The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1886. THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1671, 30 March 1886, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1886. THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY.

. ; ;:;.■■;'■ A^ ■ ■■- „- . ■, ■■■■■fl" k ■ , In an article m the Wellington . Eni&nirig< 'Post on the WellingtbnM ; anawatu Railway, stress is laid iupcm the almost incredible fa6t that « during »the first sixF months "-'of ~ the 'line being open" between Pareftijata and Wellington u'^wkrdg of ■ W,OOO 5 pßrson^sfibuld haVe= travelled over n that secfion of the line. <Yet, such : is! the fact; The number 1 df passen- .- /.gers^is = bdt more astonishing than, the financial result is satisfactory. '' ' Thefifet profit ■'is, /our contemporary beßeVesr, greater than that earned on Sny "other "similar ' J^ngth" of "Ime m tHeLbolony. .£ ;vThe JPost confidently predicts that when there is. railway prom §y!llingt(m : fiMgh |>|W>it|r4Jth|re j will fy sn immensely^inereafsed trafHc over all portions of tlie line, but no sec- • tioir ; (if it will ido anything like the j b\ism||s^hich will ; falKto t ' the shpre V.of^e^ctionpwh'eaTiy the WeUipg--1 toanawatu Railway p'o^panyt The , traffic which wiil take place between the. city and the Manawatu district, will pf itself attain very large 'prol portiops, and will, itjbelieyes,< prove: amply sufficient to yield a profit; tqthe? cbriipahyj irrespective of the through traffic' between; New^P.lymouth, and Wanganui and Wellington. from Palmerston North to Wellington will also be closely followed 'ibv. the settlement of %;large portion) of the company's fijqe estate, through j whic^ihJraiWay runs^ This let,, dement will, of course, tend to :incfease the, rail way traffic ■ very considewrfily^ jheffp^anl; whjch will be opened up have hitherto been inaccessible! 'The impetus which mv meat ion with Wellington will give to Ihe. M^a«|atu district Mjl be immense, for it will open up new markets for all kinds of of .the district^ : ,As^.to ? the effectlm the ; trade of oW'ellihgibh^ our contemporary is .afTOd to £ bjli ties^^ for.fear of of romancing. Jjb prefers tp wail: and let .facts disclose themselves,,/ JS'till less is it inclined to indulge m any anticipations as. to the benefits the. Company shareholders are likely to derive from their enterprise when the. Manawatu Gorge line shajl have connected VVellington and Wanganui, or when t|iejhrough l^am^l'runk line slValbTia^ve 3 brought i all parts of the, Southern -vgpjtidn" of. the : islan.d into . .rSil way communication with Auckland. Our contenipprary is 'apprehensive ; that tha company will, not derive any of the benefits Which J wift- Result, for before that time the line ber tween Lohgburn and . We|[lington *is pretty sure to b,aye passed out of private ownership to that of the State. The line- will, the Post is convinced, prove such a very profitable one that the Government will feel it to be; ; its duty to exercise the •"• powers' of purchase it possesseSj and to take into its own hands this im- . portant section of the main trunk ' railway. Power to do this exists, and will very likely be exercised. ■ In another portion of the article ; ! from which we have quoted, it is,. 1 pointed out : that' when Jt was first ! proposed to construct the Welling- i

ton-Manawatu : il^ii^^^a great many wise people deeUred^itg jaever couidor wouWpay w^^ij^i^penses, even if rn^tde. The', c^jbrated Commission ofi^Kailways : it» and the GD^eriinaiwii;, / influejaped no^oubl%y Weir jep^rtUljan^tfeU the idea of constructing the line. When the people "of Wellington and MAnawatu* took- the project yp^ and carried W~io tarl.tlirfiu^iV.as .^lo : have the first section ready for opening,- wise'people-were stilHbundto declare thaHt was the height of folly to think of opening a. few rniles't)f tari^yieadirig to ; " rib wifetC Where jwas^the^ traffic to . come from ■ to pay for coals^' they " k asked sneeringly ? The answer, is that vie line has m six months paid not only all expenses, but earned a ne.t profit oficl^l jon JSmoKi 'Risl is alvery satisfactory sfbrt of practical regily to the wise people, and the tact that this short section has done so well, affords good grounds for anticipating still greater results when through fcrafficis established; From every; point of view, the jttospects^pf the ', under taking i and its reni^irCTative; results to the shareholders wear, a most encouraging and congratulatory aspect;.