MARTINBOROUGH RAILWAY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2196, 8 July 1914, Page 15

MARTINBOROUGH RAILWAY

A LOMGLECTED WORK

LARGE AND FERTILE DISTRICT TO BE SERVE D

SMALL COST OF CONSTRUCTION

WHEN the engineers of tho 'sovontiea laid out tho route of tho AYiiirarapa railway they took it down a pecipitous mountain side, to the discomfort, delay, and expense of all who have to travel over , it. Nor was this tho end of their shortcomings. When they at last reached tho fertile country across the mountains they might havo made amends by running tho lino through in such a way as to servo tho greatest possible* area of it. Unfortunately they did nothing of tho kind, but hugged the base of the mountains tho ' whole way up tho valley. This enabled expense to bo saved in crossing tho rivers, no doubt, but it left 0110 of tho finest stretches of country in tho province unnecessarily ill-served by railway. Even Groytown, at that timo tho principal centre in tho district, was stranded by the routo chosen, and had immediately to bo linked up by a branch railway. Featherston county sees tho trains just cut through at tho baso of tho mountains in its extreme north-western corner, and all tho haulago in and out from tho county town at Martinboruugh, and'throughout tho wholo fortymile «tretch to the coast, has to bo done by horse teams. Tho district is ono capable of great cxpausion, and has already been tho scene of much closer settlement. A similar area in the South Island .would havo been raileS to its fullest extent thirty years or moro ago. But, despite tbo fact that only eleven miles of lino is needed to put tho railway into , the county centre, tho district still awaits a visible indication that the work is in hand. It is true that the work was placed on the list of unauthorised lines two years ago, and that last year a vote of £5000 was placed on tho Estimates for it. Tho ceremony of turning the first pod is duo to tako placo very shortly, but Martinbcrough has had its hopes deferred so long and so often that tho advocates of tho lino will never feel really satisfied until not only the first eod but tho last sod has been turned. Claims Long Recognised. Tho formation of tho Maryborough Hallway League, which' has kept tho claims of the Hue well to tho front, dates back to seven or eight years ago. At about that timo a party of thirteen or fourteen members of Parliament visited the district, and scorned almost unanimously of ! opinion that tho lino was ono that was thoroughly justified. Later on, Sir Joseph Ward, in a speech at Carterton, referred to tho project, and certainly threw no cold water on it. At the opening of tho AVaihenga bridgo • across the lluamuhaiiga River, the Hon. It. M'Kcnzio, then Minister of Public Works. vißited3lartinborough, am l declared himself very favourably impressed . with tho district. All those fair words led. however, to little definite result, and tho league on several occasions brought the claims of the line directly under the notice of Parliament. It was not until two years ago that tho agi.tation bore fruit, in tho shapo of a definite undertaking from tho present Government that; the work would bo proceeded with. Tho lina will be a comparatively inexpoiHsivo ono to construct, as it will run lor the greater portion of its length across level plains, and then over sonio law hills with easy sloi>es. Two rivers, tho Tauherinikaii ami the Ruamalianga, have to bo crossed, but the total ' cost of the branch is estimated at only £00,000, which is very much below tho cost of eleven miles of railway in most parts of Xow Zealand. Tho survey of the lino was put in hand as toon as it was authorised in 1912, and flying surveys were mado of the alternative toutes from Featherston and Greytowii. Question of Route. It should bo explained that tho question of route was discussed at almost every meeting of tho league from its inception. Tho deviation of the railway over tho Himiitakas has been in. tho air for years past, and tho great question for tho Mattinborough people was how a chaugo in tho routo of the main line, say, by a now crossing from Kaitoko to Woodside, would affect them. The meoibors of tho league, after looking at tho question from every point of view, have long been unanimously of oniniou that a connection by Feathorston will be easily the best routo for them. The distance from Martinborough to Featherston :e between ten and eleven miles, whereas it is eleven miles to l.'reyiowu and then threo miles further on tho branch lino to AVoodsido Juiiction, making a total distaiico of fourteen miles to the. maiu line bv this route. Tho distances from Martinborougb to Wellington by tho present line across tltp Himutaka would thercioro bo: Miles. A ja Ureytown 05 A'ia Featlierston 57 Saving by Featherston route ... 8 Should the Rimutnka liiclmo bo abandoned, and a deviation mado from Ke.itoko to AVoodside, the five-mile stretch of lino between Woodsido and Feathoieton would still have to be kept open us a branch line. The only question would bo whether the Martiuborough branch was to bo a continuation of tno AVoodsido-Grcytown branch or the AVood-sido-Fcatherston branch. This works out as follows:— A'ia Featherston. Miles. Martinborotigh to Featherston 11 Featlicrston to AVoodside 5 10 A'ia Groytown. Miles. Martinborouoh to Groytown ... 11 Greytowii to Woodside 3 14 A Wl!3 Choice, The gain by tho Greytown route in the event of a Taiilierinikau deviation Would thereforo ba only two miles, whereas il the main line deviation across tho range* wae made at any point bolow AVoodsid,o, tho Groytown routo would mean the longest haulago. It is thus obvious that if the lino is taken to Featherston it will not be a matter of (jrent mpmenj toMartinborou;;h where the deviation if taken across the Rinnitakas, and its present existing business relations with Featherston will not be disturbed. This point of departure for the Marliuliorouixh blanch is tlidofor" thoroughly s-nuni |>o)icy, and avoids any necessity lor delaying I be work ponding "jtlie .selection ol tho now Itinuitakn route. Feiitherslnu county has an area of ('GO sriiiuiu miles, and the traffic developed from the whole portion ol it nt thfe Ruainahnnga River—about "Oil eiuaro miles—"ill ;o ovtr tho full length of the branch line. From Mar-

