THE PROPOSED THAMES-VALLEY RAILWAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1235, 29 May 1880, Page 2

THE PROPOSED THAMES-VAL-LEY RAILWAY.

Last Tuesday's Thames Advertiser has a leader furnishing some statistics showing the population to be benefitted, and the prospective carrying requirements of the proposed Thames- Valley line, which would supply the wants of a large central population, besides a heavy guaranteed transit of coals, timber, cattle &c. The following are the statistics we refer to :—: — European population. (according to the census of 1878) : Thames Electoral District — (Males 6964, females, 5552) ... 12,516 Waikato— about 7,000 Estimated 1 native population who might be expected to use the line 5,000 Total population 24,517

Land. The area fit for settlement in > the electoral districts named is estimated at several millions of acres. The following figures furnish some particulars under this head :—: — Lands available for sale. Thames County— 316,000 acres Waikato County ... 105,000 acres Coromandel County 84,000 acres Piako County ... 80,000 acres Waipa County ... 7,000 acres Tauranga County ... 108,000 acres Lands in course of preparation for settlement at Te Aroha, 15,000 acres on west side Waihou river. Rural Lands open for sale and selection — Te Aroha survey district. Waihou river, 1000 acres. Waikato ditto, 3500 acres. Table showing the population, number of holdings, and land in cultivation and agricultural produce thereof in the Counties interested :— Acres not Population, No.of in crop but Acres holdings broken in

Totals of five nM Counties 18,594 765 14,359 18,97 Q

The .following figures, prepared #nd laicl. before JEjarli.unenl in 1874, sha\s|<flie actual consumption of coals,' food, ete.*,*by theippople of the Thames townships only, all of which imports arc carried by sea :—: — Tons. Coal — The annual consumption of coal at tho Thames at the present, time is about . . . . 19,200 Beef and Mutton — The eoinsumption of live stock from returns obtained is now, per annum . . 1,500 Breadstuffs, per annum .. .. 2,737 Potatoes, per annum .. .. 1,250 Corn, &c, for horse feed, per annum .. .. .. „ 1,440 Hay, for horse feed, per annum 1,080 Butter (fresh and salt), per annum .. .. .. .. 120 Cheese, per annum . . . . 15 Kauri gum, per annum . . . . 260 Making a total of . . 27,602 Exclusive of eggs, poultry,' vegetables, &c, all of which might be expected to pass over the railway, in addition to a large amount of passenger traffic ; to this may also be added a heavy amount of timber and flax that would be carried over this line. Note. — The Government might reasonably expect to have a traffic double that shown by the above figures when the line is opened throughout, as there would be a large amount of return traffic. To show the importance of the Thames the following facts may be mentioned :—: — Number of batteries at the Thames . . 27 Number of stampers . . . . . . 807 Number of pumping machines . . 2 Number of tailing plants „ . . 6 Number of saw-mills . . . . . . 3 Number of gasworks . . ■' . . . . 1 t Number of locally built and owned steamers . . . . . . 10 Steamers and cutters . . . . . . 6 Steam engines at the Thames are equal to 1300 nominal horse-power. The average amount of gold and silver per diem produced since the opening of the goldfielcl, up to 1874 :— Ozs. £ Gold .. 853,688 Value .. 2,989,876 Silver.. 215,584 Value.. 61,228 Total .. .. 3,051,104 Say for six years and three months (Sundays excluded), an average of £1,560 13s per day. Gold yield since 1874 :—

The Land Court, after sitting a short time yesterday and finishing the Opoaru block, adjourned till this morning, when the Mangarautawhiri block will be discussed.

A Maori woman, dne of the occupants of the Avooden shed, opposite the Criterion Hotel, Cambridge, smothered her child by over-lying it the night before last. A tangi is talked of.

The steamer Delta met with an accident when returning with excursionists from Cambridge on Thursday evening. It appears that she grounded in the sho.il wafer at the inland above Hamilton and broke some of the spoosons of one of her wheels. The passengers were landed in boats on the west side of the river and made the remainder of the journey overland. The damage done to the steamer is only trifling and can be repaired for a few pounds.

Professor Goldberg's entertainment opens on Monday night at LeQuesne's Hall. From all accounts iv the Southern papers, the " Sphinx " has attracted good houses. Different nationalities are represented, each hoad speaking 1 its own language. The illusion is really perfect.

Messrs J. B. Whyte, M.H.R., and P. A. Whitaker, M.H.R., left Hamilton yesterday by the midday train for Auckland, en route to "Wellington. Telegrams or letters addressed to the Northern Club, Auckland, will find them till Monday at noon.

It affords us great satisfaction to be able to announce that Mrs Grwynne, the estimable hostess of the Hamilton Hotel, has recovered from the effects of her recent fall.

Another buggy accident occurred yesterday morning 11 — this time at Hamilton East. A. lady and gentleman were on the point of starting for the Piako iv a liVht American waggon. The lady got out to make some purchases in a shop near the Hoyal Hotel, and the gentleman in trying to get the vehicle to the do^r pulled the horses up on the footpath, when he turned them sharp round to avoid it, the result being that the waggon turned over, throwing the driver to the ground. The only damage he sustained, however, was a severe scratch on the nose. The hordes did not fall, and were unhurt. A few minutes sufficed to set matters right again.

We noticed one circumstance in connection with the late race meeting at Cambridge, to which it would be well fm* the Club, in the interests of their patron*, tv direct their attention, and that is the practice of allowing- bookmakers to ply their trade on the grand stand, to the annoyance of ladies and others, who attend more for the sake of the sport than ' to hear the musical voices of these gentry, The proper place for professionals, if they have a place at all, is in the saddling paddock, aud we hope that for the future they will be restricted from going any nearer the stand.

At a .meeting of the Newcastle Highway "board on Tuesday the following tenders were accepted for works in that district: No. 1 contract : Road formation between Whatawhata and a point beyond Mr Day's house, about two miles in all, J. Kennedy, 8d per yard for raiaing embankment; £1 2a 6cl for removing culvert; 2s 9d per chain for road formation, on «ne porti< n, 5s 2d for some in another place, and 8s I<M in another. No. 2 contract: Work at Hobson's Gully, and thence round to Messrs. Stone's, Thomas Maunder and Son, 6 per yard for cutting ; £40 83 for putting in large culvert, and £21 for making ditto ; 5s per chain for road formation ; 4s per foot for pipes, and £1 10s per hundred for fascines. No. 3 contract: Road from Stone's two and a-half miles towards Ngaruawehia, J. Kennedy, 4s per chain for road formation, and Is 9d per cubic yard for gravelling. No. 4 contract: Road work joining the last and continuing to Nararuawania Town Belt, James Combes, Hamilton East, 6d per chain road formation ; 3s 6d per cubic yard for gravelling, if stuff to be taken from Havelock Hill; if from some other place known to tenderer, Is 6d per yard. It was decided to accept the alternative. A schoolboy being asked by bis teacher how he should flog him, replied : "If you please, air, I should like to have it on the Italian system of penmanship —the heavy strokes upward and the downward ones light."

Tun abstract of receipts and expenditure of the Waipa County Council for the year ended 31st March last, is published in our gazette columns for public information.

ov loromandel 2053 'liames 10,375 'iako 447 Vaipa 3259 Vaikato 2460 irer i iicr 49 135 35 322 224 re. , up. 81 457 9379 3325 1117 tIUJJ. 1370 4700 3600 5600 3700

1875— 98,937 ounces valued at £259,709 1876— 58,519 „ „ 160,927 1877—132,370 „ „ 364,017 1878— 60,602 „ „ 166,655 1879— 49,853 „ „ 130,000