The Wairarapa Daily SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1890. The North Island Trunk Railway.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3477, 5 April 1890, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1890. The North Island Trunk Railway.

. A bold effort is now being made by . the impressible Dr Newman to give r the North Island Trunk Railway a i lift in the coming Session. He has succeeded in getting a couple of 1 Ministers to go over the pr'oposod route with him, and if they happen , to know as much about land as he i does himself he will have no diffi- ! culty in convincing thorn that the line ought to bo proceeded with at any cost. The railway jobbing era is not yet over, and there is still a' obance for persistent agitators, The ] position of the central line project is . as follows:—Eight years ago a loan i of a million was sanctioned for its i construction, but it was tho expressed I wish of tho House that no tenders ' should be let until certain native ' lands through which the line was J to pass were acquired. The Stout- , Vogel Ministry, finding that it would i be. an exkemoly popular coumto. ,< spend this.million,.proceeded to let contracts in distinct violation of the < policy of first acquiring tho native i lands which were deemed essential ( to the success of the undertaking. ' Then it was found that the lino would j cost two millions instead of one, and \ it' became necessary to suspend i operations. Last session, however, i a sum of £IOO,OOO was voted for the « acquisition of native lands, and it ( wM arranged that the .proceeds of l such land? might be used for con- j| structing either a portion of the i. railway or of the'; roads necessary Jo £ Secede it, but it is supposed that Dr a owipn is not satisfied with this a provision and js getting up bination to force the eoiiipletion of t the line on tho Colony, jhe qnes- ] tion probably will arise as to whether (i the Colony is'to borrow, say another a million, to enable this trunk line.to P be completed, Such a loan would be ° extremely popular iu ,'tuo North t ] Islaud, and will doubtless be q used as a powerful lever in the t! coming general election, TJiereare, s however, two gravo reasons why j>. such borrowing should be scouted, " One is tM $e Colony js virtually p pledged for the jjne being iJgainst 0 ] borrowing in tho London prftet, , t and if the pledge be violated the t| prudent policy, to which we are com- p mitted, will be scattered to tljp wjnils °1 and the old evil days, of borrowing *! and .sorrowing will again bo upon jjj uMTke ottor reason is tW tlie 0 i

bulk of tlio land through which the proposed line 1 ' passes;is. worthless soil whioh will; .hardly pay for the construction' of even a road. The evidence of ;the<member for the Wairarapa electoral district, who carefully inspeoled the County some two years ago, was conclusive on this point,. It follows, therefore, that any expensive line through a poor country must bo unproductive, and result in a.'lieny burden to thei Colony. The through traffic between Wellington arid Auokland would be no doubt considerable, but it certainly would not be 'sufficient to pay working expenses, audit"would bo always handicapped by steamers whioh could do the trip in half, the time at probably a less fare, When a little line like the Wallington-Manawata Sailway, passing through good country, and opening up rich districts,' fails after many years of really excellent management to pay a dividend, what hope is there of a long line running through a poor country? The'line will no doubt come when the .Central Trunk line caa be, prudently constructed, but that time will probably be at least twenty years hence.