The North Island Trunk Railway.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4774, 28 April 1884, Page 2

The North Island Trunk Railway.

[By Telegraph.]

(Feu Peess Association.)

Auckland, This day

The Minister for Public Works started on Sunday morning to make the second of his journeys of inspection along the proposed routes of the North Island trunk railway. Mr Mitchelson, who was accompanied by Mr Knorpp, left by a special train, v which carried them to Te Awamutu, whence they went on to Kihikihi to join' Messrs Holmes and Ross, surveyors, who started on their journey with pack-horses this morning. The two surveyors named were engaged on the survey of the western route for the railway line, and know the country well. Mr Holmes is of opinion that it will take a month to accomplish the journey by the Stratford, Ohura, and Tongarakau rouLe, and the party determined therefore to go by the Mokau route. They will strike the Mokau river about 60- miles from the i sea, and on arriving at Mokau will spend a day or so in inspecting the country and deciding upon the route to be followed. Their first stopping place will be Te Uira, and including all delays, they expect to reach Waitara in nine days. It will therefore be a fortnight before any news can be got of the party when they reach the telegraph station at New Plymouth. The distance between Te Awamutu and Stratford is about 135 miles, that being the extent of the line required to be made, in order to connect Wellington and Auckland by rail. The surveyors estimate that the line will cost £8000 per mile to construct, which reaches a total of rather over a million. The connecting line via the central route would be over 200 miles in length.