OPENING OF THE RAILWAY TO MORRINSVILLE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1910, 2 October 1884, Page 3

OPENING OF THE RAILWAY TO MORRINSVILLE.

Yestertmy morning inauamated a newera in the history of the Piako distiict, — the railway to XForrinswlle was foinullj onened for tralfie, ami the fiist passengei a«fi goods tiain came tin ough to Hamilton according to the advertised timetable. It is now about M \ c \eai& since Sir George Gicy tinned the iiist sod of this line, and though the formation was then immediately |>toceoded with, through nnny causes inevitable to the constiuction ot l.iil ways in tins pi ounce, the lincjhas not been finally disposed of until now. The Hamilton Biidge played a prominent part in the- delay experienced in the completion of the line, and as an excusing agency for the Go\ eminent, may be said to have p'ayed its pait admirably. When the luidgc was made ltady for traffic the peimanent way was soon picceeded with, and the eoutiactois, Messis Mulhn^er and Bietl, not only made a speedy, but a good job of the work. The opening of the line has been anxiously looked foiwaid to by the settlers and piopeity-lioldcis in the I'iako and surrounding distiiots,and all who aie interested in the piospenty of the Waikato may now look w itli satisfaction to the vast t\act of \aluable countiy which this extent>i<m of the railway haopened up to settlement Though the countiy between this distuct and Mori ins ville has been in the hands of Euiopeans for many yeais past, settlement on anything like an extensive or piogies&ne scale lias been greatly retarded by the miserable means of communication winch an indiftetently foimed s'nface load has affoided. Those who have had occasion to travel in the Pi.iko distiict dining the winter or lainy season know too will the wretched condition ot the loads o\u which they have ndden or lia\e boen dragged, as the cav> nny lie, combined with the geneial blcaUm - of the emu paiative wilderness pa^i-d ihionsjh No thing can lie uioir deti :mental to the opening up ot a coiintiy and the S"Kle ment of its lauds than bad communal tion, and nothini? can possibly tend to r i moic speed \ dev ( lopnicut of its icoiiM'eth.in good 10 uis aiul lailnajs With the opening of the hue to Mornnsville anothci laigc tia -t of \alunMe, impiowd lanil, ind in i gieat measuie settled, lias been biought. within Lhe stimulating in fluence ot our uulv.ov s\stom The tiain to Monins\il]e was expected to arm o at Hamilton \t thuc o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, and at that hour a number of people, including his Woislnp the Ma>\,i and the Town Cleik, had a> sembled on tlv lailway pl.itfoim to soe the tiaiu passing tin -ugh, but tlnongh some ciuse it did not aime till about five o'clock. Tnc tiain consisted of two passenger carnages and a munbei of goods and co:il tmck-. Mr Hudson, Tiam> Manager, Mi Coo n, Resid-nt Engineer Auckland railways Mi Bluck, (station in.istci for Moinnsv llle). and family, Mi Elliott, Inspeetoi of Eiiyinc.^ Messis Miilhnger and Jjieth, contiactois, and a few otlieis weie on b"aiel I he^e were joined at Hamilton by a few others, including Mi John Knox, e\-Mayoi, Mi Hunt (of Hunt and White) and a icpiesentative of the \\ aik.ito Tunes. Sc\eial gentlemen cio^sed the mer to Ha;>iilton East where the tiain stopped to allow them to retui n. The country passed tin oiigli on a trip to Moninsville is ceitainly anything but of an encouraging or pictinc&fjiio character. On the lontiary, it is e\--ceedingly disappointing, and it. not likely to favoinably nnpiess the mind of the visitor After passing tlnoimli Maudes bush thetiain eineigeson the \ a«t swamp propel ty of the Waikato Land Association. And now a diuaiy licie through a ventab'e waste commence*, altos»cthei unequalled in railway tia\elling in the province. Tins swamp is about elexen miles acioss, and in places seems to extend on either side almost to the horizon. The swamp is said to be of a \eiy Mipeiior chaiacter, and when sufficiently will diaincd— and some few yeais inusfc neces->an)y elapse before this will be effected —is confidently expected to lank with the first p.istoial land in the j)io\ince. The Cimbud^e line junctions in the swamp, and Ruakura, the junction station, is con uected with the outside distuct by one of the Company's loads. To all appealances the Emcka station is ibolatoil fioni the outside voild. It is well in the middle of the &wamp, and the mid giving access to it, if it is intended tint the station shall be of aay jnaoticil utility to the distuct, niijiht piolitablj be reformed and otherwise unproved. The Euieka homestead with its well p'antul biiiioiindmgs is the only atliactixe featnic in t'iu \!u'iitv About bix miles fiom Mm i ms\ llle, the lino enttiistlie pumcity of Mi .Tenkin 1 -. the homestead Ikmiil' ujiivenitnt Ti-is property 1.,^ mo-tly '.ecu laiddnwn m gra«s, is sub diM<li j d an I well stocked On cntenn" the Me-sis Moiim and Stiulhol-neS estate, a n oie encouiaging aspect is piesented. The land on eithei side of the line is of \eiy good quality, ib all in gia-s, well anel subdisidcl, and i-, of a chaiactei admirably suited for sm ill i.iim-, .to which purpose, theie can be no donlil, it will sooner or Uter be do\otcd. On reaching the Monmswllo jdatfoim a number of settleis weie asscmliled to greet the an i\al of the 1 1 am, and then satisfaction was manifested in a lound of hearty chccis. Moiiins' llle being th u ccntie of a veiy laii/o di-tiut, and the junction of the Thames Valley and Eotouia Rnlwaj , the (io\ unmcut ha\e thouiiht piopc rto elect su\tabh v station liuildinj". and tlnse at Moinn>\ illc inny be snul to be the finest of their kind in the pro\iuce.

