THE WINTON RAILWAY.

Southland Times, Issue 1318, 7 October 1870, Page 2

THE WINTON RAILWAY.

Although not by any means an extraordinary i feat, a railway trip to Winton is not without its significance. From time to time a few itinerant scraps of humanity have poked a bit of fun at it, i the latest exhibition of the kind being retailed by i a sewed-muslin man for the edification of a select circle of cup-companions. " Arriving at one of the intermediate stations," says our smaU-ware authority, " I enquired for the train."' " It's gone about ten minutes ago," replied the signal-master, t " bnt if you are very anxious to get it, just take a. p smart walk along the line and you'll catch it . before it goes very far." Small-talk of this kind ijms calculated to do a certain amount of damage taken in conjunction with the fact that the , I construction of Southland's railways was an undeniable blunder. It was not, however, with the object of controverting such parodies as the above that your reporter lately undertook the . journey. It was more for the purpose of noting the progress of the work, and its corresponding effect upon the surrounding country. It was just, in fact, what Brother Jonathan would call making a lunar on the general economy of the railway system. 1 A notice appeared in a late issue stating that the contractors had ceased to carry goods on the 1 Winton line. Being of an inquisitive turn of 1 mind, I inquired the reason, with the following results. A special engine had been placed by 1 the Government at the service of the contrac- ' tors, to haul the plant required for completing 1 the up line. This part of the operation having 1 been completed, the engine is now to be withdrawn, or, what is equally the same, so far as the goods traffic is concerned, it is to be stationed permanently at Winton. The reason of this is not very plain, but the effect is perfectly obvious. The up-country traffic had begun to take advani tage of it largely, and the result is that this i economic means of transitu will, for the time • being at least, be nipped in the bud. A shorti sighted proceeding of this kini is to be reprobated, i and the sooner things are ordered with a little more prudence the sooner will the commercial . prospects of the place become an established fact. These sage reflections and the first stage of the journey were accomplished at pretty nearly the same time. The fact was announced to all whom it might concern by one of those particular snorts with which a well-bred locomotive invariably announces its intention of drawing breath. The Waikivi bridge, which we had now reached, can hardly be called a terminus. It has neither a waiting-room for the passengers, a shed for the goods traffic, nor a Railway Arms inn and refresh--1 ment stall in the background. All these things will no doubt follow, but as coming events, they have not yet made a single attempt at casting a shadow before .them. However, such as it was we took advantage of it, and it afforded us a privilege we could not have had in more favored localities — viz., an opportunity of inspecting the 1 extensive flax works of the Invercargill Flax Company. At this establishment a number of hands were actively employed carrying on the various processes of flax-dre*<ing, incluKng i washing and bleaching the fiSrr*, tending the < machines, &c. Our stay being sho"t, our obseri vation3 -were consequently superficial, still they 1 enabled us to note a few peculiarities of the > operation. On emerging from the machine, the hanks of flax are deposited in wooden troughs ' fitted with, -upright pins. In thi3 position the flax is subjected to the action of a running stream ' of water, which is abundantly supplied from a ' creek in the neighborhood. The fiSre as exhibited on the bleaching-green hal a fi ie white appear- ' ance. Indeed it seemed a3 if thp company were in a fair way of solving the difficulty connected with extracting the gum and other refuse substances. We do trust such will prove to bo the na«e, and that Southland's manufacture will yet , nrnke for itself a namn in the flax market of Great Britain. Getting unrtar weigh again, we ; are soon whisked across the Waikivi plain, noting by the way the completion of th« siding at tho ■ junction, where we understand a platform is to ; be erected. A few well-cultivated fields at the entrance to the Makarawa Bush relieve the monotony of the countless acre 3of sapless tu^sac grass by which they are surrounded. Buxtons i brickfield on the northern side of the bush is deserving of passing notice, inasmuch as we are in a position to say that a superior article is turned out, the proprietor having mastered the difficulty of baking the bricks properly, with timber as fuel. The Makarewa bridge is the next object of note. It is not by any means an elegant structure ; in /act its contracted passage seems as if it was specially designed for producing one of those serious disasters for which railway , companies are sometimes mulcted in heavy damages. The danger here is dreadfully apparent. A luckless traveller shooting out his head to , ascertain what was going on, would run a fair risk , of losing it. In crossing the Now "River plains we noted a few of the effects of the reckless system of firing the grass. The plain in many places was ablaze, and many chains of fencing being . consumed. From thence we entered Ryal Bush, passing the well-sheltered properties of Messrs . Marten, M'Clure, and Wilson, besides several "snuggeries" in the distance. Arriving within 3% k miles of Winton, we reach the end of the bal- , lasted line, beyond which the train has to be run , with more caution. We are soon, however, set down at Winton, a township which is just , beginning to wake up to a sense of its own importance. Signs of improvement are to be seen on ( every hand. The business of the agency of the f Bank of Otago is now conducted. in a neat little r office, which has just been completed, and several , other new buildings are in different stages of r progress. We learned that the farmers in the neighborhood had completed their Bowing operaj tions, the greatest breadth being in oata, the , season so far promising favorably. It is a question requiring some consideration to hazard an } opinion aa to the date when the line will be formally opened for traffic. Judging from present I- appearances, we should say that it will take till the end of the year before that very-desirable event is consummated.