PUBLIC WORKS EOR AMURI.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXI, Issue 31, 12 April 1862, Page 6

PUBLIC WORKS EOR AMURI.

[From the Nelson Examiner, March 19.] The time-honoured practice of her Majesty's Ministers in England visiting the provinces during the parliamentary recess, is now being acted upon by the members of the Ministry in New Zealand, for, with the exception of Mr. Sewell, the AttorneyGeneral, who has been left to keep guard over the public offices in Auckland, the whole Ministry has, for several weeks past, been upon the move ; and as our rulers will, we trust, return to their duties with recruited health, they will also, we hope, carry back to the various departments they preside over useful information regarding the wants of the colony. But we have other peregrinations to notice besides those we have referred to. Our local officials have been likewise abroad, visiting different parts of the province. His Honour the Superintendent, with the Chief Surveyor, is now absent visiting the West Coast ; while the Provincial Secretary and Land Commissioner; Mr. Domett, and the Provincial Engineer, Mr. Blackett, have just returned from a long visit to the southeastern portion of the province, during which various public wo-ks have been initiated or determined upon, in that part of the province, in accordance with the votes passed in the last session of the Provincial Council. The work which will probably be considered by the generality of the public of Nelson as the most important, is the bridge over the Waiau-ua or Dillon river. This river is the most serious impediment to communication between this province and Canterbury, by the road through the Wairau gorge and Tarndale, as well as by that by the Awatara and Barefell pass. The bridge is to be placed at the entrance of the upper Waiau-ua gorge, where the river, just below its junction with the Hanmer, rushes into the gorge between high cliffs in a deep and rapid stream. The Provincial Engineer proposes, we understand, to avoid the great difficulty of erecting a scaffolding for a bridge at this, the only practicable point, by throwing over the gap a sort oi arch of open iramework, which will be built without any scaffolding at all, being commenced on the rocky pier at each side, and pushed forward, as it were, till the two parts meet in the middle. The idea is a very bold and simple one, and the result, there is every reason to expect, will be a structure of great strength and very imposing effect, as the top of the -wooden, arch, will be about 100 feet above the ordinary level of the river. This great height was rendered necessary by the form and character of the rocky bluffs which the bridge has to cross, as any approaches to a bridge placed at a lower level would have required an amount of rockblasting and side-cutting which would have increased the expense of the whole work to an amount the votes of the Council would not have met, and have been themselves, when made, of so precarious or dangerous a character, that the higher level is, on this account alone, obviously preferable. The difficulty of crossing this dangerous river removed, the road to Canterbury indicated above may be pronounced a safe and pleasant one for the summer months, as the bridle-track made*last year has removed the necessity of crossing the Acheron river at all ; while the still needed crossings of the Wairau and the Clarence are at points so high up in the course of those rivers, and at such good fords, as to be of no consideration iv this respect. It is desirable, however, that the Government should place a sum on the Estimates, in the ensuing session of the Provincial Council, for the widening and improvement of the cuttings down the Acheron, which have been very much injured, and in one or two places almost obliterated, by the sheep and cattle which have been driven that way to Amuri from the Marlborough province. A tax, to be collected at the foot of Jollies pass, upon all sheep and cattle passing by that route, would be only equitable, and might be applied to keeping the road in repair. In connection with this line of road, a considerable improvement will be effected by the opening of a bridle-track from the drayroad in the "Waiau-ua gorge above mentioned, through the hills of the Montrose run to the plain south of them. This will save a distance of several miles, and make almost a straight line of the route from the Hanmer plain to Hastie's accommodation house at the Hurunui ford, .where the principal Canterbury road joins it. The cuttings for this bridle-track, are, we are told, already completed. Directions have been given for opening a road for drays from the mouth of the Stanton river to the mouth of the Conway river, which can be effected at little expense ; it will open a communication through a large tract of country on this side of the Waiau-ua, and afford a means of shipment for wool or any other produce to a roadstead near the mouth of the last-named river. When this work is complete, there will be dray-roads all the way from the foot of Jollies pass to Christchurch, in one direction, and from the same point, round by the Amm'i plain to the Eastcoast at the Conway,in another. Some improvement of the cuttings made last } r ear on the former line, in the Waiau-ua gorge, was the first business M'Gregor's party were set upon, on reaching the Amuri. This was completed some weeks past. The other line of road from Nelson to Christchurch, as our readers are aware, is that over the Maungatapu into the Pelorus, and thence across Wairau and Awatere by the Kaikoras to Amuri. This road has been very well completed, as a horse-track, by the Mai'lborough Government, as far as the Kaikoras. "What remains to be done is to connect it with the Canterbury road mentioned before, at Hastie's accommodationhouse at the Hurunui. The dray-road to the Conway we have been describing, will effect this for the portion of the line within the Nelson province, and we understand that the Provincial Secretaryaud Engineer, having visited Picton for that purpose, had an interview with the Superinteadent of Marl-