tinborough tbreo main roads lead outI wards into different portions of tho district, all of them diawiug iir heavy trallic. First, there is the Pahaoa Road, running out to the- coast via Tablelands Settlement, with a total length of about thirty miles. Then there is tho 27 miles of tho Lower Valley Road, running dowu to tho mouth of Lako AVairarapa, and touching the prosperous settlement of Dyervillc. the East Coast Roadj running out on Finally comes tho i 0 or 80 miles of the other side of Dyorville, and through to To Awaito Station, etc. Subdivision of Estates. • Despite tho fact that Maryborough and tho surrounding country aio so far back from tho railway a great deal of subdivision has already taken place, and moro is in prospect. Tho estates which havo boon subdivided include:— Acres. Dycrville Settlement 15,001) Tablelands 6,500 Mnlnumku 4,831 20,331 Tho Longbush Estate, of 2240 acres, wljicii lias aloo bioii cut up, , will provido traffic for tho line, although it is not strictly in tho Martiuborough district. A number of Crown leases will shortly bo falling in, including a block of 6500 acres of first-class pastoral land, and theso will bo thus ruado available for | closer settlement. An area of 20,000 •■ acres of second and third-class pastoral : land is just about to bo balloted for, ' its nearest point lying about twelve , miles soutn from Martinborough. Within tho last eighteen months a syndicate has cut up an estato of lilOO acres held by ono man and placed twelve settlers on it. Other large areas aro also expected to bo subdivided at an early dale. A Thriving Contro. As ovidenco of tho growth of'population and settlcmeut at Martinborough., it may bo stated that there aro no\. L'OO children attending the town school, and that eeparato schools havo beoii established at Dyervillo and Tablelands, tho children from which districts fivi. years ago used to como in to Martinborough to school. The town bears n thoroughly prosperous air, and it is rathor a eurpriso to a etranger to fina such an up-to-date centre so far back from tho line. There aro two largi hotels, the extensive emporium ol Messrs. Pnin and Kershnw, which u'ouli. do credit to a place ten times tho size, a Town Hall orectett at a cost of abom £1000, a public library, courthouse, posi office, County Council Chambers, newspaper oliice, churches, garages, and various business promises of one bort and another. A high-pre&suro water eupply has bc'ii installed by tho Town Hoard at a cost of £10,800, and £4000 is now being spent on an electric light seivico. There aro no fewer than 122 subscribers to tho telephone exchange,, and a dozen or moro applications tor connections aro comiug in, bringing tho number well over tho J2G required for a midnight service. ? ;\r\ f ;'V ftf ' Big Traffic in Llvo stock. It is difficult to get .an exact esti- . mate, of the production of tho v district, but it may bo taken that tho greater ] part cf tho trallic now going through < ■Featherston Railway Station would go i over the Martiuborough branch . line. •• Featherston is ono of the largest truck- 1 ing stations for live etoek in tho Dominion Two years ago, beforo tho 1 opening of tho Waingawa meat works i diverted a portion of the traffic, 212,000 .