THE HUTT-FOXTON RAILWAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5452, 17 September 1878, Page 2

THE HUTT-FOXTON RAILWAY.

TO THE EDITOR 01' TUB NEW ZEALAND. TIKES. Silt, —At the risk of being reminded of the Latin proverb, “ Jlklctur , chorda qui semper oberrat eadem,” I have something further to say on the above subject if you will allow me the space. First, then, as to the purchase of the required lands. The Native Minister has already taken one decided step in the way of pushing on the Government purchases. Circulars have been issued to lioensed.interpreters, prohibiting all private negotiations for lands under treaty of sale to the Government, aud all Resident Magistrates have-been cautioned against attesting execution of unauthorised deeds affecting such lands. The intervention of both magistrates and licensed interpreters being essential, by statute, to the validity of any instrument purporting to deal with native lands, this prohibition, if enforced, will operate as a complete checkmate to all outside interference with. Government land purchase. And it is quite right that it should be so in all cases where the owuers are under contract to sell aud have received payments on account. Hitherto there was nothing to prevent private individuals treating with the natives for the same lands; and although a purchase made in the face of the Gazette notice could not give a valid title, yet so long as the natives could find persons willing to take their chance of the title and compete with the Government, there was an obvious inducement to hold out for better terras. 1

There is a danger, however, of this power being abused by the Government, and I will explain how. The late Sir Donald McLean, in his; extreme anxiety to secure what he termed, a “public estate,” introduced a very pernicious system of purchase, Under shelter of a sweeping section in the Immigration and Public Worko Act, 1871. Under legislative

sanction it became, possible to proclaim a blocjf of laud of any extent (whether it had passed the Court or not) as “under negotiation, simply because some native alleging a claim had accepted a small,payment on account of it; and thenceforth for a period.of two years such land was under strict “ tapu,” and all competition forbidden. As an instance of this, I may mention that on the East Coast a block of laud some thousands of acres in extent was “proclaimed,’’ because a patlve who, as it afterwards turned out, could not show the ghost of a title, had received from the Commissioner a sum of six shillings to pay for a pound of tobacco ! The late Native Minister, recognising the absurdity and injustice of this, decided to abandon many of these bogus purchases, and declared his intention of insisting only on the bona fide contracts being carried through. Similar blunders have been made nearer home, as in the case of the Lower Aorangi Block (Palmerston District; where payments were made by the Commissioner to mere nobo.Ues, the leading chiefs protesting and warning him that the sale to the Government would never be agreed to. It is to be hoped therefore that Mr. Sheehan will look into these matters for himself, and deal with each case on its merits.

But this is the point lam coming to. No one disputes that all the proclaimed blocks between Waik mae and Maoawatu are bona fide under negotiation, and that the Government are justified in using every legitimate means for pushing their title through. They must perhaps bo content with the lands now under contract, for the competition for outside blocks will become keener every day ; hut on completion of the purchases now In hand (which should be rapidly effected) the Government will have altogether a landed estate in that district of some 280,000 acres, and more than enough to pay the whole cost of the HuttFoxton railway from end to end. But on the principle that “ half a loaf is better than no loaf,” is it by any means necessary that we should wait for the Tararua tunnel beforev beginning is made ? According, to Mr. Knorpp’s report, there are no engineering difficulties between Waikanae and the Mana-' watu River. Nowhere would the, line rise more than 100 ft. on the Foxton or 200fL on the Palmerston track, and the whole coat (exclusive of laud and stations) would be £190,000 to Foxton or £220,000 to Palmerston. If this part of the line were constructed at once, it would practically open up all the Manawatu lands, and, pending a junction across the Tararua range as proposed, a twohours’ coach road from the Hufct to Waikauae, coming out at Pahautamii and following the present route through the Horokiwi Yalley and down the Paikakariki cutting, would establish regular communication with the “Empire City.”

In the meantime the further exploration of the Tararua range, which everybody admits is necessary, could be proceeded with in the hope of finding an easier route than that indicated in the report. Those who know that part of the country best firmly believe that such a route exists. Without wishing to say a word in disparagement of Mr. Knorpp, who is no doubt an able man in his profession, I don't think there Is much to be gained by sending a city engineer to explore bush country. The lines described in Mr. Kuorpp’a report are nothing but the tracks discovered years ago by Messrs. M. Carkeek and W. Fifczherbert. What' you want for such work is a man like Morgan Carkeek, who'has spent his life surveying’in rough bush country, and who would be as little likely to lose himself in the Tararua ranges as iu a fiveacre paddock. My own idea is that the best plan would be to offer a reward of from £IOO to £2OO for the discovery of a really practicable pass through the rauges. I would gladly give my tea guineas towards such a fund, aud would undertake to raise £SO more among my friends in town. If residents in the district would make the amount up to £IOO, tbc Government might be induced to give au equivalent. If the reward should be claimed (as I believe it would), depend upon it there could not be a better investment for so small a sum; for any abatement in the engineering difficulties means a proportionate reduction in what appears to be the only expensive part of the line.—l am. &c., _ Walter L. Bulleil Lower-terrace, September 10.