Ashwell, of Cambridge, to show that the freight of goods from Hamilton to Cambridge amounted to £1,821 4s annually, and from Cambridge down, to a sum of £836 ss, or a total of £0,G37 9s per annum. Reduced to railway rates, the cost of freight would be £2, 720 Ss 2d perannnm, a vast saving to the importer.-} of the Cambridge district, and sill a largo percentage on the cost of the proposed line. The cost of working the line had also been estimated at £2,800 per annum, which would leave a profit of £400 Jf, however, the traffic doubled, as there was little doubt it would do if a railway were constructed, then the balance of profit over working expenses, instead of being between £400 and £'>00 per annum, would probably exceed £3000 per aunum. The cost of construction of the line, rolling stock and all would be covered by the sum of £30,000, indeed the chief item of expense would be that for rails and sleepers, The Hon. Mr Oliver observed that he could corroborate all that Mr Whyte had said with respeot to discussing with him at Welliugton this matter in detail, and that he had on several occasions urged upon the Government the need there was of undertaking this work, but Govern ment ha 4 not then got to complete a re poit of the matter as was now placed before them. They were also under the impression that the inhabitants were anxious to cany out the work under the powers of ' ' The District Railways Act" and consented, though they had intended to have repealed that Act on account of its many imperfections, to refrain from doing 1 so, for one session at least, to enable the people of Cambridge to carry out their intention. The Act, however, which was imperfect in many particulars, and especially that uuder it, companies were unable to rai-e money on their debentures, would be repealed next session, and a measure that could be more satisfactorily wo ked would be intr>)duced to replace it. If the Governm nt therefore found itself to be in a position that it could not un dertake to construct the line, they would themselves be able to make it under the amended Act. He did not pay that the Government would not make the line. 