The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1820, 6 March 1884, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justirc to all man, Of whatboc\or state or persuasion, religious or politir.il. Here <=hnH the Press the People's rifjht maintain, Unawed b\ influence and unbrihctl !)}• tr.un

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 188b.

It is announced that Mr Rochefort, Government surveyor, has commenced to lay oft' the line for the North Island Trunk Railway, the flying survey of which he completed some weeks ago. Strangely enough, the announcement has been received apparently as a matter of course. It seems almost to have been taken for granted that there is but one practicable route bj r which the extremities of this island can be brought together, and that Mr Rochefort has discovered that route. This, however, is hardly credible ; Auckland people are not so oblivious of their interests as an admission of this kind would make them out to be. But they are apathetic, and the apathy of friends is as bad as the hostility of enemies. The people whose opinions are entitled to the greatest amount of respect in connection with the construction of this Trunk railway are those of Auckland and Taranaki, chiefly because they happen to be in unison on the question of route. It matters not -what direction the lino may take, Auckland must of course be ono of the termini. If, therefore, from amongst all the claimants to the other terminal station, Auckland selects Taranaki, the strength of the Litter's claim is doubled. The case stands thus : Auckland wishes to draw to herself the solid and growing trade of Taranaki and the Plains Country ; Taranaki and the Plains ask for communication direct with Auckland, because they can see that the benefit derivable from a closer communion would be mutual. They have timber to give us, we have coal to give them ; we can offer them a market for their fat beef and mutton, they can otter us a market for our stores. The facilities for getting to Wellington from the Plains would be the same in any case. It is true that we in this province would be brought nearer to the seat of Government by the adoption of the central line, but this boon — if, indeed it could be called a boon — WOUld bu purohaeod af t,he expense of all the West Coast trade, which, nolens volens would be diawn to Wellington. Auckland ought not for a moment to lose sight of these facts. Taranaki is wide awake enough, but Taranaki standing alone is not a great power in the colony. JYir llochefort's present object is to procure the fullest information relating to the central route (that which traverses the Tuhua and Murimotu country) so that Government may be enabled to lay all the necessary data before Parliament during the approaching session. Nothing whatever is now heard of the Mokau route ; from present indications ifc would soem as though Ministers had already settled the question of route, and now merely await the approval of the Ilouse. In this Ministers may be acting conscientiously. It is possible that they have proved the Mokau lino to be impracticable ; that, having regard to the economy of time and money, the route to Wanganui is the only one which can be followed. But if this be so, it is a pity the public has not been made acquainted with the facts. Human nature in the lump is incredulous, and until the Government has shown conclusively that the merits of the central line are greater than those of that via Mokau, the people of Auckland and the West Coast will cling affectionately to their own bantling.