During recent years a great deal has been said concerning the part played by the Railways in the economic life of this Dominion; hence it is of interest to consider the possibilities offered by a new railway—the Stratford Main Trunk—as a factor of importance in the field of transport. Although the line has taken well over thirty years to reach a stage of virtual completion, the original purposes for which it was mooted are still of patent significance to both Auckland and Taranaki. The commercial potentialities of the connection have not always received enough attention from those who should be especially interested; the question of the future expansion of interprovincial business has, at times, been entirely ignored; but now, on the eve of the completion of a work which was commenced in 1901 there are, despite the handicaps of the past, many enthusiastic supporters who have unbounded faith in the project.