CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1110, 27 June 1882, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

.THE EXTENSION OF THEjfflEL&v " •LINQTON-MASIBRTON IINEI^; TO THB EDITOR, Sir,—This question it at thej-prerantf r! time exoitiag much comment by residents ;, iof the Wairarapa, and I ventureuro offers aiy opinion the subject, It is urged tfy..,;. those who advocate the extension .'of the: a 'line that it will benefit the '.district <■;•■' 'generally, cause some £3OOO or £4OOO ;to •.-■ be;Bpont in Masterton, and open tip tLe -•. rioli ground in and around the Forty-Mile.•:. ■fiiiah. Novi tbero are two sides to wery question, and i will endeavor lo show fallaoyof the arguments I have : Jam of opinion, with many others, thatfft the extension of tho line would bea severe H ' oheek to the progress of Masteriorr,:'.' Masterton is now a thriving town, as prosperous as any inland centre- in the North Island, and its position as such, there oan be no doubt, is mainly-due to the fact that it is a tertninus.. : Should the line of rail be carried into few :for.ty ; Mil.e Bush, the town;:'weuld b»" !; ' sirripV.a way»ido* advantage-, .which would accrue to if fcy the iiome three" or four, hundred'''iiivyiea" Tequeßtionable. It.isan,undisputedhot' ■•> that of those men,«bff'vfert'effiployad oj» (the line twoyears ago many were\ pi wry doubtful, character; This oircumstjince aloueis a great counteraction to the ad-. - :minl who will prob|ab;%coeivfl about &V t : pjr>4» P«day frorntJhßGovernment, will, - r,wUenthe.work.is cqmpleted, : be;throwo : i upon the district... lifolfewj that, having, . •worked for almost nothjnV'they wilhhenbe. only to glad to earn 5s per day, and , thus cut down the'ratei of wages totho last farthing. With reapoot to the open"in'g'np of the country I am a little doubtfill.;; The' railway, if carried."ihrough to to send-their gauds tb-Masterton aqd thmi ':■ make it their depot, but the all-impo'rupt ■ question is, will they do sol. Is It not V. probable that they would find a far bettor. ' ■■■- ':vti-s.. ~,, ■ ~..■ :1^ : .,\.. :^:3:^:

IB in Wellington T It might bo Hthat even this would bring money Ka cjistrict, but it is a well-known Bhat small farmers living'neat.Mae*' In,cannot Bend llioir produie to lihgton,- a'distance of 60 miles, for ~ the simple reason that the exorbitant fees ' charged for railway carriage swallow the ; , ..profit'; and what inducement would there v 'be to produce butter, &c, when it would in all probability cost a trifle more {or carriage than it would fetch in Welling- ■ ■ .':. ton] ,at would,-perhaps, be profitable 1 if ~s ent lfl»jjttastorton, but here,, as in the wholo ojwlie Valley, the supply is equal to the it would be unreasonable to the farmer living 20 ! or . SO miles from, the market could compete •. with the produoer who lives alongside!*, j... With reference'to the opening of the ' country, and improving the value of the ■ . land,'wp will .take for example the land between Carterton and Masterton through .which tho railway ruiiß. What benefit ' > do the owners of it- receive ?. None. The ■ '-value of their land-is in fuct, growing . " smallby degrees and beautifully less." , That iancLwhich formerly was valuable ".'by the fact of having a frontage 10 the ' main, road,-is now almdst valueless, ; simply, because the road is not used sc J- much, and (hero is less likelihood uf smalt villages springing" up. And this would be ' ' the result if the'Tailway; were carried to Woodvillo. tfh'e farms'" which'' help; to ~ support Masterton, are situated .within ■ . about ten miles from it. The inhabitants i. of many, of them, to go to. tho town; by 'rail,- would probably have to travel at tho ''■' least 4or Smiles to reach a station. .. I am Veil aware ihat the view which I ,i..; take of. ilia ioaiter is a selfish one—that I .'.am.lookinii at it from a Maatorton point of view, but I simply show the arguments ■ '.■ which may be brought to boar against ;. those made in favor of tho extension, .By all mesne let .the line be continuod; but experience will show that this continuation '■•' of the how decidedly unprofitable »nd badly-inatiagod liue will be a.deathblow to Masterton, and uf the'hundreds of .'. farms-Situated around the town, it will Vv lefioStsome 30'nr'40. The labor markot ■■:■• will be glutted with a class' of'men .who, '-. are too Idle U work, but not too proud to' beg- or steal; and the £3OOO or £'4ooo spent in Masterton is as nothing when contrasted' with the advantage which we .. shall lose when our town descends from its prosperous position as a railway ■ terminus and business centre, to the ! -'" lower lovel of a passing station,. I am &c.. Nkmo.