TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION J. 459 



duce water-competition, a condition which, while advantageous 

 to the settlers, does not conduce to the prosperity of the 

 railway. The population is mostly concentrated near the 

 ports. As a consequence, the average distances of the traffic 

 and the loads obtainable are very small. The traffic consists 

 of timber, wool, firewood, live-stock, meat, and dairy-produce. 

 There are no minerals. Coals are delivered at the ports at 

 about £1 4s. per ton. It is separated from the chief seaport, 

 Wellington, by the intervention of a private railway. All the 

 conditions tend to make the traffic small, the distances carried 

 short, and, consequently, the expenses per ton high. It was 

 at one time contemplated to make this line the main railway 

 route between Napier, Wellington, Wanganui, and Auckland, 

 but the colony has, fortunately, otherwise decided. The 

 unfavourable character of the line, and the additional dis- 

 tance, would have effectually prevented its being of service 

 in this capacity. A central route has been selected in pre- 

 ference. 



The Auckland Section has a large proportion of its length in 

 unsettled country, with little or no traffic upon it, and it has 

 some water-competition in addition. There is a mineral traffic 

 in brown-coals, which form the local fuel-supply, and are used 

 for locomotive purposes, but they are very little used for 

 steamers. There is a light traffic in agricultura,l and pastoral 

 products. The maximum gradients are 1 in 40. Were it not 

 that the line extends so far into unsettled districts, the ex- 

 penses per ton- and per passenger-mile would not be higher on 

 the average than they are on the Napier Section. 



The Wellington line has a traffic similar to Napier and 

 Wangaiaui. It crosses a mountain-range in a distance of 

 about eighteen miles, with gradients of 1 in 33 and 1 in 40 on 

 the port side, and l-in-15 gradient, worked on the Fell system, 

 on the inland side, and against the chief traffic. This part of 

 the line has 5-chain curves. The high rate of the expenses 

 is chiefly due to this feature, which entails a great expense 

 in locomotive-power, and, in a lesser degree, to the working of 

 a four-mile branch. There is no mineral traffic. Coals are 

 delivered by sea at Wellington at about £1 per ton. 



The Hurunui- Bluff Section has flat gradients in the northern 

 and southern portions, and maximum gradients of 1 in 50 

 with 7|-chain curves in the central part. It has several brown- 

 coal and lignite mines. The brown-coals are used for loco- 

 motive purposes largely. They cost from 7s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. at 

 the pit-mouth. The traffic is chiefly in grain, wool, live-stock, 

 timber, firewood, meat, and dairy-produce. It has numerous 

 short branches, on which the traffic is very light generally, due 

 to the fact that the inland country they penetrate is, for the 



