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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5236, 4 January 1878, Page 2

No public work which has ever been undertaken in this province has had a greater beneficial influence upon the district and city than would the construction of a line of railway connecting Wellington with the west coast of the province, and it is with a view of impressing this upon the' mind of everyone who takes an interest in the progress of this part of the country that' we now so soon revert to the subject. Of course no action can be taken in the matter till the next session of Parliament, but much may be dona in the meantime to ripen public opinion so that legitimate influence may be brought to bear to have the line constructed as soon as possible. This work commends itself on almost every ground. There is little doubt that when the line is constructed it will pay as well as any in the ’ while the increased value which it would' give to the waste lands of the Crown along the route would fully pay for the cost of construction. In our last issue we published a report from Mr. Beeee, civil engineer, which shows that no engineering difficulties are to bo met with in making the line, and that the cost would not exceed £7OOO per mile for the hill sections, and about £SOOO per mile for the remainder of the' line. Taking the line at seventyseven miles, and basing the cost on the liberal scale of £6OOO per mile, it would give for the construction of the entire lino, in round numbers, £460,000. That the colony would bo fully recouped this amount, from the enhanced value of the lands along the route, is fully proved by the evidence taken before the committee appointed in. Parliament last session. Mr. Holds worth, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, stated that he was generally acquainted with the country lying, between Paikakariki" and Palmerston. There are about 419,000 acres unsold. With regard to its, character, 250,000 acres are first-class agricultural land, anc£ : the' remainder, including the western slopes of the Tararna Ranges, so far as known, of good quality,; and capable of bearing pasture. Mr. Holdsworth further stated that in his opinion ' —rind no one should bo a better judge on this point—the' whole of the land would readily sell provided means of com-. munication either by road or railway existed. With regard to the price at, which the land could be sold along the whole route, there was ample evidence to show that the construction of a railway, would be repaid by the increased revenue arising from the sale of waste lands, leaving aside altogether the immense impetus it: would give to the settlement of the lands of the west coast of this province;' The Commissioner of Crown Lands, in ; answer to a question as to what was the ' average, price at which the land would sell, stated that pone need: be.parted with below £1 per acre, while much would fetch from £2 to £6. The land is mostly covered with timber, including totara, red arid white pine, mat,ai and manuka, all valuable timber, and which, according to one witness, would bring as much to the settler as ho paid for the

land, if it could be got to market. Outside the timbered country there exists, we are informed, a large quantity of valuable pastoral land; the average price of which would be £2 10s. per acre or more, if'.opened hp by roads or railways. Sir William Fitzherbbrt gave evidence before the committee, and it is almost needless to say that he entered fully into the question. He clearly pointed out that the main road through the North Island, beginning at the port of Wellington, must bo a bifurcated one, and with the provincial authorities the great point always was where the bifurcation should take, place. He stated that there was a tract of country about forty miles in extent from the Manawatu River to the Waikanao River on one side, and up to the Tararna Range, containing 400,000 or 500,000 acres, and in this connection says :—“I am bound to say, and I believe it due to the interests of the colony at large to state, that the isolated position of the port of Wellington, now the metropolis of New Zealand, should not be permitted any longer to continue by having this way barred up, when a practicable line of communication can be established through it, and between the East and West Coasts. This block of land is much in the same state of nature as it was when I came to the country some thirty-five years ago. The only difference I see now. is that the rivers a traveller had formerly to wade through, or depend upon the capricious will of a native to be crossed over in a canoe, have ferries instead. That is the only difference I know of now in travelling along that coast. • It is simply travelling on Nature’s pathway along the beach.” It is our intention to again and again revert to this subject. ' The construction of this line of railway would be of great good to the colony, as opening up. for settlement large tracts of land now ' lying entirely . unproductive, and would be an immense.stride in the development of the trade of Wellington. '