and local traffic, will return handsome profits. 7. That it would considerably relieve the present serious congestion of traffic at Palmerston North. 8. That it would provide for interchange of produce between tho Upper Rangitikei and Lower Manawatu. These districts are peculiarly fitted for interchange of goods to mutual advantage, but tho want of the five-mile connection between Greatford and Pukenui prohibits this interchange at present. . 9. That its construction and connection with tho Government line would provide access to unlimited supplies of metal suitable'for ballast and road purposes. 10. That tho . portion, (perhaps tho busiest) of tho Auckland-Wellington Main Trunk line, Levin to Marton, Avould in effect be duplicated. i 11. That as the Government in June, 1895, refused to-allow this direct railway connection to be made,by private enterprise,- and seeing that but a few iconths ago tho' Government refusedMo allow the Manawatu County Council to make a connection from the present terminus at Pukenui with tho main line at Greatford, it is , only reasonable and .equitable that the Government should now-construct this line, which its importance to tho district and tho Dominion fully warrants.