Traction Engine Haulage.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4437, 6 June 1893, Page 3

Traction Engine Haulage.

[TO TIIK EOITOII W.D. TIMES,] Slii,-Iscnd you herewith ft description of the Falcon, my new engine, I also sond you a ■photo I took at Cnßtlo Hill and ono by Lukii Percy and Mi. Misery, both on the West 1 Coast Bond (llokitiki-Cliristcliurch) where the engine shown, tho Fusilier, has worked regularly for some years, encountering without difficulty its strep grades, often deeply cowed with snow, mid leaving her tracks on the 6ummit ol the highest road in the colony-Porter's Pass—at an altitude ol considerably over 8000 feet. I hope tho loml bodies will not' frame any hasty and ill-advised by-laws, that may plnce harassing restrictions on the steam nereiccs, us hs been dono in the South County, where we have already undertaken a considerable amount of bulint', at rates that are, though considerably lower than the rates formorly prevailing, still not nearly so low as they would otherwiso lihVh been, ft would ii'ivo been wiser for the Council to wait some time and sco wlwt regulations, if any were required.tbnn to frame anill-coiiditioned by-law that may servo no good purposo, and may enhance greatly the scale of rates introduced, If, as timo goes on, the local bodies encourage the traffio by remoy<ing vexatious and harassing restrictions by adapting the roads for a nioie powerful class of engines, thero will bo every probability that rates of haulage may bo reduced as low ns they arc between Bendigo and Melbourne, Mulhourne and Ballamt, etc., where such encouragement has been given and where the Railway Department has been obliged to make sweeping reductions in their charges, so as to in any measure compete with traotion services, Melbourne to Ballamt with 50 tons of sugar was a recent accomplishment of one of tho engines, and it is no unusual sight to see one hundred and twenty bales of wool brought into Christchurcli from the back country, by a traction engine. The value of land is ofteu appreciably increased where such services 'are established. In France, between Lyons and Grronoble, & distance of over seventy miles, these engines have long been engaged in working light goods services, and the average speed at which they aro run, exceeds eight miles per hour,—l am, etc., Eiinest 3, Skey,