OPENING OF THE LINE TO HALOOMBE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 56, 24 April 1878, Page 2

OPENING OF THE LINE TO HALOOMBE.

The much-expected and long-deferred event of., the opening :of the : Foxtoriljne between \EeUding ;and Halcombe—a distance of eighjhViniiesr-took place on Monday-morning last. Although jforj th(e: past month there ha.! been considerable, traffic on the line, not only between the places above mentioned, but even right through to Wanganui,' the 22wd - was .set down, as , the day on which ; i£ shpjiid be formally: opened to the public. In ,order,;ti,hen,tp see that all the arrangements were carried out, ' JVtrVliotheram,; jbheGen^er'aljMainag'er of the line', went through m a special train from !Pof toil on Sunday, so as to be m Halcomhe.atr the, starting of the first train next morning at *6.'30. ; while the Manager of the i "Foxton; section remained there to superintend the startingof, and; accompany /the* first train north. The distince of new^line to be tra^ersedfHbetTteen', FeUding and Halcombe — -was, as we hate said, Sight miles, aryl although, there are no stoppages,,with the exception of one for the locking of points; thirty minutes -is the allotted time' m; cthe .table: ior the journey. J^or the first two miles af ter lea.^iAg Eeildiqg tbrere'-is; a splehdid f)iece of ioa,i, straight as : an w i and evel as a. bowling green, but when the last of the ' immigrants' cottages are : reachedj and the thirty-seven' mire-post past, a , peirfect' ■seines' of curves is ! ex^ periencedj, which occur at intervals - until the. whole distance his freeV Qompletedi.v' iMithoughi'the gradients ar^ by no. means; steep,, the greatest beiugi xiot more than one m fifty,? the 'curves are : npt only numerous b.^t sharps ia,nd li,ave had the effect of flengthening^ th,e. disk ta,n,ce b.etw.een^eiiding; anjd Hal combe by at lerist " two. ,miles> . Then, Again j tlie cost of con.stru.ctipn per mjile mifet have been considerably m excess of that on the other portion of the line, where there was no expense beyond the fallings of. thje bush and lading of the rails.

For the last four miles before reaching Halcoinbe the road is alternately raised upon embankments, or rutis through deep cuttings, with an occasional detoxtr^ to escape the steep hills. ;All along the main road from Feilding, until tke two-mile-post is reached, ,and ?where- the): road branohes off, are lined tb.e.immigrwits' cottages, with an acre- of. ground to each. They are: all built m uniform style with dividing fences, and, with but few exceptions, .not only are the little plots m a state of high cultiva-tion,-but artificial evergreens are here and there trained over the entrances. Here; nevertheless,- as -elsewhere,~thereare some ne'er-dor wells, and the traveller or 'passer-by^rieed orilylook /at the little patch of ground lying idle, and the cottage wearing" a 1 desolate and forlorn appearance, to read the character, of its owner. "Taken as a, "whole, how-, ever, the immigrants' cottages present a most- thriving aspect; and show how. easily homes can be made comfortable and payable by industry and perseverance. They, however, ppssess considerable advantages over their neighbors of Halcombe, inasmuch as; they are not only placed" upon > a fine" level road, but, immediately! Behind,- ha vp an excellent supply : of forest timber -for domestic and other purpos,es. The cottages at Halcombe, although built with a view; to-regularity, afe situated K wliere timber is Unbb't^inahle' J uriless| with great ; trouble, "and* you nifssV that finished and comfortable ftppearance m : the little settlement; which is apparent at Feilidirig. Persons who had' paid Feilding a visit before Monday,, and who, being dropped at the station,' had gone no farther, would have had no idea of the size and importance of the town, and would; have: gone away . with a mistaken idea of its present ex- , tent or future prospects. It isniot until theijstatioii has Ibeen left hsXijfr mile J ; behind that -the greater . portion jof the :town becomes^ visible to ; vthej eye, and" you then .become aware of ;the fact that you jha,ve been hitherto: doing f the . place ah injustice. I : Arrived? at^Hal-" combe, the excursionists were met by r,Messrs. Lawson arid ;Eotheram, th§ : Commissioner. for- the! Island and 'the General Manager of the line, .and passenger traffic' between lEbston; and i the present terminus of the: section iwas an accomplished [fact ;; arid, ; speaking of" excursionists, the manner m, which the trip, r run at single fares 'for : the! double journey; > was .patronised, should be. s, nple evidence that low qharges ' are always an inducement^ to; increased traffic. '■ yv r;^-'i> „■ ;■;. ■■'■ : ; ; ; : ■'■■^l: The s.ta.tiqn at is placed^ at the foot; of i ; hilli- around which the-' !.' line skir-ts: A<jjpresent the towii is m a very-primitive state, consisting of a large and commodious hotel,. an.d the usual number ofegerieral stores'. Opposite the Halcombe Hotelj which is kept by a relatiosh of. Mr. Dal^iel^the well-known-proprietor 6i ithe^ Oriterion at . .BoUs,.' are the. of^ces :of tfi^,Corporation, outside the ; do°r is placed; 4 board? that af presen,t aoes duty as % tne local journal, at least as far as tenders! and j other notices tfre' poncerned. :' "^L large I arid expensive station and refreshmentf 1 rooms are' bsirig "erected, at i f agure stated as between £1,500 Aud^OOOjj .- but as. w^feel; couyinced that, -Wjhen the ! line" is thoroughly- in working lorder, it 1 , will be considered 'preposterous to dei tain a, train; oyemig;ht,;the-;|olly of such a large expenditure , must be ackaowledged. Thitthere^is abundant traffic . upon the liiieto, return a, gcoi^interest upo^the outlay %ay be inferre^ from the fact thatori last Wednesday; before the line was f6rniallybpened,n6less than twenty, timber-laden trucks "v^ere; for- { •^ warded^ from 'Feilding and as there is no timber available along tKe linei either m Wangariui T 6r -RangitikeiiQountiesito,. the : Manawatu, arid to it alonei^must the NortH look for its supply. As. the train stopped but •thirty-two minutes , at- Halcombe,; our "■time was brit very limited for observation, and merely enable^ us jot down a few impressions during a'Kttle over a two hours' ride." . S