936 DISCUSSION ON 
description could not be met with for scores, even hundreds of 
miles, and all that could be done to maintain communication was 
to bridge the watercourses and allow traffic to plough its way over 
the black soil in the best way it could. Even this was very 
expensive, as in the case of embanked bridge approaches, and other 
places where traffic was necessarily confined. The expedient of 
using burnt clay in lieu of stone had been resorted to, but the 
expense even for such material was very great, varying from £1 
to £1 10s. per cubic yard. As the swallowing capacity of the 
black soil was enormous, an idea might be formed of the cost of 
making and maintaining a road on the plains. It was manifest 
that in the plains country a common road would cost twice as 
much to construct and twice as much to maintain as a light rail- 
way. On such country he would in the matter of gauge give 
preference to the normal one, four feet eight and a-half inches, as 
works in general would be light, and double handling of cargo— 
principally wool and live stock—would be saved. Jn ridgy 
country, requirements might be met for many years by the com- 
mon roads, which in the more settled parts of the colony would 
always be required, even after a railway had been constructed 
parallel with them, as witness their experience of the main Western 
and other roads which were maintained in better order than when 
carrying the main traffic of the interior. Should however light 
railways be required in such country as he spoke of, it might be 
advisable on account of cost entailed by heavy cuttings, curves, 
etc., to adopt a narrow gauge as advocated by Mr. Vandevelde, 
more particularly as such line might have its origin in some special 
local requirement, as a mine, etc., whose cargo could on light lines 
only be carried in small trucks, and would receive no damage by 
tipping into larger trucks on main lines. 
Mr. J. W. GrimsHaw considered that light railways really 
meant cheap railways for light traffic. For railways to be really 
cheap it was necessary that the trains be run at a slow speed in 
the day time only and be self-governed. Slow speed allowed of 
sharp curves, steep grades, lighter engines, lighter rails, fewer 
