WAIRARAPA-EAST COAST RAILWAY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10665, 21 June 1912, Page 6

WAIRARAPA-EAST COAST RAILWAY

OPINIONS OF M-3 COLEMAN PHILLIPS.

TO SETTLE THE EASTERN" LANES. '

At'kcd by a representative of the W.iii'ara.pa Age .for an opim.-.u en the question 1 cf opening up the E'.ist Coau; V>y railway, Mr Cclcnvan Phillip*, \S'ho has inltcrcEod himself in ■raihvay matters i<,v n:.ivx- ' years,

"It woultl 'bo al'iUM'd if or Mia&tcrton to drer.an <i stunting an East Coast line from .Itself as the point oT departure. That iwor.kl never do, as it would only be like ".cutting off one's ■ncse to ispitc one's face," Our great ■stretch oi' East Ceast hind from Piri•iioa t ; c> Tou.u-i has to be divided by a laiiway, 'l'tfuning at a distance of .some 20 .indicts .from the present main cc'ntral line; there being about foity miles c'f f-plei.idid dairying country '.'he lVain centi'al' and the. 'sea. To f;tart a,uy .East Coast lino frcm M;:/-.it>i-t(in (towards Alfrcdton orTc'nui would leave out th's magniaeent 'StccOeh tf country, tone of the finest dairying hc'l.'ks in Now Zo'a-

iand. A nlxrt line would certainly l:aio to le .constructed due -or/it (i'.is much as possible) t« connect M,asterton with 'the eastern line, 'but that is 'all; }ui;t t'.h a coi!2:oc : ir.:,% link would hxva to ibc made fVcm Featherctoii to Martiuibcoough, <ov WocdviHe- eust•wairds. Lut the Icuticre cf' IVlastorteu depe'ndg ripon. the're Sbcing a hundred •dairy factories Ulcng the er.K.tC'i'n. line, not upon any absurd idea of cvmi&bructing a line to Alfred.. .1 or Teci'iM.. The plia.ll is to cut • 1 arc! cettlie the whole eAf the c:\...otii ja-nitls; whew the prcgrcels cf '... a,ster'ton'' will bemt that icf Palmerf-Con, it will have a larger area to- d'raw from, 'peculiarly depending rpti:. i/xclf as the c&u-

7 she olj^Jcicn las been made-'thai if I 'coii-stmc-t a -milage cVaiii" in"-to Wei ling-ten by tn'r.-n-c-Kirg through .".it Wah'ongoniai and [h? Wahiui-o-maUi, ■tli s pitduce would follow the tine 'df ■road. My-ar.jS.iver za, "Liat it go; the more so the .better.'' v c-r tlia Ices ex•pci.'sivo it i'.'i to produce the cheiise the mere wiJl 'tlio farmers 'have to ispend, n'-v'A they wifJl isporrd it chiefly in Macitcrte.iv 't.'r ,iho other Wairarapa toiviTS'li-ips. You '-think nob? Lc't me tell you that il'lie Wcot Cb;wt dairy fiiirmers 1 , lowing. rn exactly -similar (rail diWini, epem.d their raciiiey in Falmeretou, arJd do met go to Wclling■ton.

Nbw, a-s .t,o-tlhe .H:'m-r..taika deviation, any tankmfris with it bo deviation, via Woodsido' and the Uppeir Hutt is absolutely hostile to aho future interests of the. Wairarapa. Adept ! tha ! c I'oute df you choose, ar/J it av'll-1 keep Maeterton a c'aintry village- if c-r the next hundred years. Eivt keep ■miaidn eon/Dra'l 'as it -is; ill in IFi'om. Cress' iOreek to Mr Ma'tthewv' homestead; .'tunnel •through 'the lull' there, and again, to ' t'h'o Wa-lingtt'a -reservoir hill, ami ycu will have a level 'and a eliorter (im time) irdad •linto Wellington via Weeds: do. The surveys have been made, and we. 'know tli'o ccfot; a difference cf only £IOO, (HH) extra via Waircngomiai. Sir i\V. Hall-Jenes w'as good enough to ge't that ltou'te ciirveye-d in 1893. XI being so iwsl:.stont ,up)on its superiority), fh-eirie (b-eiu'g enough waiter from the two streams .(with a drop pf 800 fee ; fc iir a 'short distance) to readily and' easily work the -two tunnels by electric traction. I have the icfcpy lef 'these surveys in my library. You, or any other Master ton jpeople, cause© tlhem if you wish and you can take' (full details from them.

