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Rh railway was built to develop the country, and for the greater part of the route it was in advance of civilization and settlement. 'I think,' said he, 'you have built a great many miles of railway in the United States in the same way, and in doing so your stations have been practically in the wilderness until settlements sprang up around them. Railways in New Zealand have done a great deal for the development of the country, and will do a great deal more as time goes on. They give the settlers the communication they want with the markets, and without such communication they cannot get along.'

"The passengers that boarded or left the train at the stations were principally settlers on the agricultural lands, laborers on farms or in saw-mills, wood-choppers going to their work or leaving it for a visit to one of the towns, merchants and travelling agents of various kinds, and occasional natives. The Maoris have not been slow to perceive the advantages of the railway; at first they were disinclined to travel by it,