The Central Railway Route.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2889, 3 May 1888, Page 2

The Central Railway Route.

Mr Charles Pharazyn, in a letter to the Evening Post, explains the Central Boute anomaly in the following terms; —The fact is, and this is in no sense a matter of opinion, but one of demonstrable truth, that the whole of the interior of the North Island, with soma very trifling exceptions, is nothing more than very .inferior pastoral land, varying in grazing capacity from one sheep from three to five acres, to a rabbit to at least 100 acres, and the poor rodent would have bad times, even at that. The land, too, is of au altogether unimprovable character, unless some vast machine could be invented which will remove the enormous deposit of pumice and worthless dust which has been spread over it fcy some great volcanic action. Underneath this deposit is a rich formation, but at far too great a depth for roots of grass or cereals ever to penetrate to it, Deep-rooted plants, such as fern, tutu, and forest trees of various kinds, are able to reach this subsoil and thrive, and it is'this growth which has led so many people to believe the land to be valuable. In places the volcanic covering has been removed by the action of water, and there really fertile patches are found, and have been used by the natives for cultivation, which fact has still further deceived careless observers, who have failed to notice how entirely different in soil these patches are, and how miserably small a proportion theybear to the whole. Between the coast line and this interior desert the country is generally fairly good, and in many places splendid. There can be no possible question of the goodness of the land, through which such streams as the Eangitikei, Wangaehu, and Tiirakina find their way to the coast; but the idea of opening up this, country for any practical purpose by the'trunk line of railway is absurd. It can only be occupied when roads are constructed up eacli of the valleys, by whioli produce can be brought down to tho present line, with probably, in time, a branch nearer to the foot of the hills into which all these roads will lead, '

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