THE DEVIATION CONTRACT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 69, 23 April 1880, Page 2

THE DEVIATION CONTRACT.

In our last issue we were able to furnish the gratifying intelligence that tenders^ were, at last called for the new railway station at Foxton, and. wo find that our presumption was correot that although it is styled in the advertisements the " Foxton Station Contract," the deviation and reclamation are both included as part of the scheme. This matter has been so longbefore tho public, so many requests have been made, and so many promises given, that the delay in proceeding with.the work had become almost a proverb; and now, although tenders are called, we are reminded of the old adage, 1 There's many a slip Twixt the cup and lip. It would therefore te wise to restrain our gratitude until the tenders are accepted, and the works actually begun. Governments, like maidens, sue proverbially fickle, and as the tenders will not be received until the day before the date fixed for the meeting of Parliament, when the dreaded " financial position " will be fully known, it would not be in the least surprising if the Colonial Treasurer were to put his veto upon the work, and if the Government were to act as they did recently in the matter of the Catlin River railway contract, receive but not accept the tenders. We will hope for the best, however, and as the repairs to the old wharf are a part of th" present contract, it will be hard indeed if at the last moment the Government reject all the tenders for the Foxton Station Contract. In order to lay before our readers a full explanation of the works projected, a representative of this journal attended at tho Public Works office, Foxton, on Wednesday last, and was courteously shown tho ydiuift by Mr J. T. Stewart. District Engineer, who gave him every information. TJIE PLANS are, as might bo expected, elaborate to a degree. There are no less than - ~!3 large drawings, all of which nre covered with detailed sections of the different works. • THE OLD OOODS SUED, fronting the Main- street of Foxton, will ranviin in its present position, and will be used, we presnme, for the storage of Foxton goods. There will be one line of rails running from the wharf to the old goods shed, the turntable being re-erected to lead up to them from the wharf. All the other lines of rails, shunts, &c, at present in the railway yards will be taken up. the new noons sunn will be a large structure 120 feet by 30 feet, and will be' built near the present whaif. it will hove a loading platform on the southern sido 50 feet by 1 0 feet. THE NEW STATION OKOUNUS will be very extensive. They will be on a level with the present wharf, and will extend from nearly opposite Mr Liddull'a house to a short distance above the present wharf. When tho intervening space between the wharf and bank of the river is reclaimed, this will afford ample, aceomodation for the trade likely to exist at Foxton for some years to come. TUB WHABV. The repairing of the old wharf is a part of the present contract. The damaged work is to be removed, and throe tiers of piles are to be erected, upon which the usual joists and flooring will be laid. The turntaule is to be replaced temporarily in its original position. These repairs are to be effected within eight weeks of tho acceptance of tho tender, under a forfeit of £'20 per week. Nevertheless, they are only temporary, for when tho new wharf, stations, &c , are completed, the inside part of tho old structure will bo removed, and the space between the second tier of piles and the bank reclaimed. The new part of the whaif will bo "250 feet in length, and will join on to the present structure at the northern end. Tho exact direction of the present structure will not ho preserved, as the new part will be built on a slight angle towards the west, thus carrying tho whnrf s ime distance into the rivei. It is probable that one effe.ct of this will bo to cause the current to strike the point opposite the Rev. Mr Duncan's house, ami gradually remove it. At the northern end of the new wharf, boat stairs will be erected, which will be a great convenience to persons using boats. In addition to the extension of the wharf down the riv r, there will be an additional 50 feet erected up the stream. This will be in reality a cattlo wharf, though of cours • it will be made so that it can bo used for ordinary shipping purposes. On the reclaimed laud adjoining this part of the wharf, largo cattle pens will be erected. From these there will be a " lead " built at the south-western end of tho wharf, t<> faoiliate the shipping of cattle into vessels lying at the wharf. At the end of the wharf there will be a movablo stage so erected that it will be possible to lift or drop it, according to the height of the vessel or tho state of the tide. This should provo a very great convenience. Also, the pens will be so arranged that cnttlo can be put into or taken out of the trucks with a very small amount of trouble. 'I HE RECLAMATION. The woodwork part of tho wharf will be only 13 foet i inches wide. Tho space between this and the presen*. bank of the river will be filled in, and will thus form tho site for the now passenger station, engine sheds, &c. THE NEW PASSENRER STATION will be a v«ry lnrgu nffuir. It will be built nearly opposite Mr John W. LitMell's private houso, on the land to be reclaimed. The ntreet that will be nioatly nsed to reach the station from the townsiip, will be tint running at right angles from Main street between the stores Messrs. Liddell and Honore. Tho building sites on this street

will probably acquire a large value, and we fully expect it to become an important ! business centre. The actual site of the new station will be close to the f resent slop? y: the river bank, and when completed it will slight 1 V t-ench on the Ksplmvide, leaving thnt sin" 1 ' somn OO'V '<n wi *iTi The '-Antform of the iip.w rnilwny station wiil b.i 250 IVefc in lef.^th. whi-h will £>vo ample ac comorlation, whilst thu bulling will b^ SO foet long by about 15 feet wide, divided into ladies' wniting room, public room, ticket offico, luggage room, lamp room, besides the usual lavatories, &c TItE ENGINE AND COAL SHEDS at present in use are to be removed on to the reclaimed lund. They will be re-erected on the river^ side of the passenger station, and will bo greatly enlarged. THE DEVIATION. Included in the contract, as already remarked, is the deviation of tho present line of railway. The new line will pass along the land to be reclaimed, and enter the Rev. Mr Duncan's grounds about midway between his house and Mr Liddell's. It will perform .1 very largo curve, crossing 1 tho Lady's Mile, and will pass through the hill at the rear of At r Chaa. I lulke's residence, and join the present line about H miles from Foxton. TIME l-'OR COMPLETION. The time for completion of the whole contract is 15 months. The repairs to the old wharf are to be completed in 8 weeks under a penalty of £20 per week. After these are finished, the contractor will have to devote his whole to the construction of the works on the north side cf the wharf, including the reclamation, new stationsj &c. ; these works 'ire to be completed in eleven months from date of signing the contract. When the new wharf is ready for use, the contractor will be required to take up so much of the old wharf as is necessary, fill in tho vacant space, aud finisl: the remainder of the contract in the four months. concision. The above is a brief outline of the work's included iv the long-talked of scheme. The works comprised are, it will be seen, of considerable magnitude. The immediate results of the contract, if the works are carried out, will be tn give about eighteen months' employment to a large body of men, and to bring 1 into circulation about fifteen thousand pounds of ready money. The remote results will probably be of an even better character. With largely improved facilities for shipping, extended wharf accommodation, aud increased railway appliances, we may reasonably expect that the trade of the port of Foxton, which has been steadily growing for years past, will extend rapidly. As the shipping port of a large and increasingly wealthy district, there must of necessity lie a good future before Foxton, always provided the residents display the enterprise, energy, and unity which are at. all times characteristic of prosperous communities.