LIGHT RAILWAYS FOR NEW SOUTH WALES. 249 
order to meet the views and interests of unimportant places he 
was frequently compelled to increase the cost very considerably 
without receiving an equivalent in the form of revenue, and 
another item in the past had been the cost of land. Taking for 
instance the Illawarra line, the first twenty miles from Sydney to 
Heathcote, including four miles of the National Park cost an 
average of £7,000 per mile, and at the time the land was resumed 
there were very few buildings along any portion of the line. The 
question of gauges need scarcely be referred to as it was not 
probable that any change would ever take place in this Colony, 
and in order to reduce the cost of construction they must be con- 
tent with sharp curves, steep gradients, save a little in ballast, 
dispense with fencing, and reduce the station expenses to a mini- 
mum, as well as private concessions in the shape of bridges and 
crossings. 
Mr. W. TuHow in some further remarks, referred to Mr. 
Higinbotham’s opinion respecting the relative cost of five feet 
three inches and three feet six inches gauges. Either in 1870 or 
1871, Mr. Higinbotham strenuously opposed the introduction of 
the three feet six inches gauge into Victoria. He was almost 
alone in his opposition to that suggestion, with the exception, of 
course, of the leading officers of his staff, and no doubt the people 
of Victoria had to thank him more than any one else for prevent- 
ing the mistake being made of introducing a mixed gauge into 
that colony. Mr. Higinbotham had made very elaborate estimates 
of the relative costs of the two gauges for parliamentary purposes 
and the small difference between them surprised most people. It 
was the intention of the Government to extend the main lines 
then existing in various directions, and the opinion arrived at by 
Mr. Higinbotham was that so far as those lines were concerned, 
the increase would not be more than £261 per mile if made upon 
the five feet three inches gauge instead of the three feet six inch 
gauge, and he pledged himself not to exceed £350 per mile. His 
estimates were subsequently supported by the experience of South 
Australia. At the time that this discussion was going on in 