> uheert and lambs were trucked tit Fea- i therstoii; and of this quantity about I 175,000 camo from country east of the I lluamahanga. AYith through-railing fa- ] cilities tho branch would carry tho i greater part or this. Tho district has ; also a great export oi fat cattle. Tucso I aro now largclv driven over tho Rimu- ] takas, but with a through run by rail from Martinborcugh many stockowncra ; would probably prefer railing them. i There aro big areas of arable land aioiind but tho present i cost of 103. a ton for haulago out to i the railway absolutely kills tho trade j in chalf. , Tho haulago cost also makes tho proper application of basic slag and ] other fertilisers out of tho question tor most farmers. Fuel is becoming a ser- I ious consideration in tho district owing ; to tho shortage of firewood, and alto- ; gethcr tho burden of the prceont cartugo rates from tho railway to YartinbcToiigh and vico versa is likely to be still more serious as timo goes on. Fully eix teams aro daily r.t work on tho road, and tho congestion of traffic in tho summer months with tho cartago of wool and dairy produce makes it impossible to drive stock over tho road durirrg tho hours presented by law, i.e., between sunset and sunrise. Mr. A. D. M'Leod, the county chairman, state.* that at present fully twothirds of tho stock-driving in tho summer has to bo dono at night. In the season big quantities of wool aro banked up awaiting eartape, and dairy produce is similarly handicapped. N'q fewer than 3000 bales of wool were shipped off the beach from tho Riddiford Estato last season, and it is understood in future the whole of this will como via Martinborough owing to itic difficulty and uncertainty of shipment. The residents of Martinborough look tu their iown eventually becoming tho second centre in tho AYairarapa, as it \ serves mich an extensive coastal distlict. Tho progress of the. country jnay be judged from tho fact that tho number of ratepayers •increased from v) 10 to 460 during the last ten years, mid the future growth is expected to bo rapid. Anotlior Source of Rovonus. As another argument for tho line it is pointed cut that it will pass right alongside tho Taillieriiiikiai racecourse, und thus carry a hirj»o traffic at tlu< club's race mt'ctings in January and Raster. "Tli'o attendances at these meetings run up to 4000, and the visitors linvo to bo taken by conveyances from Tcatherston station, three miles distant. The club itself, soimj five years 'igo, considered tho. question of putting in hand a lino including a bridgo across tho Taiilierinikau llivcr, and Mr. J. \i Fulton estimated tho cost of the •vcrl; at £10,000. A p.ieat deal of 1 money has been spent on the course, c which is one of the most bonutiful in t the Dominion. There ii littli? doubt ( that the attendances nt the meetings '■ would bo very much greater ilian at I piesont were it not for ths. , dilllenlty of •" acoesa. The club has an application in i for an extra permit !'or a winter .steeple- ' chasi> mooting, as tlicr,; is none l in the district at present, ami should ' ;i, sumyd in (ilitnuiing thi* il»> ox- ' cmsion I radii- would lie still furl her I iiu-reaKi-d. | I Knoligh lias boi-n s:iiil to show that : ; the beiiolits to ho derived fiom thi> '■ Martiiihoruimh brnnch lin<- aio very cmi- ' ciilorablp, mid tho expenditure i'nvolv- ' cd is not a very fortnid.il)lr> amount. Tho ' piosidrnt of the Maitinhoiomh Rail- T way I,ensue is Mr. A. O. M'l.eod, and M th* ««icr»t"v Mi. F. M'Alluu. I v