borough, who agreed with them as to the line of road which should be taken from the Kaikoras to the Couway (the boundary between Nelson and Marlborough), and the point at which their road should join ours. It is to be hoped that the last-named province will complete their bridle-track to this point, and give a finish to a work which is very creditable to its Government. In that case, there will remain only one obstacle, which it will fall upon the Nelson Government to remove, along' this route to Canterbury,nainely,thepassage of the said Waiau-ua or Dillon river, which obstructs our way to the same place by the inland route. We are told some additional information, which will shortly be furnished, is requisite before the Government can decide whether or not a suspension bridge can be placed over the river near the entrance of the lower gorge. And, if this be found practicable and be done, we think everything that could he reasonably demanded of Nelson, in the way of facilities for crossing fchis dreaded river, will have been fully supplied. We are glad to hear, however, that, in the meantime, directions have been given for the erection of a good accommodation house on the banks of the river, near where the coast line of road will cross it, and that a horse is to be kept there to carry foot passengers over. This last will perhaps be unnecessary should the suspension bridge he built, but a good accommodation house is much wanted there. No fit place for a ferry-boat could be found, we are informed, at any point of the river (Waiau-ua) between the upper and lower gorges, its whole course, in fact, having been examined with reference to such a means of transport by the above-mentioned officers. Speaking of accommodation houses, we are glad to hear that arrangements have been made which will, it is trusted, ensure the establishment of a good and commodious one at the foot of Jollies pass, on the Hanmer plain. This, as the next necessary stopping place to Tarndale, has been a crying want for a long time, and probably nothing (with the exception of a similar convenience at Tarndale) would be a greater boon to the public than this. Next to safe roads, comfortable places to feed and lodge at are the great requisites for travellers, and we wish that both our Government, and those of neighbouring provinces, would pay more attention to this point. In the cases now alluded to, plans and specifications for the houses have been made by Government, with a view to secure the convenience required. A. small accommodation house Las also been ordered at the ford of the Waiau-ua, between Mr. Anstey's (Parnassus) run, and that of Mr. Robinson, the Cheviot-hill run. This is much required by shearers and other foot travellers. The bridle-track through the Leslie hills, which may be considered a branch from the inland road from Nelson to the Amuri country on the north, or this side of the Waiau-ua river, is to be made practicable by side cuttings and other improvements. There is also in contemplation the improvement of a short cut from the Kaikoras to the Amuri plain in connection with the coast line of road to Canterbury, over a considerable hill known as the " Whale's Back." As this line, though sometimes used, will, even if so improved, be still a difficult and bad one, and in winter often altogether impracticable, the Government officers above named and the Superintendent of Marlborough have, we think, judiciously decided on making, as above stated, the other line nearer the coast, though somewhat longer, the connecting link between the Kaikoras and the Amuri plain. Lastly, we are informed that the Hurunui river at Hastie's, was examined by the Provincial Secretary and Engineer, to ascertain the practicability of establishing either a boatferry or of erecting a bridge there. The boatferry was concluded to be impracticable at [ any spot within some miles of the accommodation house. With respect to a bridge, £500 having been already voted by the CanI terbury Government which may be applied to that object, it is proposed that some experimental preliminary operations shall be undertaken, which will determine whether the bed of the river is fit to drive piles in, and ascertain some other details, before a proposition can be made to the Canterbury Government by that of Nelson for the construction of the bridge at the joint expense of these provinces.