WAITEPEKA RAILWAY DEVIATION.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 63, 23 September 1875, Page 6

WAITEPEKA RAILWAY DEVIATION.

(To the Editor ofthe Clutha Leader.) Sir, —l was Hot a little amused at the remarks of "KO" in your last issue. If it was his intention to refute my statements he made a miserable failure. Hia observations were most impractical, and some of his quotations from my letter were greatly misconstrued —e.g., what does he mean by "tbe interest of tbis money (tbe LIS,OOO additional outlay hy the Waitepeka route) is L3OOO (at tbe rate kindly communicated to us at the end of " P's " letter ?" I doubt "OK" is not an adapt at figures, or be would not have made sucb. a gross misquotation. In reference to that, "I never mentioned interest at all, but said the Messrs Rothschild get LBO.OOO for negotiating our last loan of four millions, that is 2 per cent; but ■' OK" does not seem to know the. value of a cipher, when be affixes it to the 2 and makes it 20 per cent. I must try and explain the matter to my country friend. Admitting with bim that the first outlay via "Waitepeka would be Ll 5,000 more than by "Warepa, tbe interest on that sum (tbe Government rate, I believe} is L 750, instead of L3OOO, as be so stupidly infers from my closing remarks. Some of my facetious friend's comments are quite beneath my notice. I think l"KOV apt quotation from Gothe is more applicable to the, inhabitants of Clinton than Waitepeka, judging from the reports of the Hesident Magistrate's Court, where Clinton figures often, aye too often. The township being young in 3'ears, perhaps the people there have not all attained, their proper centre, of gravity yet. The Committee appointed by tbe General Assembly to investigate tbe merits of tbe Waitepeka route (for it cannot properly be called a deviation) were quite unanimous that it would tend greatly to the increase of traffic; yet the Government would not go against tbe report cf tbe engineers, so matters stand as they were. If the project were in the hands of a private company, or even tbe Provincial Government, we would have no trouble in getting justice I suppose tbis way of transacting business is a sample of what we may: expect when the provinces are abolished. A member of our Provincial Council stated a few years ago tbat it would be a regular farce to make a railway from Baiclutha to Mataura. I did not agree with him there, but I say it is a farce to make the line as at present decided, thereby overlooking the large and productive districts from Waitepeka to Catlins River. I fail to see bo\y,ikwiVl costLls,ooo to make a little over a milfcVof railway through the Waitepeka valley. It is a well known fact tbat it is almost a dead level from Baiclutha to where the projected line, passes Warepa township. I believe the heaviest cuttings in all tbat distanc3 will be some big flax bushes growing along the banks of the stream. One does not require the "eagle eye" .of an engineer to see that a mistake is being made somewhere. If it will cost about ten or twelve -thousand p°unds to make a railway through a flat/ I wonder what it will cost tb make the same through the Warepa ridges. Is it not within the bounds of possibility that the engineers in summing up their computations may have.made a similar slight mistake as "KO" made in hia '' kindly " making out the interest on our little L 15.000. Our worthy representative in the General Assembly, though a Clinton settler, knowing weU the requirements of thesa districts, has stood out boldly for our rights, but it seems without success. After both routes were surveyed, Mr Thomson wisely requested tbe Government to call tenders for each line, the Government not to be bound to accept any tender. On the plea of a little additional expanse, tbe Government declined. to accede to his proposal. I would not be the. least surprised to bear of the Waitepka route costing less, instead of more, than by Warepa, notwithstanding the extra distance. Prom the peculiar situation of my landed property, I don't think it will make a farthing per acre of difference to me which way tbe railway goes, so tbat " KO's" charitable (?) remarks on selfishness, &c, are entirely thrown away. My only consideration in taking up this subject is the benefit of the country at large. Perhaps, Mr Editor, I have trespassed too far on your valuable space, but seeing so well " coming events which cast their shadows' before," I deem it my duty to call your attention to these facts. —l am, &c, Prognosticatob. Waitepeka, 15th September.