The Feilding Star. WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1882. THE MURIMUTO RAILWAY.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 8, 12 July 1882, Page 2

The Feilding Star. WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1882. THE MURIMUTO RAILWAY.

♦ In a previous article we pointed out some of the advantages likely to accrue to the colony by the opening of the railway line throujrh the country to the north and east of the Man Chester Block. We have since endeavoured to collect such information as to the probable benefits to be derived, as will enable our readers to form a correct idea of the immense advantages possessed by tbis section of the colony over any other of the same dimensions, towards the profitable formation of a railway. The first item of revenue to be considered is necessarily that to be collected from the timber trade, and we will briefly point out what would De the minimum. In the Kiwitea Block alone there is ample bush land to support ten mills for the next ten years, cutting tota-a, rnnu, and kahikatea, of wldch trees the forests are principally composed. Taking the average out-turn of fmber trom each mill, at say, 25,000 tt. per week, which is a remarkably small one, (but it allows for stoppage, and a variety of accidents that often interfere with the continued working of ihe mills) this would give a total of 250,000 ft. or nearly double the quantity of timber that is at present cut at all the mills on the railway line between Makino and Trondheim, the revenue from which section, collected at Feildina - , makes it the best paying station in the colony. These ten mills would directly employ at the least twenty-five men each, who, with their wives and families, would represent a probable total of a thousand men, women, and children ; and the excess of population of storekeepers, carters, wood-cutters, attracted, would be another thousand within a very short time. The amount of goods imported for hone consumption would be about eight hundred tons per annum. Sawn sleepers, split posts and rails, stabs, firewood, etc., would add one third more to the receipts ; and another third may safely be calculated on for passenger traffic. This means that the first 30 miles of railway would collect a»out £700 per mile, pef annum with an expenditure of £200 making it the bestpaying section ofrailway in the colony. Beyond this for five or six miles lies a forest consisting of rimu, matai and totara, out of which there is at pr:sent only one clearing, the Pukirimu, of one hundred acres. The elevation above the sea level is 1340 feet, which is reached by a gradual ascent during the whole distance. No bridges of any size are required, nor are there any cuttings of consequence to be made. As we have said before, tbe land cleared by the sawmillers, would at once be stocked with cattle and sheep, while other parts would be prepared for grain, for which the soil is admirably adapted, and will return forty bushels to the acre in any part of it. It may appear at the first glance that this sudden addition to the export of timber would injuriously ! affect the mills at present at work in this district. Such, however, would not be the case, inasmuch that the Wellington-Manawatu line, and the Wanganui Heads Railway, will certainly be completed before we can expect the line we advocate to be opened. It may be commenced, as the Wellington people will certainly look to the Manawatu and its feeders to supply their line with freight. What we have written is merely a plain statement ot fact?, borne out by every man v.- ho Ins visited tlie country whose ii.teresis we emJeavur lore.u'e-

sent, who is worthy to form an opinion Enouyh has been wi-iMen u> jn tity J even the formation of a private om- J pany to open a branch line. From * the valuable nature of the land it is not likely any Government would make concessions for such a ' purpose — if, indeed, such concessions 1 were necessary. Sixty-three miles of ? railway from Feilding would lead into thn Mujimotu plains, over a irauk, ; the highest point of which is 2240 feet above the level of the s- a. Here we leave the subject, b^c^use at the plains our immediate interests are J ended ; but we venture to assert that ! what we have written goes a long way to prove the advantages of this route iar above all others.