THE ORIENTAL BAY QUESTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7231, 29 July 1884, Page 3

THE ORIENTAL BAY QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sir, —I find that my proposition of a tunnel through the Mount Victoria range is objected to on account of its enormous expense. Now, from inquries as to cost of tunnelling which I made some years ag), I am able to give a somewhat reliable estimate of tho probable cost. An engineer on Brogdeu’s staff estimated the cost of a tunnel to the north of my house at £3O per yard, bricked and completed. A contractor, who. had made several tunnels on tho Eimutaka, put the cost at £2O per yard. If we, therefore, estimate the cost at £SOO per chain, wo shall not be far from the mark. It is difficult to estimate the width of a hill by the eye, particularly when one cannot see both sides at once, but I should guess that the spur of the Mount Victoria range could be tunnelled in a distance of ton chains. Therefore the cost would be LSOO X .10 = LSOOO. If wo add to this the cost of a road to tho slip in continuation, and take this to have a length of one mile, at a cost of say L2OOO, we have a total expenditure of L7OOO to bring the town and slip close together. Of course the tunnel may be longer than my estimate, in that case, for every additional chain we must add LSOO ; but it may be less than ten chains. Iron shipbuilding seems to be becoming an industry in this port. No better way of developing this can be found than in opening out tho slip site. The small peninsula ihere is just tho very spot for the purpose ; excellent for launching vessels, offering tho greatest facilities for landing coal and iron, and out of every one’s way, and therefore creating no nuisance. The nature of the rock near my house, as to which tho estimate was made, is similar to that of tho Mount Victoria range.—l am, &c., James P. Crawford. Miramar, July 25, 1884.