THE SANDON TRAM.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 20 September 1920, Page 4

THE SANDON TRAM.

A VISITOR’S IMPRESSION. A visit was paid last week to San- , don for tile purpose of inspecting the ; tramline by Air Will Lawson, who is i organising the progress movement in j Marlborough towards building light . railway lines as a means of opening up the back country of the province. Mr Lawson stated that the route of their proposed light railway was along the Wairnu Valley, and eventually they hoped to push the line 'through past Tophouse and Lake K.iloili to .join the Nelson-Murchison jj line. I

“My visit to the Foxton-.Sanson j line has confirmed my opinioii that a jj similar line, only much longer, could J be built in the Wairau wtih profit to | the district,’’ said Air Lawson in an i interview. “There seems little doubt I that the Sanson line has made the J district it traverses as prosperous as j it now is. Costly road haulage would have crippled the settlers otherwise, as it is crippling the settlers in the Wairau Valley to-day. Every opportunity to see how the line operated was given me by A K Drew, county clerk, and manager of the line. The system of working in co-operation with the Department was a surprise to me. The only rolling stock owned by the Mannwatu Council, which also owns the line, consists of two locomotives, two carriages, six ballast waggons, and a roadside van. The remainder of the rolling stock used be longs to the Railway Department, which charges ,1s a day for each tarpaulin while being used by the county council. In addition, the council lias running rights under railway depart merit regulations from Himitangi where the line joins, to Foxton. For this privilege, tolls of Is 6d per ton on most goods is paid 5s per truck for chuff and other bulk goods, and 3d each way for passengers. Such an arrangement would solve a good deal of the difficulties encountered in start ing a new line, while the benefit of the Wairau line as a feeder to the Picton line would be considerable. The Marlborough line would run through country somewhat similar to that between Foxton and Bulls. Another point of resemblance is that both tine- 1 eventually must become ibrough direct routes between important points. ’ ’