The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1886. LOCAL RAILWAY EXTENSION

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2263, 6 April 1886, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1886. LOCAL RAILWAY EXTENSION

The next railway contract let for con.sfcruction between .Wellington and Napier .ought undoubtedly.,to bo the short link' required to connect the present,tfirminiiß north of Masterfcon, (whicli funs into an gujlv), with Eketahuna. The line • already constructed between this town and Mauriceville must necessarily be unprofitable till this further-stage has been gained, and ..the; sooner it is secured, the, better it Mvill be' for the Department and for the district. Eketahuna is a sort of natural centre for the numerous bush settlements which are now springing up in all directions. Eailway extension to'.this: point will' be directly beneficial, even toPahiatua, as it will bring settlers there within an easy ride or drive of a railway station. With some five hundred settlers in the bush districts, and another (five.hundred preparing to take the field, there is obviously an ample supply of passengers and goods waiting for the extension of the line. The timber resources of this district, too, cannot be profitably developed without increased railway facilities; 'it is alike in the interest of Masterton and of the Bush Settlements-that the extort-. sion to Eketabnna should be-brought j prominently before the Government' | and before Parliament. In the ordinary course of events we may expect to see the next Parliamentary vote for local railway construction expended north of Pabiatna, or on the Gorge line. The influence of Napier and Wellington members will probably be exercised, in this direction, and'unleas a strong case can bB made in favor ot theEketahunalink it will undoubtedly remain in the background. It is,! howfever, ! qnite within the power of the]

numerous Small Farm Associations which have now a direct interest in the extension to Eketahuna, to agitato (or its construction, and by well directed efforts to accomplish, an undertaking that must necessarily be a most important factor in the success of each arid all of them.