at Wellington was due the highest lecognition they could offer, because they had served them well, and if their members had served them well in the past, he had no doubt they were prepared to serve them equally well in the future. Therefore, let them hi go upon them in every possible w.i>, by petition and by representation tin ougii the Press, the de->ir-hility, in fact the ah&olute necessity, of carrying the line on to To Aioha. Mr Knos responded on behalf of the meiubeis for WaiUato and Waipa The I ite member ior Wnipa and the piesent member for W.uLito had s-rvod their constituents well, and they would uo a long way before they Mould got iiirn to.seivc them better. Indeed, Watkalo and Waipa had evoiy loason to be pioud of the men w lio repiubented them. In letuinnig Jlr hyfco unopposed, Waikato lnd a (Fouled a stiong and uumibtakeable testimony of their a ppi edition of tliat gentleman. Mi Whyto nad the inteiest ot the Waikato at neait, aud knowing what was wanting in tins matter, they might lest assured he was working haul to 'have their desiie given ellect to, and he had no doubt that little time would be allowed to elapse befoie the line was pushed on to To Aroha. Fiom what he had been that day of the countiy be tween Hamilton aiid Momnsville lie had no hesitation in saying that until the iailwa> was completed to tlie Aroha the section of the hut ju^t opened would not pay for the gioase on the wheelb. He icgietted that Mi Whyte was not piCbiMifc to lespond to the tonst, tlu> hononi of lcsponding to which had bi> unexpectedly dt-volved upon him, but hi- felt smc tint li<id Mi Wlute boon in the distiict nothing wo'ild have allot ded him gtcaloi pleasuie Mi Kno\ .iki lefiind to the e\ inem beis who had distinguished themselves by good w oik in tin- pist, notably Mi M tin ay, and hoped to bee that gentle m.iti shining oneo mini in the aiena ot pi letical politics. (Heai, heai.) Mi Munij, m using to piopo-e the toast of thj evening, " "Health and pio-,-pcntj to Messib Mulling. T aud Biett," leietied to the «xtistacUjiy inannei m winch these gentlemen had poifoim"d then conn <l On Ihe tuei. _-,stul cai.,\ ing out ot th" woiU d ponded the fulnr.> II i iuln.'ss of tlio iailwa\s, and it tin 1 usi tulneas (it llie Moiiinsviile line depended upon the ■-.itisfactoi v manner in winch the contiaetois had earned out the woi k l1l 1 - wo ild be vciy useful indeed IK hoped it would not be Ion:; hefoie the the lailw ly y-tem of the Ninth Island would b • coinnletod, when tncy would bt ! able to tiawl by i,id fioni Auckland to Wellington \ia Stiatfoid. He did not .ippiove ot the political antagonism which existed between the Noithand South ; he should like to b'oOt\go and Auckland going hand in hand. It should not be a question of the Noith Island Tmnk Rnlw.iy, veisus the Otago Cential Railway, but a (|iic->tion of both how it was pj Mble that botli .should be consti noted. J[o thought all pressure should be bi ought to bear upon the Government to fuithcr the completion or the line to the Tli lines. It was gie.itly m the mteiest of thatpatt of the countij.and necessary to seem e the piogicbb of settlcin. nt tint this line should be pi oceeded wUi \\ ithout delay. The tonst wnsieccived with mn-.ical honouis, and waiduly icspondid lo by Mr Biett, who excused liimsilf liom speaking on the plea of being able to make lailwajs but not speeches They weie quite piepaied to go on with the line to Te Aioha, nt schedule iateb, if the Govcinment would only let them Sevcial othci toists, ihcluding the "C'otnineieial intoicsU and pio>peiity of Momnsville. "' The " A»i.eultuial interests," "Tlie Tiailic Managci," io ■-[loiided to b) Mr Hudson, "The rtad way't- Coustiuctiou Djpai tment," ic pond( dtoby Mi Coom " "The Host and Hostess," weie diank and disposed ot with musical honouio. In the morning a Luge number of people assembled on the plattonn to witness the departiue of the fiist tiain fioni Moninsvillc. 'J'he engine and caniages weie becomingly decorated with ilags and eveigicens A nuuil)ei ot people took advantage of the fiist tup, eeveial having come tlnough from To Aioha in a six hoi se conveyance diiven by .Mr Biadley, the popular coach pio pi k tor of the goldheld. A number of natives, w ho had evidently a few "dollais " at then disposal caiefully eNanuncd the gigantic canoe of the pakeha and invested then money in a nde to Hamilton A Hibernian gentleman of a mu&ical tuiti enhveued the jotuiipy to Hamilton with the soul-stni.ng stiains of "Pop Goes the Weasel," "The liai bet's Cab" and l> Maiy Had a Little Limb," jeiked out f i om the icce&ses of a thiee stuuged fiddle. The Muiiinsville excuibioiiists who tamp to Hamilton by the moining tiam ictiuncd home in the evening.