THE THAMES-WAIKATO RAILWAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1236, 1 June 1880, Page 2

THE THAMES-WAIKATO RAILWAY.

Under the heading " Eight reasons why the Thamas should be connected by railway to Waikato,'' appears a letter in the Thamct> Star dedicated to " The Serious consideration of the Railway Commissioneis." The writer gives the following eight reasons :— 1. No place in the North Island stands better than the Thames for a permanent township. One glance at the map of this Island will convince any intelligent and unpredjudiced person of the fact. 2. The Thames people have well earned this railway. Since the commencement of this goldneld in 1867 it has contributed not less than five millions of ounces of the precious metal ,of the value of about £14,000,000 sterling. It will be seen then that during our short career in contributing to the wealth of the colony, that we Thames people have an indisputable right to participate in railway extension, and all other public works. 3. There is an immense area of un- , cultivated l.iud to be opened up for settlement bet«veou Tha*nes aud Waikato, and no means could possibly be devised of so certain a character to settle that area with a thriving population as a railway. 4. The Thames and Waikato Railway when constructed would not be like some i of the railways in the " solid South," begin and end nowhere, for both the Thames and Waikato are largely populated districts. The population of the Thamep alone cannot be less than 10,000 soulsN^ The new electoral roll will contain not far short of 3000 electors, which with very little trouble might be increased to 4000, while any stranger walking our streets on Saturday nights could not be otherwise than convinced that the Thames had a considerable population, so large indeed that only a few days ago a writer in the Star suggested that on Saturday and Sunday nights people should adopt the Old Country rule of keepiug to the left in order to avoid jostling one another. 5 Very many Thames people have for several years anticipated the construction of the above railway, and have patiently waited for it to become un fait accompli. Many have pui chased lands ; many have built houses, and in other ways have invested capital in full belief that the railway would be made and the country be opened up for settlement; and now that Parliament has been committed to the railway, they have a right to expect that it will be finished right through from Thames to Waikato as speedily as possible. 6. The Thames is without a market nearer than Auckland, which cannot be reached except by the tedious and often unceitain process of water carriage. Much of a tradesman's time is lost, great expense and ineonvenieace is incurred in getting goods by suuh means, while the prioo of all the nqpess j ries of life, especially moat, and com, are considerably augmented theiuby." These evils would mohtly vanish was tlio Thames and W ukato railway an accomplished fact. 7. The discontinuation or' the works at the Thamps end of the above railway is <vi inju^tioe to the contractors who had to purchase their plant expressly for the reclamation contract, but in anticipation tint the works would proceed and that other contracts would lecoup them for then- cclraordinuy outlay. 8. If the above railway is not speedily proceeded with, then there is but little hope the business dujuos^ion which has bfen so lon^ endured at the Thames can cease, and it will be fouud that the majority of til? best of our inhabitants will Ipuvc v«, which, indued, many have already douc, s f eking 1 elsewhere what it will be i:npo3iible to find here — an honorable subs.stenec, while in my of the labouring population will have to exist on Government lations. I sinceiely hope, for the benefit of the co i munity, that the Railway Commissioners now amongst us will seriously consider the above reasons which are facts, and will leoomrnend proceeding immediately with the works at the Thames end of thr above l ail way.