CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5139, 25 September 1895, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

"A FEW SUGGESTIONS." [to the editor.] Sik, —I write to you to make a few Buggestious through the medium of your paper, and my suggestions I will leave in the hands of your readers and others who are interested in the progress of this town and its outlying district. My suggestions ask for the construction of a railway from Masterton to Whakat*ki< Its cost is naturally asked, and what returns can it give ? As to its cost, a rough estimate may bo had from some of the railway companies th&Uhaye made railways over similar coSjty as that from Masterton to Whakataki, exclusive of the purchase of the land. I think that in the purchasing, if the land took more than half of the~ cost, of making a railway, let the landowners show a patriotic spirit by taking the current valae of their land in shares; that is, the quantity of land they sell, and the cost of re-erecting their fences. They- would bo repaid in many ways. I will here quote the opinion of Mr Walker, General Manager of the North British Railway:—" I had tho cariosity to look into the valuation rolls of several counties of Scotland, and I find that in the valuation for the year 1877, as compared with 1862, too is an incroaso of 30 per cent, in the rent roll. The counties were Midlothian, Peebles, Selkirk, Roxburg, East Lothian and Berwick , I wish the inference to he drawn that the railway companies have done a great deal to improve Scotland/l If that applied to Scotlantßjtßome twenty years ago, it affiles to New Zealand at the present time with a donble force. Investors will say; How are we to get our money back P I think there :: are many who would be quite willing to sell a certain portion of their land to sell land to .'.;. . enable aclass of men to.gb in for the (■'. dairy, Why, should not ■:;.. NewZealaidgointbitssiiorjeven i : ! ; per iteiexjrtrri of;

daily produce, such as'butter, cheese, poultry, eggs, pigs, etc., and conipeto in the British markets with foreigners. I think the investors will see that by forming such industries at To Ore Ore, Bennett's Hill, Taueru, Mr Vallanco's homestead (with his permission), the Junction, and 60 on to the Const, that a railway would soon pay a dividend, with a good sound practical man at the wheel, as in addition to nil kinds of produce from places all the way to tho Coast, there would be agvwt deal to be taken up, such as merchandise, j timber, etc., besides opening a ivalj good sea-side resort, with a sandy beach equal fo any on the British coast; this alouo would prove a real boon to the townsmen from here to Wellington. Tho railway would also be most vnlnnble in case of an invasion by a foreign power. Kailways have made Britain, America and Canada, and what is wanted here is more railways where men can settle and got a return at onco, the working expense would not be a bigitem. Ij have set the ball rolling, and it now remains for one and everybody to take it up, as it would increase the trade of all tradesmen; cause tunsactions of every kind and a thousand and one things. My idea is to elect MrH.orJlrW.BeetbamorMrT. 0. Williams, Chairman of a Committee to investigate and to act, and wo sliall soon see it in progress. I shall bo glad to answer any question in connection with tho above.—l remain, yours truly, T. Bacox, Upper Plain, An eichauuc states that a novel bicycle has been patented throughout the principal countries of the world by an ingenious American. It is called tho " Companion bicycle," and is constructed with two wheels only, in tandem form, and is so arranged that two riders sit side by side, each operating a pair of pedals connecting the rear hub with ordinary cycle chains. Each person has a pair of handles to guide the wheels, which work automatically, and guide as easily as an ordinary bicycle. The wheel weighs from 351b to Mb.