MODE OF TRAVEL TO THE BEACH.

Manawatu Herald, 31 January 1905, Page 2

MODE OF TRAVEL TO THE BEACH.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MANAWATO HERALD. Sir, I have been asked to give my opinion upon the best tramway to the beach, and I will do so through the medium of your panOr, if you will kindly allow me the space. In the first place, the route is a most important question, as to use either of the roads now’ in use would involve a heavy expenditure in making it sufficiently firm and permanent, to allow of heavy cars to run continually ; the best of the present routes would be that one running to the back of the first position of the pilot houses, taking along near the telephone line ; but as the object of families in going to the beach is that they should bathe in the salt sea waves, on a safe and shallow beach, the line in that direction could not go far enough to the north.

The plan I would suggest would be, of course, after gaining permission from the Government, to erect a small booking office on the railway nlatform and use the Government rails as far as the windmill, (a much larger traffic is easily managed in pormlous centres), and from thereto follow the road to the left, and then strike off in a north-westerly direction, along a line of sand-hills, to a small ridge across the lakes, where there is a splendid place for a good Sanitonum (plenty of good water and a firm beach); from there to the beach proper is not far, but as it is across shifting land, it would require some little expense in laying, but not near so much as a line across the swampy ground of the other roads. The treating of shifting sands is an important one to the surroundings of Foxto.n, and I will give you another letter on the subiect.

The next question is the most suitable kind of locomotion, and there is no doubt but that question' will be raised again in more populous districts, on account of the frequent accidents to the trolly-pole, (and to the enormous expenditure entailed see the New Zealand Times leading article of January 80th), we should therefore profit by the experience of other countries, who are already experimenting in this direction, and have, I think, proved that for a small branch line like ours, the composite carriage should be used, that is a carriage seating about 20 or 30 people, with a motor in front, but on the same four wheels ; two of these could give us easily a thirty minutes service, if a loop line were placed half-way of the distance, so that no time-table would be required on busy days. Of course, the question of ways and means wou’d have to. be considered, but I think that need not trouble us, for did the people at a distance but know, that they could step out of the train into a tram starting at once for the beach, we should have hundreds going there on and thousands during the zuramer months.—-T am, etc.,

F. Dr Bidder