MAEREWHENUA.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 427, 14 June 1877, Page 3

MAEREWHENUA.

(Fro'.n our own ii'.) J am almost at a loss to know how io start this epistle—whether to give; you mining, agricultural, op railway impressions or topics. I believe railway construction is of paramount importance in opening up the latent resources of any country. In fact, the prosperity of many of our industries are in the cold shade ox oblivion for the want of easy communication with the sea board. Our American friends arc moro wide awake, and construct railways through great stretches of country, with the view of settlement. They seem to acton Adam Smith's 'Wcaltb- ' doctrine, that the people are the wealth of any countr}', and not wlun it can extort out of ihc people fov <he lane!. Our Government are nboiiL 100 years behind the ago. They sell the lane' firsi iiJ blocks, and ilieh 'Make railways afterwards. ol peoole oil the lands is only a second-rate consideration with them. However, .ram glad io tell you that our Oamaru friend< arc delor•niucd to open up your great interior plains and iiue district. A" meeting was held at Oauinrn on the 16th, with ihc view io consider railway cons-ruction io :\ r;>*eby, by way of the jUacrewhenua Pass. The meeting was a tho:*ougb suece-s. 'j he • Vfnyor made an elaborate and able statement- "Several -<ood - notches were mad-e, and al! agreed iha(, if the work was en ricd out. it would be the best step ever taken towards t!ie prosperity of the loiei tor. T hope your people are awake i<> their own interest, aud push Ibis matter. Jt will bring 3*oll wiibiii about four hours', ride of the sea-board. You can have breakfast in xVaseby and diuner in Oamaru easily enough. 'Where you have one man.in your disi vol al present. you .w iM' have a hundred then. It is said you have greai beds ol'eoal-atlvyeburn, and copper at Mount Uomcti. all near (he proposed hue. Your laud is well spoken of, and cannot Jail (o attract a large population ii yon-have eo-iy communication with ihc sea-board. J am strongly of opinion thai.if 3*our people are iiue 10 Mieir own intcTcsts. you will yet have cue of iho besi peopled and most. prosperous dislricls iu the Uolouy. i"our resources arc varied—it- only wauls more assistance to open them. Unless you get easy communication your resources must lav, compa?'atively speaking, hid under a bushel for future generations. J am writing in total ignorance of your views., as I have doi •seen your late issue, and do dol know lion the meeting came off that was to be he'd. I feel confident, however, that your people are not slow to see their own interest. There arc two lines proposed—one by .Ngapnra. the other by JXuutroon. Tl>e jVgnpara route the best agricultural cuuufcjy—in i'acl, it is all splendid 'and from Oamaru to Macrewhcnun— but whether that Jine i> .tin; best I could no. s:jv.ns the gradient, ■-might not admit of i!s construction without some heavy ctiUin^. of Dunlroon there are no engineev. ng.diilicuKi \s-.. The nisi ten miles run up the Ma,crowhcDi!ti.'\ r ;i)'cy, -nn<! pari'y up t-'C -••iver, all.good fo-motion. '''he only d.illtculi.y wo -ill mentioning is a tunnel under the Pass, which would be no great i A). Probably a length-of yards would take it th-ough. I'o" will have more particulars by-and-bye. when the surveyors Ira verse the route. You may rest, assured there is no obstacle that cannot reasonably be overcome.