iWhat, thent, is fthe rotate when the (present a'bortion iOvct the hill is 'ah'olijslied, and irabfoits make their homes' (in .the deserted tulninels? Springing facross the Jake to Pirrinoa the line 'would go, 'and then ori to Martinlbor■ough; from, ifchere through Lon'gouslh, tunnelling the iMaumgaraki to Westmere ; •thlsra ithrowgh B'ramcepeth to 'WUiareaima and Teniui; driving on 1 '.ttoromgn to mcto Glktnbo'e and Pongaroa' 'and so on; np the Weber Valley to Waipuburau or Daminevi-rke. (I have nob made any .survey; I only sketch the route).

"You will Inevar tlirough Birancelpefrh," lhas ibeen said to me, "the country is too ■rfcaig'h." I often wonder if the gen'fcieahen ,(o.ne of whom. was Mi- James l who ■knowiS) the whole cciunfory well, and >wh!o lie nndoiihtedly one of the ablest 'and ibevst settlers we have ini New Zealand), Ifave ftihe viaducts on the main, /central ]iine to Auckland in their jmimte, or tha .spiral- at Ran rimu. 1 admit ißTaineepeth will have to, Tie negotiated, ibut it is wondei'M how a rail line >&nxi& a graded and ca,sy way.

O'h'! But what o T f the large latudowners! "Wiilll they consent to the Mute'? iMy answer is that it .is .mlo fun 'managing a ,statidn. mow-a-days, and only ,a constant wo'rry. They will taske t'h'o dairy price for most o!f their

land (£ls to £2O an ati-e), ajitl let it go. How to eon street the 3 i 11,0. — I have to>d tJio Government (this Govermnxmi, .".s weilnas tiio last), "Give mo the right to construct lie privately, and we .will 'rate the whole area (for a tsmall rate- that .11U1.. never be collected), 'as a guarantee, and realise .money in, England on debentures, exactly as tin? 'iM'n.num-a.t.u and We?t .Coast line was made." Ar.d itis prespects? Youu- rede-re cannot imagine the differcinee this East Corist .line will ar.-ako; nor do many c'f them kix-.v the- magnificent grass country it ,pas;-Xo tiln'oug'h, nearly every acre of .which weuild : bo roquire'd, and 'will bo r.'S'jd liereaf'tcr for diyry stock. - The various Taipei land, of cvAirae, .flan be used for sheep, .but wliat .arcii aro they-to' the whob imagmificeii'ib stiTt':"!! f;\:rn Danl'irevi-rke 'to Pirinoa ? A mere flea bito, wid sheep arc best ctcii. .them. RvA for the .rest? It" will! lie cheese and li'iv.t, chece'o. and fruit, along the lino. Not butter! I wan't non-ci of your rris,erable Jerseys. The Holi/cein cow 'J> th,e .\iidy to v.iliv'.m I am ever ready to doff my 'hat, ar.:J iit is .this cow that is going to make JVlasv'M'tcor 0:10 cf tliio 'f.;'.'emi.:i:t, if not the chief inland ci'ty cf New Zealand, if illrptirert'cn cor.'streets, the Ea>?t 'Coast i:'.v?;\va.y 'line I have had so long now ■r:\ .my ir.ii'.d te see coirrs true ted. Admitting the check at Branccpctb, I 'W(.!.i'id ipoint c-ut tliat 'with the ert.cptUcn. cf tl.'e small rivens at the Lower Lake, Hua.nga.i'.:a acid Aohanga there is Lar'dly a liridigo eif any imjporta.nics to bo huMt, itstlie whole line runs along solid ccur.tiry.